Customer Reviews

The Lost Empire

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

OK, I rounded up to 4 stars. This really isn't bad, though.

It's an idiom that most American viewers won't be familiar with. The major characters are Kuan Yin, Confucius, and a flock of other gods, godlings, immortals, buddhas, figures from myth, and other well-known figures and stereotypes from the Chinese pantheon. There are the flying heroes, improbable weapons, and acting at least on a par with the Dr. Who series. In other words, lots of viewers will see it as alien, disconnected, and amateurish, as well as being filled overly convenient miracles.

But it's not in the Western idiom, so parts of it have to be taken in their own terms. And it has the look of a low-budget film, so you won't see effects on the Star Wars scale. And it is a bit cheesy and over-the-top, which is part of the appeal.

The fights are bloodless, the romance is chaste, and all but the youngest kids will understand the characters. If you don't take it or yourself too seriously, there's a lot of fun in this one.

//wiredweird

The Lost Empire / The Monkey King is a mini series that tells the story of Nicholas Orton (Thomas Gibson) who finds himself on a save-the-world mission. The plot itself is a bit difficult to follow - it is loosely inspired by 'Journey to the West'- the famous chinese epic. However in this version, it shows us what would happen if 'Journey to the West' had never existed. Demons are trying to destroy the book (for the simple reason of that's what evil demons do with their spare time) and the world is running backwards because of it, deleting all the things that 'Journey to the West' helped inspire (which includes buildings and clocks, strangely enough). So the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Ying (Ling Bai) travels from her world to find the prophesied Scholar from Above - our own Nick Orton. He is 'above' because all of the mythological characters he later mets live in a copy of China in one of the (very, very, very large) unexcavated tombs, under the musuem. So with the help of Kwan Ying and the famous terracotta warriors that come to life, Nick finds himself inside the tomb/copy of mythological China, faced with the sacastic Monkey King (Russell Wong) who was been trapped inside a mountain by those same demons that are out to destroy 'Journey to the West'.
As you can see, the premise is quite confusing, so if you like to sit down and get a nice, logical plot, you might want to give this one a miss, as our heroes do a lot of wandering around and your not actually sure where they're going or why.
However, if you are a fan of other Hallmark fantasy mini-series (the Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, Merlin, Arabian Nights, the 10th Kingdom, the Voyage of the Unicorn) then this is the movie for you. Like the others it boasts great special effects, great set-designs and Kwan Ying and her consort Whitesnake wear the most beautiful outfits I've seen. The lovely Ling Bai is perfectly cast as the Goddess of Mercy, and the scenes that take place in the home of the gods are wonderful. Nick and his reluctant teacher the Monkey King are good too, and get some good one-liners, and their allies Pigsy and Friar Sand should appeal to kids. The romance between Nick and Kwan Ying is nothing new, but still enjoyable to watch, and the carefully choreographed martial-art sequences are amazing.
If you are a Chinese-historian or a purist of any kind, I advise you to steer clear, as I'm sure Confucius wasn't an annoying, back-stabbing traiter as he is portrayed here, but everyone else should just sit down and enjoy the ride without being picky.

If you are at all familiar with Chinese fantasy stories this was right in line with that genre: Huge monsters, forbidden places, animal-men who kick martial art (...).

Was this A Chinese Ghost Story I, II or III? No.
But it was still fun to watch and a lot more kid oriented then the Chinese Ghost story movies or many of the Chinese fantasy movies made. Not to mention it is in English so you don't have to read subtitles or hear a bad dub.

I think the biggest downer of this movie was the main protagonist (played by Thomas Gibson) just isn't a good actor. The rest of the cast was just fine. Does Russell Wong ever age?

This movie not up to par with the direction or story telling as the Hallmark verion of Gulliver's Travels or The Odyssey, which in my opinion are more serious stories made for adults anyway.

My kids thought Piggsy (the pig-man) kicking martial arts (...) with a rake was hilarious. They didn't get the love story aspect of the movie, nor was it directed well so you felt a connection with the story and actors. They loved when Monkey was flying in the sky and how cool he was. Overall it was a satisfying family movie that my four small kids and I enjoyed together.

I picked 3 stars as a medium for this movie.

For those of you who enjoy mythical worlds for entertainment purposes, then you might rank this as high as 4 stars. Though the acting by Thomas Gibson (playing journalist Nick Orton, the Scholar) falls a bit flat, Russell Wong makes for an enthusiastic and entertaining Monkey King. The costumes are nicely done, particularly that of Pigsy, and the martial arts scenes are well choregraphed though a little cheesy sometimes. The special effects, while not perfect quality, give the movie character and a touch of humor.

For those of you who favor accuracy, this probably falls as low as two stars. (1 if you are an extremist, but then why did you even bother watching this?) The movie was created with little regard of the historical/modern origins of Buddhist religion. Issues of particular note are:
1. the Goddess Kwan Ying's deception/drunkenness at the begining of the movie and the romantic feelings throughout the film conflicting with the modern view of the holy figure Guan Yin (whom Kwan Ying is based on)**
2. the portrayal of Confucious as greedy and selfish instead of wise
3. (though not a religious issue) there seems to be a little bit of a dig at Chinese communism in the movie's second half which may be too much for the politically sensitive. There is some obvious emphasis on Western values such as individualism vs the collectivism of the Chinese.

** For those of you crying bloody murder over the portrayal of Guan Yin and looking for a warped version of a Christian holy figure, see the movie series 'Prophecy' by Gregory Widen. (Interestingly, Russell Wong is also a lead in Prophecy II as Danyael.) The archangel Gabriel has turned against the Christian God and the humans of God's creation. The warping of holy figures doesn't just happen to those of Chinese origin - it happens everywhere.


Note: THIS IS ***NOT*** A RECREATION OF 'JOURNEY TO THE WEST'!!!

Too many people seem to be expecting this. If you are looking for a retelling of 'Journey to the West', keep going as this is not for you. This is a Westernized story that pulls elements from the story "Journey to the West". You will not find a cast of all Asian characters. You will not find Buddhism or Confucionism presented here accurately. This is an entertainment piece and not a historical one. This was made for a the general American (and European?) audience and not an Asian one.

I rarely write reviews because it is so time consuming to write a good/thorough review.

I have read the other reviews for this movie and would like to submit an alternative way of looking at this movie. First, I do like the movie. It is exactly as it was designed to be - bloodless battles, villians that are larger than life, heroes that are equally large, and special effects that will never win any awards. The movie is simply 'fun' if you can leave your brain at the sidelines for a while. Who wouldn't want to learn to fly on clouds, learn martial arts from a mystic instructor, and battle dragons, demons and evil spirits all for the love of the beautiful goddess (ladies, just substitute 'handsome god') and to save the world?

That hardly seems like enough reason to give a movie a '4 star' rating though. I grant that the movie is hardly accurate in its portrail of Chinese mythology and/or religious beliefs. However, it is the kind of movie that makes the viewer want to know more. Does the book "Journey to the West" really exist? Are there really stories about The Monkey King, Piggsy and the other gods that appear in the movie? Are the stories similar to the mythology and fables of other countries that teach lessons as they amuse the young (and not so young)? Who is the Jade Emporer and what is his place in Chinese history/theology? China is a country that is rich in history and this movie can make the viewer ask the questions that can start him/her down the road to appreciating another culture.

In summation, I found "The Lost Empire" to be an enjoyable film with the potential to cause the curious viewer to begin an appreciation for another culture.

I've read the other reviews available at the time this one is being written, and this film has some enthusiasts and some absolute haters. I'd like to offer a more centrist look in the hopes that it might make a little more sense. I gave this film 4 stars as center leaning towards fun and inspiration.

I'm a graduate student doing research on modern Japanese interpretations of "Journey to the West", "Suikoden", and "Fenshen Yanyi", and let me tell you, this film doesn't even compare to the weirdest, out of context interpretations the Japanese have done with this classic story. One of the most popular modern Manga adaptations of Journey to the West has the scripture pilgrim (who Mr. Gibson replaces in "The Lost Kingdom" [sort of]) as a gun toting, beer drinking, gambling, meat eating, rebel ("Gensomaden Saiyuki" by Kazuya Minekura). Another has him as a harmonica playing traveler in a post apocalyptic world ("Assobot Goku" by ARIMORI Jyoji), and don't get me started on "Dragon Ball". It doesn't detract from the story all that much to have a white guy in the lead roll if you've already trudged through that, especially since this movie is obviously designed for a Western audience.

On the pros side: This movie is entertaining. Its family friendly and it's not bogged down for a casual watcher in fancy dialogue. In fact, it's very much in the new millennia so far as most of the language goes. Having read the full original novel for my research, having every other paragraph be poetry would not have worked here. You'll laugh at it most of the way through. Fun Martial Arts sequences can be found throughout the film. You don't really have to know anything about the original story to watch it (but it helps). Amazing costumes and makeup are used in this film. It's very aesthetic.

On the cons side: It's not accurate in a lot of places. It's also not really trying to be. This strikes me as a movie that would have made a better book. The acting is not as good as most American's would expect, but it probably could pass for a BBC Miniseries in a Dr. Who/Neverwhere kind of style. Its special effects aren't stellar (although what they lose in quality they certainly made up for in quantity). It's important to remember that this movie is not supposed to be a retelling of the original legend, but more of a really campy sequel. Yes, Confucius is a lying swindler in this. He seems to embody more of what the government in modern day China is in this film that what he historically was. It seems relatively obvious that his character is simply a way to move the plot. It's unfortunate that they chose a historic scholar to corrupt.

Why is it worth a watch then? "Journey to the West" was historically a series of stories that were circulating long before Wu Cheng'en put it to paper in the Ming Dynasty, and those legends differ slightly across East Asia. The reason the collective works had so much meaning was that they were the literary pieces of the time that allowed for integration of Taoist beliefs, Buddhist beliefs, and Confucian ideals peacefully, and that union is part of what created the Chinese identity. "The Lost Kingdom" has taken bits and pieces of the original and used them with Western ideas to introduce the legend to a new audience. In the beginning narrative of the film, the main character even likens himself to a 'western cowboy' in China. There is no attempt at all to hide that this is a best fit cultural merge. It's an effort to bring cultures together for 3 hours that could spawn a search for a better understanding of Chinese culture (despite the fact that this doesn't match the original creator's full intent at the outset).

My academic pursuits of Chinese and Japanese literature started from a Japanese science fiction adaptation of Fenshen Yanyi as a 10 year old. Aliens in Ancient China who wear turbans ("Houshin Engi" by Fujisaki Ryuu) didn't put me off finding out the truth behind the original. Who knows what this film could inspire?

It's worth a watch. It's funny, and it's campy, but don't take it seriously. I understand declaring it 'Racist' and 'insulting' makes big headlines in news papers, and that sells issues, or gets blog hits, but the movie doesn't take itself that seriously, and making broad sweeping declarations about it probably means you've worked yourself up for nothing.

it's funny reading some of you ppl ...
making such a big deal over religion, confucius, kuan yin, and all that.
you're so self-righteous that you missed the point of this movie.
kuan yin falls in love with the teacher. she knew she was risking the loss of her godliness ... but being the goddess of mercy,
she was willing to do what she needed to do ...
in order to save the world.
that is what compassion is all about.
confucians being insulted that their master is portray as a snivelling self-centred so and so?
well, maybe he was as self-righteous as those who put down this movie.
step back and stop looking at it from the perspective of the true message; not from what the pig, monkey, kuan yin, white man, yellow man, whatever.
the story and message is good over evil.
and that even gods can fall in love.
some , like monkey , finds love as rather unnecessary.
but, is it not due to their own self-centeredness?
like monkey, who is portrayed as rather arrogant and too concerned with himself. is it no surprise that he finds loving another person unnecessary? he's too much engrossed in himself.

i don't think it was the intention to insult anybody's beliefs or what not. what's the point?
the story is interesting, and the fights are kept to a minimum...
not like the jackie chan and jet li, or kill bill
overkill.

it's meant to send a message , as kuan yin tells the scholar:
you cannot do wrong if you listen to your heart.
remember your past, you were hurt by love,
but you can do great things if you only continue to listen to your heart.

that's all there is ...
no great insults, no subversive insinuations,
... just a simple message.

why make mountains out of molehills???

in closing,
every one has their own perspective of what is and what is not.
we're all unique, and sometimes we need to see it from the other person point of view.
you are not wrong, neither am i. we're just different...
and why don't you just enjoy the movie, huh?

it's an enjoyable movie.
at the end, with monkey , pig and the other walking away...
it reminds me of tin man, lion,...
of wizard of oz.

that was a fun movie, and an unforgettable one,
and so is this one.

This is a wonderful movie about an anchient chinese story. The Journey To The West is a book on a scholar that travels to a different world. The movie has great effects and the characters fill the standards of the book. If you love magic and adventure this movie is good. Also if you were interested in movies like: Merlin, 10th kingdom, and Arabian Nights this movie is just what your looking for.

In spite of the highly unlikely circumstances, the plot and actors made this a delightful, good-ending movie. Isn't that the purpose of movies, to let us escape into a more pleasant life, if it be only for a little while?

I thought that this was an enjoyable movie. I love the Monkey King and his friends. They are the best part of the movie. I thought Thomas Gibson was really good as Nick (The Scholar from Above). I think for the time that the movie was made the special effects are pretty good. There are some good values in this movie. The fight against good and evil, Making choices, and facing the concequences for your actions. There is a little bit for every one. Great fight scenes, comedy, and alittle bit of love.I do have a few things I don't like about the movie, but over all I would highly recommend this movie.