Blu-ray Review: GOODBYE MONSTER

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Sep 04, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Kunlun village is made up of thousands of islands, but at its center are the two Medical Islands. Patients travel from all over to Kunlun Hospital on the Larger Island for treatment, where it’s said that there’s nothing the doctors there can’t cure. That is, except for the one disease that has haunted the area for centuries, “The Dark Spirit”. There is no cure for this, and treatment consists of extracting The Dark Spirit from the patients, bottling it up and burying it away underground. Bai Ze has been studying The Dark Spirit for years, coming up with his own experiments on how to treat the disease. So when there is a new outbreak on the island, he is eager to test out his latest theories. However, something goes wrong, and hundreds of years of captured Dark Spirit start to break free and escape. The island is evacuated, and the chief manages to summon Weak Water to contain the Dark Spirit again, but the Larger Island is deemed no longer inhabitable. The chief blames Bai Ze’s arrogance for the situation, and bans him from practicing medicine and from studying the Dark Spirit.

Over the next 7 years, Bai Ze secretly continues his studies, and believes that he has finally found a way to completely eliminate the Dark Spirit…powerful Taoist magic consisting of his Five Element Mantra combined with his custom five-talisman banner. He is still banished from the city, but hopes by revealing his findings, he can get redemption for what happened 7 years earlier. However, the Weak Water that has been holding The Dark Spirit at bay has started to fail, putting everyone in danger, and making his potential cure even more urgently needed. Meanwhile, a young Qilin boy named Yi has come to Bai Ze looking for help. He’s been bullied and made fun of due to the small horn on his forehead, which never grew out like his peers’. Bai Ze tells him of an herb that can help with his issue, but that it can only be found on the Larger Island in the old hospital pharmacy. When Yi heads off to the dangerous island on his own, Bai Ze must try to save the boy, while also attempting to stop The Dark Spirit once and for all. But he is being pursued by the head of the police, Bi Fang, for breaking the rules of his banishment.

The overall premise of the film feels a bit needlessly complex, and likely one that is based on some traditional myth that is familiar to Chinese audiences, but will go over the heads of most Western viewers. It’s never really clear as to what exactly the Dark Spirit is—if it’s more of a spiritual manifestation, a physical entity, or something inbetween. It’s also never really explained who or what these characters are as some don’t look human, and take the form of various beasts and animals. Are they gods, spirits, or something else. I think some of this relies on assumed knowledge of ancient Chinese tales.

I think there is a lot that gets lost in the translation, but there are elements of the story that feel more universal, following themes of bullying, guilt and grief, trying to prove one’s worth, and self-acceptance. It also has fun animation style, filled with colorful and comical characters, such as Bai Ze’s clown-like appearance, and his two disgruntled fish assistants, as well as the four elders&mdsh;Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise—and Bi Fang and his own fish army he’s using to hunt down Bai Ze.

While the film does deal with some darker themes, it also balances this out with lots of humor, including fart jokes. We see this as Bai Ze hides from Bi Fang in a barrel, but can’t keep his bodily functions under control and nearly gasses himself into being discovered. So younger viewers may appreciate this, even if they don’t fully understand what’s going on.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release offers the film both in a new English dub as well as the original Mandarin language track. However, the English subtitles are identical to the English dub, so watching in the original Mandarin with subtitles won’t make the story any clearer. The English audio track is well-performed, providing clear dialogue and making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to really bring the action to life, showcasing the film’s excellent score, and giving an immersive experience. The picture quality is excellent, capturing all the brightness and beauty of the colorful 3D-animated feature with a solid level of detail throughout.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release is barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go releases as bonus material. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t include a digital copy. Our review copy also included a glossy carboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:39:26)

1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English DTS-HDMA 5.1, English Stereo, Mandarin DTS-HDMA 5.1, Mandarin Stereo
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese

Extras:

Trailer (1:13)
Previews
- Warhorse One (2:21)
- Bone Cold (1:33)
- Forgotten Experiment (2:28)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Worth a Look

Goodbye Monster is a visually stunning and beautifully-animated film filled with fun, comical characters and lots of action. However, at its core is a traditional Chinese myth and folklore that isn’t well explained and will likely leave most Western viewers confused. Well Go’s Blu-ray provides excellent picture and sound, and is definitely worth picking up for fans of the film. However, new viewers may wish to rent it first to see if the story is compelling and makes enough sense for a purchase.