Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

A fantasy comedy drawn from the epic Journey to the West. Xuanzang is a young monk. He is against violence and tries to reform demons rather than kill them; his only instrument is a book of children's songs. His method does not work and everyone mocks him. On the road he meets three demons: a river creature, a pig, and the best-known figure of the legend, the Monkey King. The narrative tells how they are brought round and why they became what they are. The register keeps changing. One scene is comedy outright, the next is genuinely frightening, and the ending is entirely tragic. That is Stephen Chow's known method: exaggerated humour set beside a sudden emotional blow. Visual effects are one of the main materials and are used on a large scale. Chow directed and wrote it but did not act; Wen Zhang plays Xuanzang and Shu Qi plays the demon hunter Duan. It was a large commercial success in China and reached figures considered a record at the time. An enjoyable production for anyone who likes Chinese fantasy and mixed genres. For a viewer expecting a consistent register, the film moves from comedy to dread without warning and some scenes are not for children.