Ne Zha (2019)
3.7 of 5 from 49 ratings
1h 51min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- A young boy, Ne Zha, is birthed from a heavenly pearl by the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Born with unique powers, Ne Zha finds himself as an outcast who is hated and feared. Destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, the young boy must choose between good and evil in order to break the shackles of fate and become the hero.
- Actors:
- Yanting Lü, Joseph, Mo Han, Hao Chen, Qi Lü, Jiaming Zhang, Wei Yang, David Chen, Jordan Cole, Lexie Foley, Kei Gambit, Yuxiang He, Liam Kong, Aleks Le, Mike Pollock, Jamieson Price, Griffin Puatu, Junpeng Ren, Vincent Rodriguez III, Stephanie Sheh
- Directors:
- Yu Yang
- Producers:
- Wenzhang Liu, How Jiann Teo, Yunyun Wei
- Writers:
- Yu Yang, Yunyun Wei, Xixing Lu, Zhonglin Xu
- Aka:
- Ne zha zhi mo tong jiang shi
- Genres:
- Anime & Animation, Children & Family, Kids’ TV
- Countries:
- China
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29 films by griggs
Reviews (1) of Ne Zha
Ambitious and flashy — but loses its soul in translation - Ne Zha review by griggs
Whilst Ne Zha 2 has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, this first instalment is a real mixed bag. It’s overlong, yet weirdly feels like big narrative chunks are missing. Some plot points are spoon-fed, others had me frantically googling Taoist mythology just to follow the action.
The film tries to mimic a Hollywood-style animation—fast pace, high joke rate, emotional arcs on cue—but the humour doesn’t always translate, with some lines landing awkwardly or coming off a bit tone-deaf in English.
There’s clearly an effort to present a global calling card for Chinese animation. But in aiming to be everything for everyone, it blurs its cultural edges. Instead of confidently owning its roots, it feels like it’s pitching for global approval.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.