Search - The Lost Empire on DVD

Passable entertainment

wiredweird | Earth, or somewhere nearby | 01/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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 Goddess of Mercy

R. M. Fisher | New Zealand = Middle Earth! | 03/19/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Kids loved it

Paladin08 | Folsom, CA | 03/09/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Entertainment vs Accuracy

Mstar | 12/06/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."