|
Cast:
Stephen
Chow Sing Chi
Ng
Man Tat
Athena
Chu
Law
Kar Ying
Karen
Mok
Action:
Ching
Siu Tung
Producer:
Yeung
Gwok Fai
Director:
Jeff
Lau
Score:
 
|
A
CHINESE ODYSSEY PART 1: PANDORA'S BOX
AKA:
A Chinese Odyssey Part One - Pandora's Box
Year:
1995 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
When
the Monkey King abuses his master, the Longevity Monk, he is
banished to human form until he learns the meaning of life and
only then will he be reunited with his master. However, the
Monk sacrifices his mortal life making it seemingly impossible
for the Monkey King to return to his immortal form. In
the meantime, evil sisters arrive at the mountain where the
Godly reunion is to take place in search of the Monkey
King. Unfortunately, they only encounter Joker (Chow
Sing Chi), the hapless leader of a band of robbers who poses
as the Monkey King in order to win the heart of one of the
sisters. To
complicate things further though, the mighty King Bull appears
seeking revenge on the Monkey King and attempts to kill Joker
but only ends up killing one of the sisters. Joker's
only hope to save her is to obtain Pandora's Box; a sacred
item which allows the user to travel back in time but can
Joker save everyone in time and find true love?
Based
on the 16th century novel entitled Journey to the West by
Wu Cheng, 'A Chinese Odyssey Part 1: Pandora's Box' is not
only an excellent incarnation of the myth but also an
outstanding standalone period piece comedy. With
stunning visuals, fantastical battles and numerous hilarious running gags/spoofs, this is exactly the kind of vehicle that Chow Sing Chi
thrives upon as it provides him with a chance to demonstrate
both his comedic timing and acting abilities. This top
notch display from Chow can, in part, be attributed to the
scripting that is spot-on and utilises the source material
well, deviating just enough to add some new spice to the
story whilst never losing site of the original concept.
Chow is also assisted by a first-class supporting cast, from
the ever present Ng Man Tat to the extremely adaptable Karen
Mok, who all play their roles to near perfection and round off
the film nicely.
Unfortunately,
there is one major fault to this movie in that this is really only half a film as
the abrupt ending means the viewer has to seek out the second
part to complete the story but this is easily resolved by just
buying both films at the same time. However, even
on it's own you can't escape the fact that this is all-round
entertainment and a superb watch, definitely Chow Sing Chi and
the Monkey King myth at their finest. Highly Recommended.
|
