the monkey king 3

Review: THE MONKEY KING 3 Is All About Taking Care Of Your Baby

Director Soi Cheang easily found himself on more sturdier ground amid franchise efforts in 2016; While The Monkey King became a smashing success a few years earlier, there’s no question the film had its share of flaws that needed acknowledging per sequel intentions. The Monkey King 2 drew a slightly smaller return but nevertheless retained a stronger outing commercially, as well as critically and for a number of reasons, which makes his new third installation all the more rewarding. Light on heavy-handed martial arts and substantive in splashy, stunning visuals, action, spectacle and riotous comedy, we return to the folkloric world of Wu Cheng’en’s ancient literary telling of Buddhist monk, Tang, and his iconic disciples led by our titular mythological hero, the incorrigible, yet brave and noble Wukong, played once again by Aaron Kwok. The film almost instantly propels you into a whirlwind adventure as calamity finds our journeying heroes […]

THE MONKEY KING 3: Aaron Kwok Defends A Kingdom Of Damsels In The Official U.S. Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

It’s high time for the rollout of promos to present Soi Cheang’s The Monkey King 3. With the 2014 installment becoming a hit and launching a franchise with a much more solid framework in its sequel, phase three now moves us forward once more with Aaron Kwok shepherding the narrative once more as we journey into an all-female kingdom with our heroes now faced with even greater foes and diar circumstances. The third installment of the blockbuster fantasy series sees the return of the Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) in his most action-packed adventure yet! While continuing their epic journey to the West, the Monkey King and his companions are taken captive by the Queen of an all-female land, who believes them to be part of an ancient prophecy heralding the fall of her kingdom. With a lot of sorcery and a little bit of charm, the travelers devise a plan […]

FIVE-A-DAY ROUND-UP VII: Gintama 2, The Monkey King 3, Bleach, Inrang, Laughing Under The Clouds

Lee B. Golden III

Going into some more adaptations, I have at least five others in mind worth pointing out, one of which already might be in production given the recent announcement of Gintama 2. Little is known about the project which will have Fukuda Yuichi back at the helm advancing a follow-up to this year’s live-actiom rendition of the Benizakura Arc in his 2017 film starring Oguri Shun, Kahsimoto Hanna and Masaki Suda; Well Go USA is releasing that one in the Spring on DVD and Blu-Ray while we await more info on the sequel and what it entails. Chinese moviegoers will continue to endure their beloved folklore as seen on the big screen in time for the Chinese New Year release of The Monkey King 3: Kingdom Of Women. Aaron Kwok is back in the title role with William Feng as the monk Tang under director Soi Cheang who shepherds this latest […]

THE MONKEY KING 3: Monkey Gets The Last Laugh In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

It’s nice to know that Soi Cheang has managed to find his footing with the continuing saga of The Monkey King franchise. After a dodgy albeit successful 2014 debut, its sequel proved even more critically fruitful and with none other than Aaron Kwok donning the costume full-fledged folkloric legend a few years ago. Thus, the first of at least two more installments are on the way, here and now with The Monkey King 3: Kingdom Of Women slated for a Chinese holiday opening on February 16, 2018. An official teaser has emerged with plenty to hint at for its narrative as it primarily focuses on the story that sees our folkloric quartet of heroes venture unto a land resided only by women. The result: Hilarity ensues as three men get their butts owned by girls… Not the titular King himself though as, of course, he’s the King for a reason. […]

THE MONKEY KING 3: Legends Return In New Character Banners

Lee B. Golden III

It’ll be another bustling holiday release for Soi Cheng’s The Monkey King 3: Kingdom Of Women. Aaron Kwok is back in character and costume and readying for an early 2018 release as usually inspired from the pages of Wu Cheng’en’s “Journey To The West”, taking off from last year’s hit sequel in which Kwok reprised Donnie Yen’s own 2014 portrayal, and all of which have been box office hits in some capacity. The film is now rolling out some new character banners in a campaign that will likely profuse further with more and more artwork as the months pass. The ones below are just the start of it so feel free to take a look at the cast in full-tilt threequel mode with Kwok joined by William Feng as the Monk, Tang, actors Shen He and Him Law respectively starring as Zhu Bajie (the pig demon) and Sha Wujing (the […]

Soi Cheang Heads To The KINGDOM OF WOMEN For THE MONKEY KING 3, Fourth In The Works

Lee B. Golden III

Director Soi Cheang is hard at work producing Jonathan Li’s directorial debut, The Brink with lead actor Max Zhang. In the meantime, Cheang’s prominence at the box office having directed both successful installments of The Monkey King in 2014 with Donnie Yen and Aaron Kwok just this year will soon land him back in the director’s chair for a third film as of reports circulating Chinese media this month. Those updates now include a brand new poster and word of the possibility of bringing back actor William Feng who played monk Tang Sanzang, though it’s not being made officially known if he’ll reprise his role or will take the stage as the title character as did Yen and Kwok. The new film, with a fourth also in development, is expected to focus on the Women’s Kingdom portion of the story told in Wu Cheng’en’s classic print, Journey To The West. […]