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\n\t\t\tPosted by\t\t\tAthena Scalzi<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0\u00a0
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It would stand to reason that the highest-grossing animated film of all time would be more well-known, yet it seems that\u00a0Ne Zha 2 remains unknown to practically every single person I\u2019ve talked to about it. It\u2019s especially wild to think how many people have never even heard of the film when you consider the fact that it\u2019s #5 on the list of highest-grossing movies of all time, right underneath Avatar\u00a0and its sequel,\u00a0Avengers: Endgame, and\u00a0Titanic.<\/p>\n
Not only did\u00a0Ne Zha 2\u00a0become the king of all animated movies, but sits proudly in the top five of\u00a0all movies. Is that not absolutely wild? So why is no one talking about it?<\/p>\n
And I know you\u2019re probably thinking, well of course people are talking about it, haven\u2019t you seen all the articles over it in The New York Times, seen the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, etc.?<\/p>\n
Listen, journalists don\u2019t count as people. What I mean when I say\u00a0no one is talking about it, is if you go into work and you ask your coworker Becky if she\u2019s seen any good movies lately, chances are she\u2019s not saying she threw on\u00a0Ne Zha 2\u00a0with original Chinese audio.<\/p>\n
If you walk up to literally\u00a0anyone\u00a0on the street and ask \u201chave you heard of\u00a0Avengers: Endgame or\u00a0perhaps\u00a0Titanic?\u201d chances are not only have they heard of it, they\u2019ve probably seen it. So why is it not the same answer when you ask if they\u2019ve heard of\u00a0Ne Zha?<\/p>\n
Anyways, I\u2019m here to tell you about this incredible film, since I\u2019m guessing even if you\u2019ve heard of it, you might not have seen it yet, as it\u2019s only available through streaming on HBO Max (and there\u2019s no Chinese audio if you watch it on there).<\/p>\n
Ne Zha 2\u00a0is an absolutely amazing film with the most spectacular animation and passion behind it. It is a true feast for your eyes, with practically every moment being worthy of being a desktop background. So often I found myself saying \u201coh my\u00a0god that\u2019s absolutely insane\u201d in regards to the art and animation. Even if the story was downright terrible (which it isn\u2019t), it would still be worth sitting through the almost two and half hours of the movie just for the art.<\/p>\n
While I do really like Ne Zha, its sequel is better in every way.\u00a0Ne Zha 2\u00a0has less childish humor that the first one suffers from, a more intricate and interesting story, develops its characters and their relationships better, and of course, superior animation.<\/p>\n
Ne Zha\u00a0is one of those movies where the last half hour makes sitting through the first hour of the film worth it, where as Ne Zha 2\u00a0is all gas no brakes.\u00a0Ne Zha 2\u00a0had my jaw on the floor the entire time.<\/p>\n
I want to talk about the story, but I don\u2019t know how I can without just spoiling the entire movie! It\u2019s such a\u2026 let\u2019s say, involved plot. There\u2019s\u00a0a lot\u00a0going on, and if you\u2019re unfamiliar with Chinese mythos and gods, it can feel sort of overwhelming. Almost like when you start reading a high fantasy novel and you\u2019re having a hard time keeping all the proper nouns straight in your head.<\/p>\n
I honestly find it easier to keep names and places straight when the subtitles are on (which, if you watch it in Chinese, chances are you\u2019ll probably have them on anyways).<\/p>\n
I personally prefer the original Chinese, as I find the mouths not matching up with the English dub distracting and a lot of lines are delivered oddly in an attempt to make the mouths fit the words better.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons I love\u00a0Ne Zha\u00a0and its sequel is because of its originality. So many movies that come out these days are revivals of old franchises, \u201clive-action\u201d remakes of old classics, and just stuff we\u2019ve seen a hundred times before.\u00a0Ne Zha\u00a0and\u00a0Ne Zha 2\u00a0feel so much more unique and interesting than any animated movies has felt for me in a long time.<\/p>\n
I find it unfortunate that truly the only reason it feels like no one has heard of it is because it\u2019s a foreign film. That\u2019s really all it comes down to is that it\u2019s a Chinese film, and Americans don\u2019t consume a lot of foreign media. America pumps out so much media that foreign gems can sometimes get lost in translation.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been intentionally vague about the plot this whole time because it really feels like something you should just experience without knowing too much about it. It\u2019s a wild ride, and one I went into pretty blind, and recommend the same for you.<\/p>\n
If you want to watch it with the Chinese original audio with English subtitles, my best recommendation is to buy it on YouTube since HBO Max only has the English dub. I know, it sucks buying movies on YouTube, mostly because they can remove it from your library at any time and you don\u2019t get your money back, but this is unfortunately the era of streaming monopolies and whatnot that we live in. Consuming media is difficult even though that\u2019s all any company wants us to do.<\/p>\n
Have you seen\u00a0Ne Zha\u00a0or\u00a0Ne Zha 2? Did you manage to catch either in theaters? Are there any foreign films you like that you feel like most people haven\u2019t heard of? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!<\/p>\n
-AMS<\/p>\n
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