70
Journey to the West may not rank among Chow’s classics, but it’s a crowd-pleaser that also serves as a reminder of what the director can accomplish when he’s on his game.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Chow’s movies are always as sweet as they are silly, a combination he once again balances — alongside cool effects — with typically deft irreverence.
75
The A.V. Club by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
Showcases Chow at his weirdest and most entertaining.
75
Slant Magazine by Kenji Fujishima
Stephen Chow's distinctive vision is evident in the seemingly boundless imagination of his scenarios, and in the film's sincere spiritual concerns and generosity toward misfits and outsiders.
75
A huge hit in China — where it was released in 3-D IMAX — the handsomely filmed Journey To the West deserves better than the token 2-D theatrical release it’s getting in the United States to support its simultaneous arrival on video-on-demand.
91
Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan
Chow's specialty is over-the-top slapstick action in the Hong Kong style, and the new film doesn't disappoint on either count.
60
Chow’s go-for-broke sensibility has been sorely missed, and a tale of demons is the ideal context for the gravity-defying, logic-impaired stunts he favors.
50
The camera swoops and whooshes about but never generates any compelling energy — Chow's film proves endlessly manic but devoid of much mirth.
70
The New York Times by Nicolas Rapold
Mr. Chow has perhaps achieved more sustained and elaborate adventures, but he hits a sweet spot of comedy that never grows too self-aware or forgets the value of a good, clean demon whomping.
80
Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden
The spectacular combination of slapstick, love story and superhero antics doesn't entirely avoid awkwardness, but mostly it defies gravity, like many of the stunts.