28 years after ＂Journey to the West＂, Zhou Xingchi will shoot Journey to the West again. Are the feelings still there？

1905 movie network feature "If I have to add a deadline to this love, I hope it will be 10,000 years."This familiar classic line is not an exaggeration to describe the feelings for "Journey to the West".

No, 28 years after "Journey to the West" and 6 years after "Journey to the West", Zhou Xingchi chose to reconnect with the theme of Journey to the West and will supervise the production of the animated film "Monkey King".

Regarding this new film, what we currently know is that it will be produced by Netflix, created by Oriental DreamWorks, and directed by Oscar-nominated director Anthony Starkey. Yang Bowen, Xu Weilun, B.D. Huang, etc. will lead the all-Asian dubbing lineup, and will be launched online on August 18, 2023.

The movie’s synopsis reads: "Monkey King" is an action-packed family comedy about a monkey and his powerful golden hoop, who team up on an epic adventure as they confront gods, demons, and dragons and confront their greatest enemy: the monkey’s self.

Whether it is the typical Hollywood story framework or the indescribable Monkey King shape, this animated version of "Monkey King" has set off a storm of public opinion on the Internet, and it has also made people sweat for Xingye.

From "Journey to the West" to "Journey to the West to Conquer Demons" to "Monkey King", after 28 years and 5 works, what is left of the "love of my life"? What are the things that Stephen Chow and Journey to the West have to say?

1995

"I have a soft spot for Journey to the West, it has so much material and imagination," Zhou Xingchi explained his obsession with "Journey to the West".The 1995 "Journey to the West" series also became one of the milestones in his film career.

He recalled that when he brought the script to Zhou Xingchi, the latter’s first reaction was excitement. "As soon as he said that he would play Sun Wukong in the Journey to the West, he was very happy."

The two hit it off immediately. Although the official screenwriter was Liu Zhenwei, many of the lines and passages came from Zhou Xingchi’s design. "Journey to the West" also became the first shot after the establishment of the color star film company invested by Zhou Xingchi.

The top actors, well-known directors and star cast, did not expect to wait for the double failure of the box office and word-of-mouth. The best situation in Hong Kong only recovered the cost, and the box office of the co-production in the mainland was even bleak, almost nothing. This also directly led to the closure of Chow Xingchi’s color star company.

Mr. Liu said that Mr. Chow was disappointed at the time, but never blamed him. Instead, the two of them integrated this emotion into the creation of "Night of the Soul." Mr. Chow’s character thinks he is a genius, but in the eyes of the outside world, he is completely "crazy."

"At that time, everyone said he was reckless and uneducated, but I knew he was thoughtful, but he was too advanced for others to catch up."

"The Night of the Soul"

Fortunately, the audience didn’t keep Stephen Chow waiting for too long. Two or three years after the film was released, it began to quietly become popular in the mainland. From word of mouth among college students to the loop of the movie channel, it made mainland fans rediscover this once dusty classic.

If everyone has a Hamlet in their heart, then everyone also has a Journey to the West in their heart.

Scholars and film critics regard it as a classic of postmodernism, one after another parsing out symbols and metaphors that Zhou Xingchi himself did not understand.

In his childhood, the post-80s and 90s generation remembered "only you", "Bodhi ancestor", "invisibility talisman" and other nonsense jokes, competing to imitate and repeatedly reminisce.

But in the eyes of more "crazy men and women" who are trapped in love, in "Journey to the West", what they see is their own shadow.

They are the supreme treasures, and they are also Zixia or Bai Jingjing. Those unreasonable first loves, true loves that are later realized, and the past that cannot be returned, all follow the dialogue, and finally turn into a tear in my heart.

"I didn’t understand the meaning of the play at first, but I’m already a character in the play."

Especially the most classic line, "If God could give me a chance to do it again, I would say’I love you ‘to that girl. If I have to add a deadline to this love, I hope it is 10,000 years!"

Zhou Xingchi recalled that this line was born on the bus in Xi’an, a reflection of his personal emotions at that time, and contained the most sincere emotions in the seemingly outdated dialogue.

Perhaps this is the charm of "Journey to the West", which deconstructs the classics in a nonsensical way, subverts the tradition, and reaches a spiritual resonance with the audience beyond time and space.

2013

"You shot Journey to the West, why did you shoot again?"

"I just can’t think of anything else to shoot, hahahaha!"

In an interview during the promotion period of "Journey to the West to Conquer Demons," Zhou Xingchi responded to the question of "fried cold rice" in a playful way. This also became the most asked question before and after the film was released.

Different from the situation of "Journey to the West", "Journey to the West" has received a warm response from the market as soon as it was released, with a total box office of 1.247 billion, ranking the box office champion of the year.

But at the same time, the film has caused a lot of controversy in word-of-mouth. Some people say that this is another love letter written by Stephen Chow to Journey to the West, while others bluntly say that this is a nonsense money-making farce.

Everyone has the right to choose whether to buy this emotional killing or not. But whether it is style or theme, we can clearly see the continuation and innovation of "Journey to the West" for "Journey to the West".

Stylistically, Stephen Chow has returned to his signature nonsensical comedy, but pushed it in a darker and crueler direction.

In the story, "Journey to the West to Conquer Demons" and the subsequent "Fighting Demons" are more centered on the main story of the original novel, which can be regarded as a return from the drama to the main story. However, in the treatment of the four Tang monks and apprentices, it subverts and challenges traditional cognition like "Journey to the West".

In terms of thematic expression, Zhou Xingchi once again wrote a love beyond life and death, and on the other hand sublimated it to a higher dimension of universal beings.

Whether it was the process of Tang Sanzang moving from "little love" to "big love" or the three monsters moving from "demons" to "Buddhas", Zhou Xingchi’s dialectical thinking about the good and evil of human nature and his outlook on life.

Just like the line said: The love of all beings is love, there is no difference between big and small. Only when you have pain can you know the true pain of all beings. Once you are attached, you can let go of your obsession. Once you have been concerned, there is no concern.

Whether it is "Journey to the West" or "Journey to the West to Conquer Demons", Zhou Xingchi’s feelings for "Journey to the West" are not only reflected in his love for the characters in the story, but also in his personal emotions and life insights injected into countless details.

For example, in "Journey to the West to Conquer Demons", Zhou Xingchi changed the classic "10,000 years" line to "10,000 years is too long, just love, now";

He also added the deeply rooted "Love of My Life" to the Mandarin lyrics "Once upon a time, until now, love is still there", so that fans who are familiar with him can feel the deep feelings hidden in it.

In a famous interview, Zhou Xingchi also directly responded to the deep meaning of his lines: "Ten thousand years is indeed too long, don’t wait so long, there is something to do immediately." "If I can do it again, don’t be so busy."

No matter in terms of creation or emotion, "Journey to the West" undoubtedly has a special significance for Zhou Xingchi. But for a wider audience, every time a new work is launched, there is still a controversy of "emotional hype".

For example, in 2017, he supervised and wrote "Journey to the West to Cry Demons", although the box office rose steadily compared to the previous work, its reputation fell sharply.

Perhaps in the hearts of "passers-by", they have already paid back the movie tickets they owed to Lord Xing and "Journey to the West" for those years.

Going back to the animated version of "Monkey King" this time, it is still unknown how many Zhou elements will be in it, but it will undoubtedly bring a more international story and a more unique "Monkey King".

Zhou Xingchi once said that in his opinion, Sun Wukong has "infinite changes and possibilities," but all changes are inseparable from the same, and sincerity is the ultimate killing skill forever.