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Customer Reviews of A Chinese Odyssey

The Spirit of "Journey to the West" Lives On
A Chinese Odyssey Part I (Pandora's Box)/Part II (Cinderella) is loosely based on excerpts of Wu Cheng En's "Journey to the West" written in latter half of 1500 A.D., a work depicting the journey of the monk, Xuan Zang (or Tripitaka), to India to bring back Buddhist sutras to China circa mid 600 A.D. Although some of Wu's contents had been adapted for film and many of these excerpts are well known to the Chinese speaking public, it is still a rarity to find someone that had actually read the unabridged book from cover to cover (100 chapters, approximate 800-900 pages), whether in the original Chinese or foreign translation. I for one, an American born Chinese, may be one of those rarities that read it in the 1500's version Chinese rendering.

Yes, it is a work that historians today consider a serious study of Chinese culture, but Wu never envisioned this to be so. In fact, he produced the work to earn a living and at the same time, have some fun at it. Since he was not a learned Buddhist or Taoist scholar, his work only depicted the common man's view of Buddhism and Taoism in its day with its accompanying inaccuracies and some satirizing on his part. Previous to these writings, there were existing scholarly accounts as well as common tales of Xuan Zang's journeys, but Wu's work became the most popular since its inception.

Now to really appreciate A Chinese Odyssey Part I (Pandora's Box)/Part II (Cinderella), I believe reading the unabridged "Journey to the West" to be helpful. Did you find the film a convoluted mess? Did you find the humor inane and ridiculous? Yes, believe it or not, you may find some vague parallels to Wu's work. Wu was a little "over the top" for his day. The true Xuan Zang was a man of courage, determination and learning. Before he set foot on his journey, he had already studied several foreign languages. Also during the time, it was a capital offense to travel outside of Tang dynasty China. Therefore, it was against great odds that the monk was able to make the treacherous lone journey along the Silk Road to and from India, then return 15 or 16 years later, knowing the emperor may have his head.

So what do we have here in Wu's "Journey to the West"? Wu depicts the monk as a mildly comical character, often cowering for fear of being eaten by demons and outsmarted every now and then by the rambunctious Monkey King. And the dialogue? The book even depicts the Goddess of Mercy using some crude language when she refers to his disciples. Very few of the characters are depicted in noble light. Even much of the poetry in the book is "overdone". When the author names some birds or aquatic life encountered along the monk's journey, he names every bird or reptile/amphibian he knows, regardless of whether or not they were native to the region. He even writes the India nationals wore Tang Chinese dress. So here lies the "genius" behind A Chinese Odyssey Part I (Pandora's Box)/Part II (Cinderella). It is somewhat an extension of Wu Cheng En's work. His spirit lives on, as you might say...

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This deserves 5 not 4
This movie is so good! Time travel,romance,comedy,wild transformations galore. A wonderful parody/drama of "Journey to the West".. Steven Chow was a perfect choice for the Monkey god/king ...Plus Yammie Nam shines as the Spider Woman. You won't believe what you're seeing the first time you watch it. Both films are great..but the first one deserves 5 stars for getting you in to Part 2 in the first place.

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A cult classic
This movie has become a cult classic among the young Chinese, especially university students. No wonder--because the dialogue and the content of this movie are really ingeniously done and have a deep cultural meaning for all its comic surface. But unfortunately this movie can be fully appreciated on several conditions: 1, one should have a basic knowledge of the classic Chinese novel The Monkey (or A Journey to the West), on which this film is based, to appreciate the twists and turns in this film version; 2, the English subtitles are not very good as in most HK movies, so if one could read the Chinese subtitles or if one knows Mandarin or Cantonese (in which the movie was originally shot), it would be a great help, and one can enjoy the movie much, much more; 3, one should definitely watch this movie along with Part II, for Part I is in a way a preparation for the wonderful climax at the end of Part II. Well,this may be discouraging to many potential buyers, but I must also add that for anyone who can satisfy the above conditions, this movie (Part I and II) is simply the greatest of all Steven Chow works so far, and one of the best among HK films. Also it's not done in a cheap studio like many other HK movies: there are, for example, some great desert scenes in Part I and II that are both exotic and spellbinding.