March 10, 2025
In the first film "Ne Zha" (2019), the Chaos Pearl had been divided by the Supreme Lord into its two contrasting components. Ne Zha was the Demon Orb reincarnated as the third son of Li Jing and Lady Yin of Chentang Pass, trained by immortal deity Taiyi. Ao Bing was the son of the Dragon King, arising from the Spirit Pearl stolen by rival deity Shen Gongbao. Three years later, Ne Zha and Ao Bing met and became friends, but were soon forced to face off in battle.
This sequel began with Taiyi using up his Sacred Lotus to restore the spirits of Ne Zha and Ao Bing into three-dimensional bodies. To complete the process, the two needed to complete the three trials of the Immortal Wuliang in order to restore the Sacred Lotus. Meanwhile, Dragon King Ao Guang released the three other Dragon Kings to attack Chentang Pass. Later, Shen Gaobang learned who was really behind his father's death for a major twist.
I watched the sequel without having seen the first film first. So of course, I spent the first half hour was spent trying to figure out which of the multiple characters was who in the story. Eventually, I was able to figure things out somehow, and got through to the rest of the film thoroughly entertained. However, I would still advise that you try to watch the first film first to familiarize with the characters and settings for better appreciation.
Those who have seen the first film would already know Ne Zha, his parents, Ao Bing, Tai Yi, and Shen Gaobang. We only see dragon form of Ao Bing's father in the first film, but we now also see his human form here. Based on looks, you can surmise who are the good guys and the bad. However, what was very interesting about this story was that every character was nuanced, each with their own flaws, capable of doing both good things and bad.
The most amazing part of this 2-1/2 hour epic was its spectacular animation style. Everything in the first film was given a major glow up -- from the action, to the funny, to the magical. Every character, major or minor or even background extras, were all given meticulous attention to detail in their face, bodies and costumes. The last three winners of the Oscar Best Animated Feature had not been Disney films, looks like this one may follow suit next year. 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment