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Poster for Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back

Seen it?

2017 | 109 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

It was a solid box office hit, but a lukewarm 6.0 out of 10 from audiences and little lasting buzz held it back. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for fantasy fans and action fans. If you loved Enter the Dragon, start here.
The mood
Exciting.
The pace
Fast-moving, at 1 hr 49 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.
  • It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Tang Monk brings three disciples on a journey to the West. On the outside, everything seems harmonious. However, tension is present beneath the surface, and their hearts and minds are not in agreement. After a series of demon-capturing events, the monk and his disciples gain mutual understanding of each others' hardships and unease. Finally, they resolve their inner conflict and work together to become an all-conquering, demon-exorcising team.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsSolid

    58% on Rotten Tomatoes, 59 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesBelow par

    6.0 out of 10

  • AwardsBelow par

    1 win and 4 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $249 million worldwide on a $64 million budget

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 58K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Tsui Hark

  • Kris WuMonk Tang
  • Lin GengxinThe Monkey King
  • Yao ChenMinister
  • Lin YunFelicity
  • Mengke BateerSandy
  • Wang LikunSpider
  • Yang YiweiPigsy
  • Wang ChaoAnimal Pigsy
  • Wang DuoYoung Pigsy
  • Dong ChengpengTaoist Exorcist