While America exhausts itself churning out superhero fare on the Hollywood conveyor belt, on the other side of the world, Tsui Hark - with Stephen Chow as his grey eminence - gives China’s best known story a pop culture shock treatment, turning the tale into the cinematic equivalent of blasting champagne bottles for two dazzling hours. Tsui (NYAFF 2011 Star Asia Lifetime Achievement) embraces the inherent hyperbole of the Monkey King narrative, practically a movie genre in itself, and treats it as food (or feast) for laughs. Rising from the spree is the exhilaration of two of Hong Kong’s finest filmmakers as they squeeze as much visual effect wizardry as possible in the time available. Flanked by his wayward disciples, Monkey (Lin Gengxin) and co: Pigsy (Yang Yiwei, Wang Duo, Wang Chao, yup all three of them) and Sandy (Mengke Bateer), Monk Tang (played by pouty heartthrob and ex K-pop idol Kris Wu) undertakes a pilgrimage to India. But the band brings psychological baggage with them. Tensions rise in the wild bunch, violence explodes, demons join the fray.