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To preface, I did not watch Jiaozi’s first Ne Zha film ahead of Ne Zha II. As the film was starting, I was uncertain whether I might have made a mistake going to see this. The litter of childish jokes and lack of context almost killed the entire theatrical experience for me. However, as Ne Zha II progresses, it becomes something else entirely, something incredible and action-packed. There were multiple instances where nods from Dragon Ball Z or Naruto could be pulled (in the best way possible). By the time the credits rolled, I was a believer—Ne Zha II is great and deserves to be seen on the biggest, loudest screen possible.
Discussion
Ne Zha II starts off following the events of the first film. I had not seen the first Ne Zha, so I was extremely lost—I imagine you will have the same experience if you didn’t watch the first film. The film starts with the titular Ne Zha (voiced by Lü Yanting, Crystal Lee) and Ao Bing (voiced by Han Mo, Aleks Le) looking to regenerate their physical bodies, and a much longer journey is necessary to regenerate Ao Bing. Ne Zha is a loud and uncontrollable child, and Ao Bing is a pensive and measured young adult. A perfect pairing for a buddy adventure about self-discovery and fighting demons. They must work together to discover themselves as well as their respective powers.
The first half of Ne Zha II is an immature mess. A handful of low-brow piss jokes, overly whimsical bits, and entirely off-putting. In this instance, the first half of Ne Zha II is a movie in and of itself. That is, a movie I would happily not return to. With that said, once we start the action, the jokes fade away. In lieu of them is something a little bit more propulsive and exciting. There isn’t much to glean in terms of introspection and self-discovery. However, this movie isn’t designed to be that. This movie has already made an unintelligible sum of money at the international box office. It’s abundantly clear this is designed to be a movie meant for shoveling popcorn into your gullet and crushing ICEEs.
A24’s English Dub
The dub that A24 is releasing is a nightmare. Everything feels out of step—the audio mix, the lack of conviction to play the character, and the delivery across each character are some aspects that are all over the place. Not even Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Kung Fu Panda 2, Minions: The Rise of Gru, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), an incredible actress, mind you, could save this dub. In a perfect world, A24 releases both the original Mandarin version as well as their dub (I reckon if you’re unable to deal with subtitles). Hell, even a smaller release of the first film could do a lot of work for this film. If not for the rest of the movie absolutely kicking ass, Ne Zha II could be discounted as a total miss.
A Quality Animated Feature
Yet, once we move away from the first half of the movie and the terrible dub, there is something of real quality in here. Ne Zha II turns from this overly silly movie into one filled to the brim with exciting action and incredible design. The amount of work that the animators must have done to create some moments is unfathomable. It is a feast of the senses; by the time the credits rolled, you are sufficiently full. My prior two paragraphs were spent speaking ill of the movie. Yet, the amount that the back half brings everything back into view is astonishing.
When I say this is the 2016 NBA Finals of movies, I assure you it reels you back in. The movie is steeped in local mythology, literature, and art, all of which I am unfamiliar with. For someone that far removed to enjoy it this much says a lot to the quality of this film.
Final Thoughts on Ne Zha II
Ne Zha II is an absolute popcorn-crusher of a film. My only regret with my screening of this movie was no longer traversing to see it (that was steeping within me with the first half of the movie), but rather not watching this with a large group. Once you’re in the heat of the action, the film lays relentlessly on the gas until the end. There were multiple moments wherein I was in awe of the scope, the action set pieces, or music composers Roc Chen, Wan Pin Chu, and Rui Yang’s incredible score (in some cases, all three at once). While it isn’t perfect, you certainly won’t be disappointed to stick around until the credits roll. Ne Zha II deserves to be seen in the largest and most crowded theater you’re able to find—you won’t regret it.
RATING: 8/10
Ne Zha II comes to theaters this Friday, August 22nd!
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Recovering Texan. Full time consultant, part time writer.
