November 18, 2014 -- This is one strange movie. It is a combination romantic comedy, supernatural fantasy, Buddhist philosophy, slapstick comedy and kung-fu action film, directed by Stephen Chow. There are some similarities between this and previous Chow movies I've seen, like “Shaolin Soccer” and “Kung Fu Hustle,” but this one veers farther into the realm of the Buddhist religion and Chinese mythology. The story is loosely based on a 16th Century Chinese novel, considered a classic.

The main character is Xuan Zang (played by Zhang Wen) a young, inexperienced Buddhist monk and demon hunter. He arrives in a fishing village beset by a demon in the form of a giant, man-eating fish (not a shark). Another demon hunter catches a giant stingray and claims the water is now safe. Zang argues the water is not safe, that the ray is not the demon. He is right.

More people are killed before Zang and the villagers manage to get the demon out of the water, where it turns back into human form. Yet another demon hunter, Miss Duan (Qi Shu) comes along and captures the demon, and gets all the credit, while Zang is ignored. Zang (also called Tang Sanzang in some credits) is very disappointed in himself and doubts his methods. He believes in trying to coax the good out of demons using kindness and fairy tales, while Miss Duan uses brute force and fighting skill to beat the demons into submission.

Miss Duan takes a fancy to Zang and tries to have romantic relationship with him, but he resists. He is searching for a “higher form of love.” He undertakes a journey to see the Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Bo Huang) from whom he hopes to obtain wisdom. Along the way he encounters a powerful pig demon, KL Hog (Bingqiang Chen) but manages to escape with the aid of Miss Duan and other demon hunters, looking for a bounty.

Despite repeated brush-offs, Miss Duan follows Zang all the way to the cave of the Monkey King, where he has been imprisoned by Buddha for the past 500 years. Zang unwittingly releases the Monkey King from his prison, and he is the most powerful demon of all. One by one, the demon hunters try to overpower the Monkey King, until the only one left is Zang, and his only hope is to achieve full enlightenment.

There is a lot of blood and violence in this film, including a running gag about a wound fueled by an endless supply of fake blood. The humor is very broad and the action is fast and furious. There are some impressive visual effects. The story also has its tragic and melodramatic elements. On the whole, it is decent entertainment, but I liked “Shaolin Soccer” and “Kung Fu Hustle” a lot more than this. It seems to me to be a loosely organized and uneven film. This film rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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