Kai-Fong review: B+ for daring debut

Kai-Fong's standfirst declared that "debuting animator Mu Zhengyang dares to mess with sacred cows and totally pulls it off," describing the film as a mash-up of classic heist movies — Heat, Rififi, The Town — with "a little Suicide Squad," "a dash of Mission: Impossible and Journey to the West," sent "back in time to ancient China." The review noted the film had grossed US$200 million in China and was gaining an overseas release, with the Hong Kong opening set for August 20.[1]

The review praised Mu's combination of Eastern and Western storytelling forms — the legend of the Eight Immortals and the classic heist caper — as "an almost ideal marriage," adding: "Hot take: I like this much more than I liked Ne Zha 2."[1]

Once the crew is assembled, the review found the film "a charmingly loopy romp," carried by "smart manipulation of genre tropes and strong voice performances," with a "bonkers (in a good way) soundtrack of alt-rock, rap-rock and lounge," a Monkey King cameo, and plenty of laughs — "all wrapped in rich, painterly 3D animation that draws more than a little inspiration from Ming dynasty art."[1]

The review flagged "clumsy bits": why He Xiangu (Lord Dark Blade) is after the lantern "is never fully explained," villain Yang Jian's true goals remain "a mystery," and "the pacing suffers every time Mu takes a long ass detour into Zhongli's tragic backstory."[1]

Even so, Kai-Fong concluded those are the kinds of flaws audiences wave off "in order to just sit back and enjoy the ride": "Mu has turned the Eight Immortals into us, but hasn't strayed too far off the base paths. It's still about honour, community and choosing the greater good over great wealth."[1]