Journey to the West (2012) 西游记
Director: Zhang Jianya
Screenwriter: Gao Dayong / Lang Xuefeng / Huang Yonghui / Liu Yi
Starring: Wu Yue / Nie Yuan / Zang Jinsheng / Xu Jinjiang / Wang Jiusheng / Liu Tao
Genre: Action / Fantasy / Adventure / Costume
Country/Region of Production: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Date: 2012-01-30 (Mainland China)
Number of episodes: 60
Single episode length: 45 minutes
Also known as: New Journey to the West / 西遊記 / 新西游记 / Journey to the West 2011
IMDb: tt2240929
Adaptation: Retelling
Summary:
The new version of “Journey to the West” won unanimous praise from the audience with its new special effects production and unique and profound plot interpretation. The show used Hollywood-style special effects to create effects that the old version of “Journey to the West” failed to achieve. The producer Ma Zhongjun once Revealed: “We invested more than 100 million, most of which went to the stunt team.” In order to let the audience experience the “generous” effect of domestic TV series, producer Zhang Jizhong specially edited a condensed movie version for this screening event.
According to Zhang Jizhong, the chief producer of the new “Journey to the West”, the reason why the new “Journey to the West” has entered the audience’s attention with such a high profile is actually to spread the culture of “Journey to the West” again. The reason why he chose to re-shoot “Journey to the West” was because he wanted to use this version of “Journey to the West” to reflect and convey the unique and charming essence of Chinese Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in the original “Journey to the West”, and this selected editing. The movie version of “Journey to the West” is also another inheritance of Journey to the West culture.
The reason why the 2011 large-scale mythological and magical masterpiece “Journey to the West” is called the new “Journey to the West” is that compared with the old version of “Journey to the West” filmed by CCTV in 1986, the total investment of the new “Journey to the West” exceeds 100 million. The whole drama is faithful to the original work to a great extent while adding a lot of computer stunts. It is known as the Chinese version of “The Lord of the Rings”.
The new version of “Journey to the West” is currently being broadcast on local TV stations in Beijing. The mystery of Sun Wukong, played by Wu Yue, has also been unveiled. His straightforward, cute, witty and humorous, competitive, and humane interpretation has been well received by the audience. The most exciting part of the new version of “Journey to the West” is that it focuses on showing the essence of the original work, that is, the growth of Sun Wukong, using a more humane way to show his innocence, invasion of evil spirits, inner wrestling, putting aside his inner demons, and finally returning to his true nature. The free process is also the biggest difference between it and previous versions. In the parts that have been aired, the familiar scenes such as the birth of the stone monkey, the apprenticeship, and the havoc in heaven have appeared one by one. The aggressive and ignorant impulses of the “rebellious period” have resonated with many viewers.
“This is an expression of Sun Wukong’s human nature. The old version of Sun Wukong has been recognized by generations as a classic. I am not trying to surpass or break through it again, but I hope to perform different parts. I think this version of Sun Wukong is very good in performance. The biggest difference is the humanity.” said Wu Yue, who plays Sun Wukong. In addition, Zhu Bajie played by Zang Jinsheng, Tang Seng played by Nie Yuan, and Sha Wujing played by Xu Jinjiang also have new performances.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West_(2011_TV_series)
