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Ne Zha 2 Review (possible spoiler alert)
Feb. 17th, 2025 06:21 pmFirstly, a bit outside the movie itself... I watched the 3D version. Bit of a pain wearing the 3D glasses over my normal glasses, but alas there's no IMAX showings of this movie anywhere nearby (all taken by Cap4), so I had to make due. Also, the theater was packed, which bodes pretty well for the movie remaining in theaters longer (long enough for IMAX screens to free up, is my hope). *fingers crossed*
So first things first, the animation: I have to agree with all the fans out there. The CGI was absolutely *amazing*. You can tell the level of love and detail put into the artwork. It's definitely worth watching on the biggest and best movie screen available (which again is why I am hoping for IMAX). My favorite part artistically was (1) the villain formed the tree to seal the celestial cauldron, and (2) then when the armies of 阐教 and the armies of the 深渊 clashed.
Though, I will add one caveat. I heard a lot about how hot Ao Guang (Dragon King of the North, Ao Bing's dad) was and how popular he is with the female audience. I wasn't too convinced by the short scene from the trailer, but still had hopes going into the theater. But alas, while he does count as an eyecandy character, his aesthetic just doesn't do it for me personally. I still find Ao Bing (and Ne Zha's teen form) better looking... I dunno, maybe it's the way his teeth looks when talking? Or the set of his eyes? Eh... This is pure personal taste though.
Next up, the plot: I have to admit, I had already been pretty much spoiled on the plot going in, due to reading and watching various reviews and discussions surrounding the movie, so there wasn't anything that surprised me watching it, pleasantly or otherwise. That said, I felt it was a pretty solid story (well comparable to any other blockbuster on the charts that Nezha 2 is competing against at the global box office =P).
The pacing was quick while able to maintain the entire chain of logic carrying the plot. There weren't any places where I felt like like being railroaded. One thing I also liked about this movie was that all the accidental misunderstandings were resolved quickly (or, as fast as logically feasible). While the misunderstandings that were critical to carrying the plot where the ones that were caused with intention, and even then, with varying levels of success based on the intelligence of the targets.
The only places where it sometimes felt forced was more for the sake of humor. Like the infamous skirt-ripping bit. Or the times when Nezha and Aobing where struggling to coordinate their shared body. Personally, I felt they could've dialed down some of the slapstick. But I guess that wouldn't be conducive to attracting the younger audience. Also, my fellow audience in the theater laughed aloud at a lot more of the comedy bits that I was more meh about, so this more a matter of personal taste again, I suppose.
The characters: I feel that the movie did a great job in bringing all the characters alive. I personally do not identify with, emphasize with, and even find it hard to sympathize with Nezha, but still found him engaging to watch (in an ongoing train wreck kinda way). All of the side characters, even the minor one-shot characters, all feel vibrant and memorable. The villains also have depth to them, a breath of fresh air from all the caricatures in most stories. This is a big kudos to their art design, animation, and plotting.
My favorite character in terms of art design has to be 敖闰 (the femme fatale dragon king of the west). And in terms of plotting, it's definitely 申公豹, ruthless and smart. I also liked the general design of 鹤童 and 鹿童, especially the latter looks perfectly human and makes you wonder how many others in 阐教's massive army are actually converted 妖.
Overall, I definitely give this movie a must-see 9....point 5 out of 10. There's no "bad or ugly" bits that stand out to me about it. And even the "meh" bits I have are really subjective (usually the humor parts).
I am also hyped for Ne Zha 3, whenever in the distant future it'll come out. Though, I am really wondering if they can fit the story of 封神榜 into a single movie coming up. I mean, the current one already stretches the time limit for normal "kid movies" as it is. And FSB is just such a big and long event. I am wondering if might end up having to be longer than just a trilogy (and really, does everything have to be a trilogy?).
From the end credits easter egg, we already can count on 金吒 and 木吒 to show up in the next movie. The thought also comes to me that 李靖 will also have to answer to the destruction of 陈唐关. Even though its destruction was beyond his ability to prevent, he's still got liability as a military officer. And depending on if the movie follows canon in making Shang emperor evil, or with some alternative interpretation with him being misled or bewitched, there could be different consequences. So we could theoretically end up seeing Nezha (and brothers?) breaking dad out of jail (to join the Zhou rebellion, natch). But that's if there's no twists taken to the story, so who knows?
EDIT: For self reference
幕后纪录片 | Behind the scenes documentary
So first things first, the animation: I have to agree with all the fans out there. The CGI was absolutely *amazing*. You can tell the level of love and detail put into the artwork. It's definitely worth watching on the biggest and best movie screen available (which again is why I am hoping for IMAX). My favorite part artistically was (1) the villain formed the tree to seal the celestial cauldron, and (2) then when the armies of 阐教 and the armies of the 深渊 clashed.
Though, I will add one caveat. I heard a lot about how hot Ao Guang (Dragon King of the North, Ao Bing's dad) was and how popular he is with the female audience. I wasn't too convinced by the short scene from the trailer, but still had hopes going into the theater. But alas, while he does count as an eyecandy character, his aesthetic just doesn't do it for me personally. I still find Ao Bing (and Ne Zha's teen form) better looking... I dunno, maybe it's the way his teeth looks when talking? Or the set of his eyes? Eh... This is pure personal taste though.
Next up, the plot: I have to admit, I had already been pretty much spoiled on the plot going in, due to reading and watching various reviews and discussions surrounding the movie, so there wasn't anything that surprised me watching it, pleasantly or otherwise. That said, I felt it was a pretty solid story (well comparable to any other blockbuster on the charts that Nezha 2 is competing against at the global box office =P).
The pacing was quick while able to maintain the entire chain of logic carrying the plot. There weren't any places where I felt like like being railroaded. One thing I also liked about this movie was that all the accidental misunderstandings were resolved quickly (or, as fast as logically feasible). While the misunderstandings that were critical to carrying the plot where the ones that were caused with intention, and even then, with varying levels of success based on the intelligence of the targets.
The only places where it sometimes felt forced was more for the sake of humor. Like the infamous skirt-ripping bit. Or the times when Nezha and Aobing where struggling to coordinate their shared body. Personally, I felt they could've dialed down some of the slapstick. But I guess that wouldn't be conducive to attracting the younger audience. Also, my fellow audience in the theater laughed aloud at a lot more of the comedy bits that I was more meh about, so this more a matter of personal taste again, I suppose.
The characters: I feel that the movie did a great job in bringing all the characters alive. I personally do not identify with, emphasize with, and even find it hard to sympathize with Nezha, but still found him engaging to watch (in an ongoing train wreck kinda way). All of the side characters, even the minor one-shot characters, all feel vibrant and memorable. The villains also have depth to them, a breath of fresh air from all the caricatures in most stories. This is a big kudos to their art design, animation, and plotting.
My favorite character in terms of art design has to be 敖闰 (the femme fatale dragon king of the west). And in terms of plotting, it's definitely 申公豹, ruthless and smart. I also liked the general design of 鹤童 and 鹿童, especially the latter looks perfectly human and makes you wonder how many others in 阐教's massive army are actually converted 妖.
Overall, I definitely give this movie a must-see 9....point 5 out of 10. There's no "bad or ugly" bits that stand out to me about it. And even the "meh" bits I have are really subjective (usually the humor parts).
I am also hyped for Ne Zha 3, whenever in the distant future it'll come out. Though, I am really wondering if they can fit the story of 封神榜 into a single movie coming up. I mean, the current one already stretches the time limit for normal "kid movies" as it is. And FSB is just such a big and long event. I am wondering if might end up having to be longer than just a trilogy (and really, does everything have to be a trilogy?).
From the end credits easter egg, we already can count on 金吒 and 木吒 to show up in the next movie. The thought also comes to me that 李靖 will also have to answer to the destruction of 陈唐关. Even though its destruction was beyond his ability to prevent, he's still got liability as a military officer. And depending on if the movie follows canon in making Shang emperor evil, or with some alternative interpretation with him being misled or bewitched, there could be different consequences. So we could theoretically end up seeing Nezha (and brothers?) breaking dad out of jail (to join the Zhou rebellion, natch). But that's if there's no twists taken to the story, so who knows?
EDIT: For self reference
幕后纪录片 | Behind the scenes documentary
