The Monkey King

2014 1h 59m ZH

😐

5.6

MID

★5.6TMDB · 244

ActionAdventureFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a heavenly stone who acquires supernatural powers. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain for 500 years, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to India. Thus, according to legend, Buddhism is brought to ancient China.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Donnie Yen
Sun Wukong / Monkey King
Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing
Bull Demon King
Joe Chen
Princess Iron Fan
Chow Yun-Fat
Jade Emperor
Peter Ho
Erlangshen
Kelly Chen Hui-Lin
Goddess of Mercy Guanyin
Gigi Leung Wing-Kei
Chang'E
Cheung Siu-fai
Master Pitu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Soi Cheang
Writers: Szeto Kam-Yuen, Edmond Wong, Xin Huo
Languages: Mandarin, English
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $82M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Monkey King (Cheang) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Soi Cheang, shot by Cheung Man-Po. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Soi Cheang directs. Cheung Man-Po behind the camera. Christopher Young scores. Cheung Ka-Fai cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $82M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released 12 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.
4International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
5Part of the "The Monkey King (Cheang) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Soi Cheang, shot by Cheung Man-Po. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Christopher Young. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Donnie Yen and Aaron Kwok Fu-Shing and Joe Chen carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt1717715 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Cheung Man-Po
Original score: Christopher Young
Editing: Cheung Ka-Fai
Costume design: Kenneth Yee
Makeup / hair: Shaun Smith
VFX supervisor: David Ebner
Stunt coordinator: Yuji Shimomura
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Status: Released
Budget: $82,000,000
Box office: $182,206,924
Return: 222% of budget
Original language: ZH
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Monkey King (2014)

Part of

The Monkey King (Cheang) Collection

The Monkey King is a 2014 Hong Kong-Chinese fantasy film directed by Cheang Pou-soi and starring Donnie Yen as the titular protagonist. Yen also serves as the film's action director. Production began in Beijing on 18 October 2010 and was filmed in 3D. The plot is based on an episode of Journey to the West, a Chinese literary classic written in the Ming Dynasty by Wu Cheng'en. It was released on 31 January 2014. Two sequels titled The Monkey King 2 and The Monkey King 3 were released in Feb 2016 and Feb 2018.