04-13-2020, 11:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-14-2020, 02:05 PM by Drunk Monk.)
This was China's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language. It was recognized with prestigious awards noms in China and did well at the box office. Xuanzang is the monk mythologized in Journey to the West. He was a historic who travelled from China to India and back to get the Buddhist Sutras. The film was a major co-op between China and India.
It's no Jesus Christ Superstar, that's for sure.
At 2 hours, it's ponderously long and rather uneventful. Sure he faces some trials and tribulations, all the while proselytizing Buddhism. It explains the basic tenets and offers some classic parables, but none of his obstacles seem that challenging because we know he will prevail so there's no emotional tension. And some parts are just dumb. Like how can you keep a horse hydrated in the desert with only handfuls of water? And who puts an elephant on a small boat with sketchy rowers? And that wasn't a patchwork robe, just a little tattered, so the whole farm field parable was lost. Oh, and it has a really dumb beginning where an Indian student looks up a book, and that segues to the author of the book saying he followed Xuanzang's path based on Journey to the West, then the movie starts and thankfully never goes back to that.
However, where it does shine is location. It's filmed in many sacred Buddhist temples and many incredible desolate panoramic landscapes. That part is gorgeous. Towards the middle, I gave up trying to enjoy this as a movie and reconceived it as Buddhist postcards - gentle reminders of the practice set in spectacular settings. That way, it kinda worked for me. It was good to see Bodhgaya again, even if it was a CGI interpretation on how it might have looked back then.
There is a sword fight. It's early on, completely irrelevant, and mediocre, but it is a sword fight. There are bollywood dance numbers although not in the traditional sense, more as color to various ceremonies. The costuming is lovely. Not DOOM recommended unless you like lots of scenic shots. Better to watch the new Monkey King movies, especially 2 & 3.
It's no Jesus Christ Superstar, that's for sure.
At 2 hours, it's ponderously long and rather uneventful. Sure he faces some trials and tribulations, all the while proselytizing Buddhism. It explains the basic tenets and offers some classic parables, but none of his obstacles seem that challenging because we know he will prevail so there's no emotional tension. And some parts are just dumb. Like how can you keep a horse hydrated in the desert with only handfuls of water? And who puts an elephant on a small boat with sketchy rowers? And that wasn't a patchwork robe, just a little tattered, so the whole farm field parable was lost. Oh, and it has a really dumb beginning where an Indian student looks up a book, and that segues to the author of the book saying he followed Xuanzang's path based on Journey to the West, then the movie starts and thankfully never goes back to that.
However, where it does shine is location. It's filmed in many sacred Buddhist temples and many incredible desolate panoramic landscapes. That part is gorgeous. Towards the middle, I gave up trying to enjoy this as a movie and reconceived it as Buddhist postcards - gentle reminders of the practice set in spectacular settings. That way, it kinda worked for me. It was good to see Bodhgaya again, even if it was a CGI interpretation on how it might have looked back then.
There is a sword fight. It's early on, completely irrelevant, and mediocre, but it is a sword fight. There are bollywood dance numbers although not in the traditional sense, more as color to various ceremonies. The costuming is lovely. Not DOOM recommended unless you like lots of scenic shots. Better to watch the new Monkey King movies, especially 2 & 3.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse