by Jay Lim Jun Yi
Growing up in a traditional Chinese (and predominantly Mandarin speaking) household and under a father who loved the comedy and action genres, references to Stephen Chow, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Jackie Chan always spring up from time to time. Having inherited my father's love for comedy, my family would never miss out on a chance to catch a Chinese comedy flick whenever one aired on television. As much as Rowan Atkinson (who has played the characters of Mr. Bean and Johnny English) is recognised as an irreplaceable icon of British comedy, I firmly believe that Stephen Chow is the same for Hong Kong cinema.
Out of the numerous films that Stephen Chow has starred in, Jeffrey Lau's “A Chinese Odyssey Part 1: Pandora's Box” continues to be one of the most intriguing and timeless in both its plot and humour. Based on the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, the movie offers a blend of Chinese mythology, “武侠” (Wuxia), comedy, romance and even elements of sci-fi as well.
“A Chinese Odyssey” wastes no time in introducing itself as a crude and wacky satire of the original “Journey to the West”. The story begins with the Monkey King (Sun Wukong), played by Stephen Chow, right before he is banished to the mortal realm by Guanyin (a Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion) to repent for refusing to continue his pilgrimage with Xuan Zang, his mentor and benefactor. Wukong argues that his mentor is too annoying and “naggy”, to the point where he is driving him insane but the still prim and proper Guanyin refuses to accept any of these reasons. The two go back and forth whilst Xuan Zang timely demonstrates his aptitude for nagging, which becomes so unbearable that even the previously prim and proper Guanyin hilariously begins to have thoughts of murdering Xuan Zang herself. In the end, she regains her composure and sends Wukong to the mortal realm as a second chance to reflect on his wrongdoings and embark on the pilgrimage once again.
Once in the mortal realm, he is stripped of his memories and power and takes the form of an average human. Here, he is Joker, the leader of a small gang of bandits. The gang meets Bak Jing Jing and Spider Woman during their next raid and Joker ends up falling in love with Jing Jing, setting off a series of events that will begin to jog his memory and awaken his past self. The overarching narrative is relatively linear and simple to follow. However, the varied pacing of the film between comedy, melodrama, romance and action creates the illusion that a lot goes on, keeping the audience at the edge of their seat trying to identify every punchline, every reference.
If there is one aspect of this film that is irreplaceable, it would definitely be its cast. Stephen Chow's comedic style is quite unlike any other; anyone who is his fan would agree that his presence in Hong Kong cinema has become extremely distinct and easily identifiable. Chow's comedic timing, delivery and expressions are nothing short of perfect; the style is consistent enough to give the viewers that sense of familiarity and yet, varied enough to keep it from becoming stale. The late Ng Man-Tat (Chow's regular sidekick) plays the incarnation of Pigsy and, as a comic duo, these two are virtually unmatched in Hong Kong cinema. Supplementing the main act with a superb secondary cast consisting of the talented Law Kar Ying and Karen Mok (who are also long-time partners and friends of Stephen Chow), the chemistry in the film is nothing short of amazing and makes the otherwise jarring plot and genre jumps much more forgivable and seamless.
Being part one of two movies, “A Chinese Odyssey” ends on a rather abrupt cliff-hanger. In my younger days, where my only access to these movies was limited to the DVDs that my father had brought home, I was left with immense disappointment when we failed to locate the sequel. However, both parts are currently available online on platforms such as Netflix (in certain regions) and those interested no longer have to feel that dissatisfaction
To me, watching a Stephen Chow movie is similar to taking a gateway drug: once you start, you'll find it hard to stop and all you can think of is when you can watch the next one. “A Chinese Odyssey Part 1: Pandora's Box” is not just a standalone comedic film, it is a cultural remembrance piece that archives and celebrates the golden era of Hong Kong cinema back in the late 1990s. If you are a fan of Stephen Chow or just comedy in general, you owe it to yourselves to give this timeless classic a watch.
