Reviewed by: dleedlee Date: 10/06/2004 Our heroes are on the road again. This time, they are tricked into rescuing a demoness posing as Bai. The group takes shelter at a temple where Pigsy and Monkey make nuisances of themselves. Bai, in various guises, attempts and finally succeeds in kidnapping Tripikata, hoping to gain immortality by feasting on him. Monkey and his pals track down Bai to her lair but fail to free Tripikata who is now imprisoned in a giant Jack-o-lantern like vessel. Monkey goes to the Sea Palace in search of a magic pearl to free the hapless monk. Eventually, Tripikata is released and our heroes continue their journey to the west. I completely forgot that Connie Chan was Monkey the first I viewed the movie. I thought to myself as I was watching, hmmm, interesting, Monkey played by a woman. Her Monkey-ness is formidable as she captures the nuances and traits of the Monkey King. Not a major star yet, Connie, showcases her opera-style acrobatics and martial arts in this picture. Besides Connie, Lee Heung Kam plays the evil Bai and wields dual swords herself, though a little less stylishly. Sum Chi-Wah plays Sam Mo Yee an Eastern Sea diety (?) who is also quite an excellent stage fighter. Together and separately, Connie and Sum Chi-Wah have some standout extended fights. Accompanied by the changa-changa-chang of gongs and clappers, these scenes are particularly exciting to watch. Siu Sun Kuen plays Pigsy again, but thankfully does not look like Jar Jar Binks this time around (see How Princess Iron Fan Burned Down the Heavenly Gate for that horror of a costume). The comic interplay between Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy is quite enjoyable. A band of children play the little monkeys that spring from Monkey’s hairs. The exterior shots filmed on location are nicely done. For instance, when traveling through the country, our heroes look like they are in a wilderness and not in a nearby park or field as is so often the case. The journey west is believably arduous. The interior sets, though cheaply executed, has an effective look for the most part. A small quibble, the underwater sea palace doesn’t convey the sense that one is below the sea. One can easily forget that the scenes are supposed to be taking place underwater. There are a lot of special effects employed in the film, simple and still delightful. The real downside of this picture is that the video is quite chopped up, a second or two here and there. Maybe there a larger cuts but I didn’t notice in all the fun. The audio also drops out for short intervals on the vcd. It doesn’t ruin the enjoyability but it certainly tempers it. All in all, a whole of entertainment. Reviewer Score: 7