Watch Monkey King: Hero Is Back For Free

Wonderfully offbeat film!

Best movie ever!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Within the first 15 minutes, Hero is Back realizes its goal: bring older audiences on a nostalgia trip, and enrapture young moviegoers with Sun Wukong, one of the most fantastic characters in Chinese mythology. The director spent 7 years developing this movie to show his son (a Batman junkie) the wonders of Chinese superheroes.Serving as a "pre-sequel" bridge between his two most famous adventures, the flick gives us a VERY interesting take on Wukong's struggles with self-doubt 500 years after he wreaked havoc in heaven.I was so excited for this unique premise that I flew to China to catch the premiere. The theaters were PACKED, as the trailer generated a lot of hype for domestic audiences. Everyone left with a smile on their face, and some with tears in their eyes, having seen their childhood hero brought to life with 21st century technology. The vibe in the theater lobby was amazing, and we all had a great time afterwards.Hero is Back's main failure is to move WAY too fast. After being introduced to our main cast, we barely spend any time with them at all before being moved right to the finale. Indeed, Hero is Back does a good job of establishing character motivations, and develops good chemistry. But the audience needs a few slow scenes here and there to appreciate the gravity of their journey, and to reflect on Wukong's growth!!!Overall, definitely DO watch Hero is Back, especially if you're a Wukong fan. Although it may feel rushed, you will laugh and marvel at the animation, and the insights to Wukong's character make it a unique experience.

Before you went into a cinema, you may need to know that this film may not satisfy your imagination. Is it funny? Yes, but less funny than Kongfu Panda(Dreamworks). Is it high technology? Yes, but less technological than FINAL FANTASY（Japanese). Is it a moving story? Yes, but less touching than 《UP》(Pixar). Is it a fantasy film? Yes, but less creative than 《Monstors inc.》 （Disney). And why should you pay money to see it? Because it is the best original Chinese animation film you will ever seen. It tells simple story of responsibility and how a middle-aged hero(who has lost his power) outdo himself again. You may not understand some Chinese-background-related concept but you will still be shocked when these catching moment comes.If you ever wanted to be a superhero, the gravity told you "NO" and life itself mock you in your face. This is the right film for you because this glory-lost monkey is you in the past. If you were ever beated down by cruel world, you still fighting on your feet to stand up. This is the right film for you because this awakened monkey is you tomorrow. It's a awosome animation film for the whole fimily. Kids may love it for the cool action characters and a lovely story telling good people defeat bad ones. Adults can enjoy the same thing as their children but some may prefer the true story hiding behind.Someone has said that Chinese cartoon films is 20 years falling behind the Disney、Pixar and Dreamorks. Today the monkey king dramatically narrow this gap down to 10 years over one single night. I am so proud of this monkey and the team who brings its story to the big screen. I'd love to tell every one of my friends how cool this monkey is.If been asked for spinion, I will tell him this: it's not perfect but you should check out this one. "the best animation film of year" may probably belongs to a Disney panda in 2016 but (to me) this year it belongs to a Chinese monkey.

With an almost Pixarian flair that marries perfectly with an Miyazaki-type of emotional twist, "Monkey King, hero is back" is an uproar in a usually quiet Chinese animation market. Cheap tearjerker, well some of those who have had enough of Hollywood stuff might grumble, but it was wrong to juxtapose "Monkey King, hero is back" to other mainstream American animations, at least not in a Chinese scenario. For the adaptation of the classic Chinese Novel "To the West" this film is a bold departure from the old word- by-word translation that nobody really cares anymore. Monkey King, portrayed as an outcast was only able to pick himself up from words of a little monk. In some way, this was significant as it applies powerfully to the real world. What we are afraid of is nothing but figments of our own fears. The movie deals courageously with the theme of lost. Donned with a old cloth, nothing suggests even a remote element of kingness except his occasional up-hands on small monsters. To put it another way, he was a loser, a pariah who has lost faith in himself. There are a couple of close-up scenes which presented an unusually meticulous and delicate approach to the portrayal of Monkey King's mentality. Few words were being said and yet the emotion rocked us powerfully. For me personally, the story of Monkey King has always held a special place in my mind since I was young, which I believe applies to many other people who were born in the twenties century China where American and Japanese popular culture had yet made their strides into the quiet and sometimes monotonous Chinese entertainment market. Since all the way back, there has always been Monkey King and the story of "Journey to the West" where fable-like interplays between pigsy, Monkey King, Liuer (who in the book was called tang sen) serve as lessons to Chinese kids, where moral creeds like respecting the elder and knowing thy place insinuate into people heads and ultimately define us as Chinese. Whereas in the movie "Monkey King: hero is back" the Monkey King was the indisputable protagonist, the novel written in Ming Dynasty China focused more on the interplays between different characters where Monkey King was always portrayed as irrational. This definition would carry on in modern Chinese history till now. There's a sense of powerlessness in the otherwise almighty character. After being locked up under a huge mountain for five hundred years, Monkey King has certainly lost his edge. Worn-out and beaten, his weariness and regret are evermore powerful to Chinese viewers just like American viewers seeing Captain America getting beaten up and driven away. Yet this powerlessness draws us ever closer to the once sacrosanct image. Gone was the Monkey King who were once inscrutable, manically irrational. What appears in front of us instead is an individual swept away in a current he was not longer able to ride on, a person just like us. I could never fail to connect Monkey King with the rest of us, swept away in a social current we had no control of. Beaten up by the mounting expectations and pressures society demand upon us. May not we haven't been locked up under mountains for five hundred years, but we were just as beaten-up and as tired. Then what could we do. Was there a way we could find our younger selves lost during our journey in life?In the movie, the bracelet that kept Monkey King's power was a metaphor of our inner feeling of lost and powerlessness. The bracelet was shattered not by spells or powerful magics. It was shattered rather by a renewed sense of hope and drive, an edge that most of us have only when we were young, when we were carefree and fearless. The climax seems to resonate well with a sometimes cliché but nevertheless true statement: we are never normal and we have nothing to fear. I was almost driven to tears during the movie and I rank it the best Chinese animation I've ever seen in my life. Good news is that it will come to US soon, which I anticipate a great deal of. It makes me proud to be able to introduce to my friends something that is not only Chinese but also sheer pleasure.

The "Monkey King: Hero is back" (2015)-- And On His Way HomeTECHNICALLY speaking, "Monkey King: Hero is back" (2015) is essentially "all there"-- meaning that you can sit back and let the 3D animation take you into the story, without issues like lip-syncing or frame-rates breaking the "flow". But the frequent use of jump-cuts, fades-to-black and other cost-saving techniques (e.g "indestructible" clothes) also makes it clear that this is blockbuster film-making on a shoestring budget-- though the director can be seen burning through his budget where it matters., e.g. a cameo of the first-ever 3D-animated (available in IMAX) Chinese dragon rendered with mane, scales and all.So even if the animation is not as detailed/fluid as the state-of-the-art Hollywood fare, you might still be able to enjoy how differently the developer of this film, October Animation Studio, chose to animate Chinese characters and landscapes.... Using old-school "motion capture"-- i.e. making animators study rehearsing actors like in "Only Yesterday" (1991)-- and manipulating space and perspective as deliberately as Chinese ink-paintings, this film accomplishes (in 3D, no less) the cinematic sweep and kinetic camera-work from kung-fu fantasy classics likes "Swordsman" (1990) and makes the likes of "Kung Fu Panda"(2008) look "cartoonish" by comparison.But pretty moving pictures aside, now that I've established that this film is perfectly "watchable", what's the real story here? Well, a little background would be helpful.N.B.(or BACKGROUND): More than 400 years ago, "Journey To The West" hit publishing houses in China (oldest existing print, 1592) and has never been out-of-print since-- but with all the spins-off and sequels that have been written/published throughout the centuries, not one of them has been a "true" successor worthy of re-reading or analysis.Then some 50 years ago, with the advent of film technology, the animated film "Uproar In Heaven" (1965) hit the cinemas and showed audiences all the fantastical action and imagery described in the first major action set-pieces of "Journey To the West", such as the classic "transformation duel/pursuit" between the 3-Eyed God and the Monkey King-- and for decades, sealed the on-screen character of the Monkey King as an irrepressible rogue with a child-like sense of wonder/humor.Then some 20 years ago, the 2-parter live-action film "A Chinese Odyssey" (1995) hit the cinemas and gave the Monkey King a "tragi-comical" love story as an alternate/added background to his journey to the west-- and so, like the young adult audiences it garnered, the Monkey King reached adulthood and began to see everything with a sense of loss and cynicism.Then, just over a week ago, the 3D-animated film "Monkey King: Hero is back" (2015) hit Chinese cinemas and saw the character of the Monkey King take the next step of his development in film-- taking on the joys and frustrations of parenthood, and daring/struggling to care again.... With a predictably simple story that is smart enough to "show, don't tell" (go on-- get your parents to "explain" why they love you...), this film is about the emotional journey of a few lost souls on their way home... under the guise of a comic-fantasy action-adventure.TD;DR (or REVIEW): At only 80+ minutes, the film throws in everything at breakneck speed-- so the current generation of film audiences (Chinese and international) should be able to enjoy it as mindless fun, IF they are not too concerned about "originality"... seeing as how, in their impressionable but uninformed minds, the Monkey King and Chinese dragons are based the likes of "Dragonball" (1989) **face-palm**.... "Journey To The West" was the progenitor of party-based "challenge of the week" serial storytelling-- complete with slapstick humor and witty banter-- and this film stays true to its roots and that time-honored formula, despite continuity and pacing issues (see first paragraph above).But for the previous 2 generations of Chinese film audiences with memories of "Uproar In Heaven" (1965) and "A Chinese Odyssey" (1995)-- who have all but given up ever seeing the "true" Monkey King again (much less in 3D)-- this film is like a long-lost dream coming true.... In short, it is almost incomprehensible if you don't know enough about the "Journey To The West" universe (e.g. the Monkey King's reputation for finding and beating up dragons), but jam-packed with brilliant homages, meaningful references and clever in-jokes for the aficionado.No wonder then, that it has become an internet and movie industry phenomenon in China as fans of the "Journey To The West" universe, or just Chinese animation generally, flooded social media and thanked the director for "bringing back my youth/childhood!" and "reminding me who I was!" In fact, the allegorical appeal of film (much like the novel) is so "spoiler-proof", that October Animation spoiled its story in a promotional music-video and STILL attracted repeated viewings in China-- possibly because the "tour-de-force" of escalating drama and action in the final act never gets old!P.S.: Bets are on (and vulture/venture capitalists are circling) now as to whether this film will be become the "Nausicaa of Valley of the Wind" (1984) for Chinese animation, and whether October Animation will become the Studio Ghibli of China. Hopefully for everyone who "laugh-teared" throughout the film, October Animation will be able to finance all the planned sequels to "Monkey King: Hero is back" (2015) without any more money trouble, or interference from the moneyed-interests of the Chinese film industry-- and, unlike "Nausicaa of Valley of the Wind" (1984), finish telling the story it wants to tell.P.P.S.: In contrast, one can see how/why the "Superman" (1978) movie has yet to see a "true" successor, whether its reboots/remakes tried aping it or veering off in a different direction-- e.g. "Superman Returns"(2006) introduced Superman's son but had nothing much/new to say about the characters or their relationships, while "Man of Steel"(2013) re-introduced Superman's father but had nothing much/new to say about the characters or their relationships either...