Journey to the West (1996)

This one is a fresh take on the old Chinese classic. It’s not better or worse than the novel, just different and just as enjoyable.

The novel is a classic for a reason, but it does have its drawbacks. The characters are personification of abstracts and concepts. They are largely symbolic with very little character development. The scriptwriters remedy that by adding more details and changes to build up relationships, backstories, and yes, even romance. They succeed in making Sun Wu Kong and company more “human” and relatable to us viewers.

The MVPs here are Dicky Cheung and Wayne Lai. This may be Dicky’s most iconic and memorable role ever. His take on Sun Wu Kong is a little modern, but uniquely “Dicky” with signature stances, hand signs, and a “Yo!” punchline. He has such bright, mischievous eyes and the right level of energy and nimbleness. Most of all, he can act and knows not to overact.

Wayne Lai is an absolute treasure. There’s no one quite like him, a versatile actor who can do drama, comedy, and farce all in a one scene. He plays a Zhu Ba Jie that’s selfish and manipulative, but also a hopeless romantic. He makes this widely hated character easy to like, even endearing.

Dicky, Wayne, and Evergreen Mak are a comedy dream team, with Kong Wah as their coach/straight man. Each of their routine is like a well-choreographed dance that will leave you grinning if not choking on your own laughter. Kong Wah as San Zang is more than adequate, even if he doesn’t physically look the part. I’m glad they change the storyline to make him not so helpless. He saves the day more than once, showing his students that fighting is not always the solution. This is how the writers pay tribute to Buddhist tenets, although it’s obvious that this show is not really about Buddhism.

The biggest issue with the writing is the lack of continuity. There are plot holes so big you could fit a giant stone monkey through them. How can a man die and then, in a few years, be reborn as a 1000-years-old demon? It's sloppy and annoying, but not bad enough to ruin the fun.

The show does have some fun “Easter eggs.” Watch for when San Zang searches for Kuanyin and encounters a fairy with a harp. That beautiful song she’s playing is the theme from “Reincarnated Princess,” an origin story of Kuanyin starring Angie Chiu. It takes you back to the golden days of TVB. They really don’t make series like these anymore.

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