Asia’s fantasy films hit U.S. screens

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, August 22nd.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: the biggest animated movies of the year, both of which take their inspiration from Asian folklore.

Here’s WORLD’s arts and culture editor Collin Garbarino.

COLLIN GARBARINO: The global box office is usually dominated by Hollywood, but you might be surprised to find out that this year’s most popular movie worldwide is one most Americans have never heard of. With global box office receipts of a staggering 2.2 billion dollars Ne Zha II has become the highest grossing animated film and the fifth highest grossing film of all time. Of course, more than 1.8 billion comes from its home country of China. This weekend, A24 Films is releasing a version dubbed in English for the American market.

TAIYI ZHENREN: Take a look for yourselves.

Ne Zha II is the sequel to 2019’s Ne Zha which also performed well in China. Both are animated adventures inspired by a 16th-century Chinese story entitled The Investiture of the Gods. Understanding the events of the earlier movie will keep viewers from feeling lost in this one.

NE ZHA: What’s this? Huh?

TAIYI ZHENREN: He says you’re on your own.

NE ZHA: Fine. You want something done right, you’d better do it yourself.

TAIYI ZHENREN: This could take a while.

In the first movie, the Lord of Heaven subdues the Chaos Pearl, splitting it into a demon orb and a spirit pearl. The demon orb is accidentally incarnated into the human baby Ne Zha, while the spirit pearl inhabits Ao Bing, the son of the dragon king. Both children lose their lives performing heroic deeds at the end of the 20-19 movie. In the sequel, Ne Zha gains a new body, and he must complete three trials set by the Court of Heaven to gain immortality and save his friend Ao Bing. But things get complicated because he must complete his tasks without letting the immortals see his demon nature.

NE ZHA: Death may come. But I’m not scared. What fate may come, I’ve never cared.

Ne Zha II might be a cultural phenomenon in China, but the film isn’t likely to become a favorite with American families. The film contains no sensuality or foul language, but it has bathroom humor and some truly horrifying scenes of destruction. Some of the action sequences will be too intense for small children. And even though the word “demon” has a more neutral connotation in Chinese folk religion, I think many parents will find the antics of a child with a demon soul off putting. It’s also worth considering that some of these characters are still worshiped in modern-day China.

SHEN ZHENGDAO: In your training, only through sacrifice can you become an immortal.

But for older moviegoers wanting an authentic cross-cultural experience, Ne Zha II might be worth their time. It’s interesting how the film simultaneously affirms and subverts traditional Chinese mythologies, and one could even read this story as a patriotic metaphor for the overthrow of the imperial Chinese government that led to today’s communist regime.

The other big movie steeped in Asian myth is Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters.

CELINE: The world will know you as pop stars, but you will be much more than that. You will be hunters.

KPop Demon Hunters came out earlier this summer and it’s on track to become Netflix’s most-watched movie ever. The film has been so popular that Netflix has decided to put it in theaters this weekend, something the streaming giant almost never does.

This movie follows the adventures of the Korean pop band Huntr/x. But the three girls who make up the band aren’t just singers. They also, you guessed it, hunt demons. Their positive songs weave a protective shield over the world, but if any demons slip through from the underworld, these pop stars destroy them with mystical weapons.

RUMI: Not our fans.

ZOEY: When you mess with our fans…

MIRA: We need to make it hurt.

Things appear to be going well for Huntr/x until a new boy band shows up to woo away their fans, a boy band that’s made up of demons in disguise.

KPop Demon Hunters is rated PG, but when the girls slice and dice their way through demonic hordes the visuals include some bubblegum inflected gore.

On the surface, this film has some commonalities with Ne Zha II, but KPop Demon Hunters is much more accessible for western audiences. The storyline isn’t strictly consistent with Christian theology. Humans can become demons in this film, and sometimes demons can be redeemed. But if one takes the idea of being a “demon” as a metaphor for being a “sinner,” the movie offers some interesting insights.

RUMI: Demons don’t feel anything.

JINU: Is that what you think? That’s all demons do. Feel. Feel our shame. Our misery.

The king of the underworld acts as an accuser, just like Satan of the Bible, keeping his minions in chains by reminding them of their own guilt. We also see a character freed through the act of confession. And we see love in the form of sacrifice coupled with the idea that we are strengthened by being part of a community. I was honestly surprised at how well the entire movie was executed.

Also, the music is pretty catchy. Songs from the soundtrack have been topping the charts for almost two months now. Be warned. If you start listening, you might find it hard to stop.

MUSIC: [Golden song]

I’m Collin Garbarino.

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