Tang Monk is on a pilgrimage to the West to collect the Buddhist scriptures. Traveling with him are his three demon disciples—a monkey named Sun Wukong (The Monkey King), a pig named Zhu Bajie (Pigsy), and a fish named Sha Wujing (Sandy). Along the journey, they stop off at a temple, where ever-the-trickster Wukong gets into trouble, stealing the fruit of a magical tree. While the Monkey King is over 500 years old, he acts more like a rebellious teenager, and when he is confronted about the fruit, he responds by destroying the entire tree, which unleashes the ancient demon primordial, Yuan Di, who had been trapped underneath. This King of the Demons kidnaps their master Tang Monk, and now Wukong, Pigsy and Sandy have just three days to find and rescue him, and capture Yuan Di before he regains his full power, transforms into his true form, and reunites the realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell. Joining them in their journey is the tiny but powerful Fruitie—the vital spirt/qi energy that had been keeping the demon under the tree. However, as Yuan Di grows more powerful, he transforms other demons and creatures into his own zombie-like army to attack the group in waves.

While parts of this story may be familiar to those who have seen any of the numerous other films about the Monkey King legend, this was my first venture into this tale. The film doesn’t really give a lot of info on Wukong’s backstory, it’s kind of assumed you know his past and why he is called the Monkey King. In fact, Wukong is also known by many other names, which he rattles off at one point. However, it’s easy to see that he’s a self-centered, short-tempered, spoiled brat with magical powers, who always gets into trouble because he only thinks about himself. Pigsy and Sandy are his two lackey sidekicks who tag along—Pigsy is always concerned about eating, and Sandy is the more observant quiet one. The Monkey King: Reborn is one big action battle/spectacle after the next, as the group searches for their master. There is also a lot of humor thrown in with the banter between the demons. While the Monkey King isn’t really the most likeable character, Wukong does get a bit of growth and a redemption arc over the course of the film.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release includes both the original Mandarin soundtrack as well as an English dub. On these foreign films, I typically try the English dub first, but I found that each had their own pros and cons. The English subtitles that go with the Mandarin soundtrack are written in far more adult language that is generally quite good, but can get over-flowery and foul at times. The English dub uses more natural, simplified (and also kid-friendly) language. However, the downfall of the English dub is that some of the voices can be a bit too cartoony and high-pitched at times that it borders on grating (this was especially true of the English performance of Pigsy). I wish there was a subtitle track that matched the English dub dialogue as that, paired with the Mandarin, would have been the perfect combo. That said, the soundtrack itself is quite impressive in either language, fulling utilizing the stereo and surround channels in a very immersive way. The score sounds great, and during the fight sequences, sounds boom and echo in the rear speakers, putting the viewer right in the middle of the action. The picture quality is also amazing, with a pristine, clean and detailed image, that often looks stunning, even in the fast-paced action sequences.

The Blu-ray release is pretty barebones, with no bonus material except for the film’s trailer as well as previews for some other Well Go releases. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. Our review copy id not include a slipcover, despite one appearing in the official artwork.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:35:21)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mandarin Stereo, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Stereo
• Subtitles: English, Chinese

Extras:

• Trailer (1:43)
• Previews
  • Raging Fire (1:56)
  • Jiang Ziya (1:48)
  • Ne Zha (2:30)

Final Thoughts:

The Monkey King: Reborn is a gorgeous looking animated film with lots of great action sequences mixed with lots of humor. As someone who knew nothing about the Monkey King legend going into this, I found the initial setup and story a bit overly-complicated and confusing, and the overall story a bit lacking. However, at its core, the film is really just a quest film about three misfits trying to rescue their master, stop an evil demon, and save the world, and on that level I could really enjoy it. The release looks and sounds great, offering both Mandarin and English dub tracks, each with their pros and cons. The release is worth checking out for Monkey King and/or animation fans.