This film was very interesting and funny. The main character Xuan Zang is a demon hunter. He is different from the other demon hunters because he uses a different approach. Instead of using violence he uses a book of nursery rhymes to bring out the innocence in the demons. He meets a lady named Miss Daun who helps him hunt demons. She is always coming in to save him from the demons. Instantly she falls in love with him. Throughout the movie we see her trying to prove to him that she loves him back. Only when he realizes it, it is too late. This helps him come to his ultimate Buddha and find what he has been missing all along. Xuan Chang shows courage throughout the movie because he doesn't give up and believes in the good of the demons. He even manages to defeat the legendary Monkey King. This shows us that anything can be accomplished even when you least expect it.

This film is jam packed with tons of Stephen Chow's comedic style. It has action, love, and some scenes on the meaning of life. There also some descriptions on ancient Chinese symbols. It begins with this supposed demon hunter trying to warn a village that the creature they just killed was not the demon they thought(a giant stingray). Instead, the real demon was a large man eating fish. They eventually get the fish out of the water and the demon hunter(Xuan Zang) attempts to rid the demon of evil and only leave good behind through his book of nursery rhymes. They were to no avail and he started to get beaten up by the fish until a real women demon hunter came about and fought the demon, killing it. The novice demon catcher began to question his abilities as a demon hunter and decided to go to get some food from an infamous restaurant. It turned out the restaurant was run by a demon who tricked the newcomers into being killed and fed to the next who are foolish enough to enter. However, the novice demon fighter suspects something wrong with everything and calls out the demon, but as he calls him out the women demon hunter from the previous fight appears and starts to fight the demon with her magic rings. They walk back to town and she tries to kiss him but he has vowed to only kiss a woman of great love. She keeps on following him trying to get him to like her in return and marry her, but he does not give in. The demon that the women demon hunter had fought before did not actually die and has been on the loose. The novice demon hunter decides to seek help from the monkey king who has been enslaved by buddha for the past 500 years. The monkey king tricks him into freeing him and begins to reign terror killing demon hunters and the women demon hunter who until her death the novice demon hunter does not show feelings of love for. He eventually reaches enlightenment and kills the monkey king with his powers

I have to say that the positive reviews here are baffling to me. Perhaps Chow has succeeded in attracting audience from the West, but he's certainly losing long time Chinese fans like me.A Chinese Odyssey, a two-part movie back in 1994/1995 was arguably Chow's best work as an actor. Knowing that this is a prequel to that series I came in with great expectations. Yet after finishing the movie it left me pretty disappointed, to say the least.Script: The love between the two main characters are forced and unreal. I also don't see a strong theme throughout the movie - the Chinese Odyssey explores the tension between love and responsibility, and portrays that brilliantly (in both a funny and touchy way) throughout the series. This one? I am not so sure.I understand that Chow as a director does not intend to make humorous movies - this is clear when he was making the transition to being a director, e.g. King of Comedy. Yet back in those old movies he was still able to come up catchy/really funny lines which created a strong contrast of the underlying, sad theme. This one - it really is not funny.CGI/Acting: To me the CGI is pretty neat, and the acting is done quite nicely. Kudos to Bo Huang for an excellent portrayal of the Monkey King. But again, personally the script/storyline is far more important than the CGI.

I seriously love the damn crap out of Kung Fu Hustle. So, after I saw that, I wanted more. Therefore I have watched a couple of the other Stephen Chow's movies. I saw that alien robot movie of his, and did not really like it. But then this turns up! Another kung-fu-movie!Whoop!Expectations were a little high, but I still came out liking it. The style is a little more "Asian" this time, (Kung Fu Hustle was a little more Western, as in western part of the world, not cowboys) but I think Asian humor can be quite fun, although pretty strange.(Don't hate me for saying Asian. I am aware that Asian is not just Asian, I say Asian for convenience sake)Anyway, this movie is one hell of a ride. I mean, this is fantasy, over-the-top, weird action. Towards the end there is a scene that is so grandiose, so "big" that it is almost touching, in a sense.A thing with some Asian movies is that they mix together genres in a very peculiar way. Suddenly some strange joke, or an element of horror just pops out of nowhere. Adds some randomness to the experience.So, the movie is entertaining, has some good fighting, some humor that works and a couple of quite strange elements.