The Film (3/5)

In this third part of the Monkey King story, our group of heroes are continuing their Journey to the west. The Monkey King (Aaron Kwok) stops on the monk's boat looking for his stolen pants and all seems fine. This is until the group is attacked by a river god and sent through a portal to the land of women. A whole island controlled by and only housing women. To make matters worse the only way the group can leave is if they find true love. Which seems to be the case for The Monk (William Feng). But as the group tries to escape, the river god has some plans of its own.

THE MONKEY KING 3 (2018) is the third in the recent Monkey King franchise, following THE MONKEY KING (2014) and MONKEY KING 2 (2016).  It is also one of two big Chinese film series currently adapting Wu Cheng'en's Classic epic novel Journey to the West. The other being Stephen Chow's JOURNEY TO THE WEST series.

Director Soi Cheang returns from MONKEY KING 2, to helm this third entity, and brings an outlandish sense of fun. Unlike the previous two movies, this one is smaller in scale and sillier. Since this is a Chinese New Year movie it's full of crowd pleasing elements for the whole family. Which causes some friction on the tone. Despite some unfocused and stretched out sections of story, MK3 still manages to work as an action film.

The main conflict of finding true love, is tired and done to death. But where the movie shines are in its fantasy elements. The scope of the movie is handsome and large. And at times feels like a grand epic. There is some confusing what the hell is going on humor with the group of men getting pregnant and having to search for "miscarriage" medicine.  Aaron Kwok (BARE-FOOTED KID, A MOMENT OF ROMANCE 2) completely embodies the Monkey King and makes him a zany and likeable character. Xiao Shenyang is also hilarious as the Pig demon that can shape shift.

While not perfect, MONKEY KING 3 is a fun Saturday after movie with some heart.

Audio/Video (4.5/5)

Well Go USA loads the disc with multiple audio options and a stunning transfer. There are five main tracks in Mandarin and Cantonese. First up is 5.1 Mandarin DTS-HD Master audio. The track is smooth and clean. There is no hiss or problems. There other two tracks are the DTS-Headphones and the 2.0 Stereo mix. Both are fine but slightly softer in overall quality. Next up is the Cantonese 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio which is just as crisp as the Mandarin. There is also the slightly softer 2.0 Stereo mix. English and simplified Chinese subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer is simply stunning. The colors are vivid, and the black levels are smooth. I was really taken aback by how crisp and yet candy like most of the picture was. A lot of money was spent on this film, and it was put to good use. There are some minor issues. The picture does seem to get dull in the corners of the screen during some action set pieces and the over cast scenes don't hold up well.

Extras (1/5)

Extras are limited to a trailer gallery that features MONKEY KING 3 teaser, trailer, OPERATION RED SEA, ALONG WITH THE GODS, and ONCE UPON A TIME.

Overall (3/5)

THE MONKEY KING 3 is a nice addition to the recent franchise and shows a fun mix of humor and action. While unfocused and slow in parts, it still delivers the excitement. Well Go USA releases the film in a stunning edition. So, if you’re a Hong Kong movie fan it comes recommended.