The Monkey King (2014 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Monkey King |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Soi Cheang |
| Produced by | Kiefer Liu |
| Screenplay by | Szeto Kam-Yuen Edmond Wong Lola Huo Dali Chen |
| Starring | Donnie Yen Donald Chow Aaron Kwok Joe Chen Peter Ho |
| Music by | Christopher Young |
| Cinematography | Cheung Man-po Ardy Lam< |
| Editing by | Cheung Ka-fai |
| Studio | (See Notes) |
| Distributed by | Aeon Pix Studios (India) |
| Release date(s) | 25 January 2014 (Beijing premiere) 30 January 2014 (Hong Kong) 31 January 2014 (China) |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong China |
| Language | Cantonese Mandarin |
| Budget | 500 million yuan (82 million USD) |
| Money made | US $182.2 million |
The Monkey King is a 2014 action-fantasy film. It was made in Hong Kong and China. The movie was directed by Soi Cheang. Donnie Yen plays the main character, Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. He also helped create the action scenes.
The film is based on a famous Chinese story. It comes from Journey to the West. This classic book was written in the 1500s by Wu Cheng'en. Filming started in Beijing in October 2010. It was shot in 3D. The movie was released on January 31, 2014. A sequel, The Monkey King 2, came out in 2016.
Contents
Story of the Monkey King
The story begins with a big battle in Heaven. The Bull Demon King fights the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor is the ruler of Heaven. The Bull Demon King loses the fight. His partner, Princess Iron Fan, asks the Emperor to spare him.
The Emperor agrees but sends them away. They are banished to Flaming Mountain. The goddess Nüwa then uses her power to fix Heaven. She rebuilds it with special crystals. One crystal falls to Earth. It lands on Mount Huaguo. Over time, this crystal becomes a monkey.
Sun Wukong's Journey
Years later, a wise teacher named Subhuti finds the monkey. He trains him and names him Sun Wukong. Meanwhile, the Bull Demon King wants to attack Heaven again. He plans to use Wukong to help him. He also uses the anger of Erlang Shen. Erlang Shen is the Jade Emperor's nephew. He is angry because he has to guard Heaven's gate.
Erlang Shen agrees to help the Demon King. He wants to take the Jade Emperor's place. Princess Iron Fan does not know about this plan. Wukong goes to the Dragon King's palace. He is looking for weapons for his monkey friends. He finds a magical staff in the sea. When he pulls it out, it causes a huge storm.
New Friends and Old Enemies
The Bull Demon King meets a young fox spirit named Ruxue. She is actually the nine-tailed fox from the beginning. The Demon King tricked her into thinking he saved her. Ruxue and Wukong were old friends. Wukong promises to help her become immortal. This is because she will die when she turns 200 years old.
A heavenly warrior named Nezha tries to arrest Wukong. But the Bull Demon King kills Nezha. Wukong becomes friends with the Demon King. The Demon King tells Wukong about Heaven's treasures. He also tells him about immortality. Wukong decides to go to Heaven to find the secret to living forever.
The Demon King's Plan
The Demon King and Erlang Shen continue their plan. They want Wukong to eat the Emperor's special elixir. This elixir would make Wukong super powerful. Erlang Shen tries to tell the Jade Emperor that Wukong is evil. But Subhuti says Wukong is good.
Wukong meets the Emperor. He is given a job caring for the stables. Princess Iron Fan finds out about the Demon King's evil plan. Erlang Shen tricks Wukong. He tells Wukong where the Emperor's elixir is made. Wukong eats the elixir. He then fights Erlang Shen.
Wukong's Realization
Wukong leaves Heaven feeling ashamed. He returns to Mount Huaguo. He finds his home destroyed. All his friends are dead, including Ruxue. She has a strange dark mark on her neck. Wukong is very angry. The Bull Demon King convinces him that Heaven is responsible. Wukong goes back to Heaven and attacks the armies.
Wukong fights the Demon King. He sees the Demon King use the same dark power that was on Ruxue. Wukong realizes the Demon King killed his friends. He fights the Demon King again but loses. The goddess Guan Yin helps Wukong understand his mistakes. The Demon King defeats the Emperor and Erlang Shen. He takes over Heaven.
Wukong fights the Demon King one last time. He sends him crashing down to Earth. Later, Princess Iron Fan has a baby, Red Boy. She finds the Bull Demon King. He has lost all his power and turned into a regular bull. Wukong wants to help the Emperor rebuild Heaven. But Buddha stops him. Buddha says Wukong must sleep inside a mountain for 500 years. This will be his chance to make up for his mistakes. Wukong agrees. 500 years later, Tang Sanzang comes to the mountain.
Characters in the Film
Here are some of the main actors and the characters they play:
- Donnie Yen as Sun Wukong, the Monkey King
- Chow Yun-fat as the Jade Emperor
- Aaron Kwok as Bull Demon King
- Joe Chen as Princess Iron Fan
- Peter Ho as Erlang Shen
- Kelly Chen as Guan Yin
- Zhang Zilin as Nüwa
- Xia Zitong as Ruxue the Nine-tailed Vixen
- Louis Fan as Juling Shen
- Eddie Cheung as Li Jing
- Calvin Cheng as Nezha
- Him Law as Muzha
- Liu Hua as the Dragon King of the East Sea
- Hai Yitian as Subhuti
Making the Movie
The film was first announced in 2010. Donnie Yen was chosen to play the Monkey King. Later, Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok joined the cast. They played the Jade Emperor and Bull Demon King. Aaron Kwok's role was special. He played a handsome and stylish Demon King.
The movie cost a lot to make. The budget started at 300 million yuan. It later increased to 400 million yuan. Many companies helped produce the film. To make the movie in 3D, Hollywood experts were hired. David Ebner worked on the visual effects. Shaun Smith was in charge of special make-up.
Release of the Film
The movie was planned for release in February 2012. But it was delayed several times. The Monkey King finally came out on January 30, 2014, in Hong Kong. It was released in China on January 31, 2014. The film was shown in the United States in 2015.
Sequel Film
A follow-up movie was made. It is called The Monkey King 2. This sequel was released in 2016.
See also
In Spanish: The Monkey King para niños
