I watched the telemovie version of this series, and for me the dragging plot was utterly predictable and the attempts at humour were lame. I only kept watching to see how bad it could possibly be. With all spiritual elements stripped out of the tale of Monkey and the Journey to the West, it's no longer a quest for enlightenment and redemption - it's just yet another search for a magical thing that will apparently make the world a better place. Exactly how finding the scrolls and bringing back the gods will make things better wasn't clear, because the difference between gods and demons wasn't defined and not all the gods were gone, anyway.
The cast was the other big problem. Chai Hansen as Monkey didn't have the presence or charm the role requires. Emile Cocquerel as Sandy was head-scratching, as well as difficult to understand. Luciane Buchanan as "Tripitaka" utterly failed to convince as a boy, due to her appearance and teenage-girl body language, and she needs to develop her acting skills. By contrast, Josh Thomson as Pigsy was pretty good, and easily the best thing about the show. For the rest, the sets and costuming were competent, though they were an odd mix of Hercules/Xena and Underworld. The special effects were okay for a show aimed at kids.
I imagine the creators of this show congratulated themselves on how daring they were, "reimagining" Monkey as a multi-racial, gender-balanced, white-demoned tale with no spiritual value. Personally, I'm tired of stories of political correctness populated by princesses who just have to exist to succeed. You know what would have been genuinely daring these days? Respecting the source material, having an all-male main cast, and having them go on a quest with some spiritual value. Considering who funded this, though, fat chance.
The cast was the other big problem. Chai Hansen as Monkey didn't have the presence or charm the role requires. Emile Cocquerel as Sandy was head-scratching, as well as difficult to understand. Luciane Buchanan as "Tripitaka" utterly failed to convince as a boy, due to her appearance and teenage-girl body language, and she needs to develop her acting skills. By contrast, Josh Thomson as Pigsy was pretty good, and easily the best thing about the show. For the rest, the sets and costuming were competent, though they were an odd mix of Hercules/Xena and Underworld. The special effects were okay for a show aimed at kids.
I imagine the creators of this show congratulated themselves on how daring they were, "reimagining" Monkey as a multi-racial, gender-balanced, white-demoned tale with no spiritual value. Personally, I'm tired of stories of political correctness populated by princesses who just have to exist to succeed. You know what would have been genuinely daring these days? Respecting the source material, having an all-male main cast, and having them go on a quest with some spiritual value. Considering who funded this, though, fat chance.
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