Set 300 years after the unforgettable adventures of “Journey To The West”, this new reinvention of Sun Wukong as fictional character, introduce us The Monkey King being bewitched by the wraiths and condemned by the spirit of resentment to murder his mentor, the monk Tang Sanzang, but Wukong´s will and inner strentgth allows him to fight back, and get rid of the spell of the wraith that was consuming his soul. After discovering that behind the wraiths there´s a Goddess of heaven and earth, Wukong decides travel 300 years back in time, in order to save the monk and the goddess soul, in a battle to save mankind.
Sun Wukong´s possibilities as fictional character are as endless as his own immortality and the Chinese entertainment market is squeezing them to the last consequences. This Fantasy adventure brings back the Monkey King in a fun and original new vision, where the character seems to leave behind his deity, to suffer and sacrifice for love as a mere mortal, showing a vulnerability that he always seemed to lack of. Throughout the film there are different references to ” Journey To The West”, even including a small homage to 1964 animation classic “Havoc In Heaven”, one of the most popular and acclaimed adaptations of the novel.
The story brings into this universe of fantasy big doses of romanticism, which becomes the principal axis of the plot, but the feature doesn´t neglect the action, and there´s some really good moments of battle filled with fantasy, that despite of the low budget and the cheap CGI, they managed to make an attractive visual work with poweful images and shots of incredibly beauty and badassery that may remains in the mind of moviegoers for long, being this, the strongest point of the movie. On other hand, as it happens very often in this type of features, there´s too much mandarin comedy, which is a pity, because all those dull moments could have been filled with more action, which is the main reason why a movie fan would approach to this film.
“Tears Of No Regret” is a different experience into the Monkey King universe, reinterpreting the keys of the character, in a fun ride where enjoyment is guaranteed accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack and beatiful visuals, that some audiences may find attractive but others surely will encounter disappointment.
So dear readers, follow my advice and get into this journey choosing by yourself if your tears after watching the movie are filled with regret or not…
The film is available on Chinese streaming platform IQIYI.