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11 Domesticity, Sentimentality and Otherness: The Boundary of the Human in Monster Hunt

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Sino-Enchantment
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Chapter 11Domesticity, Sentimentality and Otherness: The Boundary of the Human in Monster HuntMei YangIn retrospect, the phenomenal theatrical performance of Monster Hunt (Zhuoyao ji, Raman Hui) in 2015 encapsulated the then widespread anticipation that China’s fi lm market would imminently overtake the North American box offi ce.1 From a fi lm critic’s point of view, Monster Hunt’s success also denoted the normalisation of an overly heated industry hitherto characterised by the mismatch between a fi lm’s artistic calibre and its ticket sales.2 To celebrate the fi lm’s multiple accom-plishments, including becoming the highest-grossing Chinese movie,3 China Film Association and China Film Press held a joint symposium entitled ‘Monster Hunt: A New Benchmark and New Era for Chinese Blockbusters’ in August 2015. Th e symposium enlisted the fi lm’s production team, representatives of governmental bureaus and renowned fi lm critics to applaud the fusion of technology and Chinese culture that Monster Hunt allegedly achieved.4 Th e consensus reached at the sym-posium was shared by the general audience: the seamless integration of live action and animation, juxtaposed with imagery derived from classical Chinese tales, contributed to the fi lm’s astounding success. Monster Hunt2 (Zhuoyao ji 2, Raman Hui), the sequel made in 2018 with a stronger cast, having Tony Leung play the lead rather than relying on a relatively novice actor, touted even more spectacular visual eff ects, readily responding to the audiences’ fondness for technological wonders. Indeed, Monster Hunt marks the culmination of a group of Chinese fantasy fi lms made in the 2010s that draw on historical images, legends and stories to showcase technological breakthrough. An incomplete list of these fi lms includes Th e Sorcerer and the White Snake (Baishe chuanshuo zhi fahai, Ching Siu-tung, 2011), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Xiyou xiangmopian, Stephen Chow, 2013), Legend of the Demon Cat (Yaomao zhuan, Chen Kaige, 2017) and Detective Dee: Th e Four Heavenly Kings (Di Renjie zhi sida tianwang, Tsui Hark, 2018). Th ese fi lms re-employ well-known traditional folk, fairy and other mythological tales to visualise the 6796_Chan&Stuckey.indd2036796_Chan & Stuckey.indd 20318/03/214:07PM18/03/21 4:07 PM
© 2022, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh

Chapter 11Domesticity, Sentimentality and Otherness: The Boundary of the Human in Monster HuntMei YangIn retrospect, the phenomenal theatrical performance of Monster Hunt (Zhuoyao ji, Raman Hui) in 2015 encapsulated the then widespread anticipation that China’s fi lm market would imminently overtake the North American box offi ce.1 From a fi lm critic’s point of view, Monster Hunt’s success also denoted the normalisation of an overly heated industry hitherto characterised by the mismatch between a fi lm’s artistic calibre and its ticket sales.2 To celebrate the fi lm’s multiple accom-plishments, including becoming the highest-grossing Chinese movie,3 China Film Association and China Film Press held a joint symposium entitled ‘Monster Hunt: A New Benchmark and New Era for Chinese Blockbusters’ in August 2015. Th e symposium enlisted the fi lm’s production team, representatives of governmental bureaus and renowned fi lm critics to applaud the fusion of technology and Chinese culture that Monster Hunt allegedly achieved.4 Th e consensus reached at the sym-posium was shared by the general audience: the seamless integration of live action and animation, juxtaposed with imagery derived from classical Chinese tales, contributed to the fi lm’s astounding success. Monster Hunt2 (Zhuoyao ji 2, Raman Hui), the sequel made in 2018 with a stronger cast, having Tony Leung play the lead rather than relying on a relatively novice actor, touted even more spectacular visual eff ects, readily responding to the audiences’ fondness for technological wonders. Indeed, Monster Hunt marks the culmination of a group of Chinese fantasy fi lms made in the 2010s that draw on historical images, legends and stories to showcase technological breakthrough. An incomplete list of these fi lms includes Th e Sorcerer and the White Snake (Baishe chuanshuo zhi fahai, Ching Siu-tung, 2011), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Xiyou xiangmopian, Stephen Chow, 2013), Legend of the Demon Cat (Yaomao zhuan, Chen Kaige, 2017) and Detective Dee: Th e Four Heavenly Kings (Di Renjie zhi sida tianwang, Tsui Hark, 2018). Th ese fi lms re-employ well-known traditional folk, fairy and other mythological tales to visualise the 6796_Chan&Stuckey.indd2036796_Chan & Stuckey.indd 20318/03/214:07PM18/03/21 4:07 PM
© 2022, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of Figures vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. Notes on the Contributors x
  6. Note on Romanisation xiii
  7. 1 Introduction: Th e Fantastic as Sino-Enchantment in Contemporary Chinese Cinemas 1
  8. PART I VISUALITY/VIRTUALITY
  9. 2 Heroic Human Pixels: Mass Ornaments and Digital Multitudes in Zhang Yimou’s Spectacles 27
  10. 3 The Spectacle of Co-Production in The Great Wall 49
  11. 4 The Blockbuster Breakthrough: The Fantastic in Hero 71
  12. PART II GENRES OF SINO-ENCHANTMENT
  13. 5 The Restrained Fantastic in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin 95
  14. 6 An Auteurist Journey through the Fantastic Mode: A Case Study of Ho Meng-hua 112
  15. 7 Tracing the Science Fiction Genre in Hong Kong Cinema 128
  16. 8 Chick Flick Fantasy and Postfeminism in Chinese Cinema: 20 Once Again as a Transnational Remake 149
  17. 9 The Sacred Spectacle: Subverting Scepticism in Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee Films 166
  18. PART III ETHICS
  19. 10 Almost Wild, But Not Quite: The Indexical and the Fantastic Animal Other in China-Co-Produced (Eco)Cinema 185
  20. 11 Domesticity, Sentimentality and Otherness: The Boundary of the Human in Monster Hunt 203
  21. 12 Transforming Tripitaka: Toward a (Buddhist) Planetary Ethics in Stephen Chow’s Adaptation of Journey to the West 222
  22. Coda: Sino-Enchantment in a Time of Crisis 245
  23. Selected Filmography 249
  24. Bibliography 255
  25. Index 277
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781474460866-015

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents v
  3. List of Figures vii
  4. Acknowledgements ix
  5. Notes on the Contributors x
  6. Note on Romanisation xiii
  7. 1 Introduction: Th e Fantastic as Sino-Enchantment in Contemporary Chinese Cinemas 1
  8. PART I VISUALITY/VIRTUALITY
  9. 2 Heroic Human Pixels: Mass Ornaments and Digital Multitudes in Zhang Yimou’s Spectacles 27
  10. 3 The Spectacle of Co-Production in The Great Wall 49
  11. 4 The Blockbuster Breakthrough: The Fantastic in Hero 71
  12. PART II GENRES OF SINO-ENCHANTMENT
  13. 5 The Restrained Fantastic in Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin 95
  14. 6 An Auteurist Journey through the Fantastic Mode: A Case Study of Ho Meng-hua 112
  15. 7 Tracing the Science Fiction Genre in Hong Kong Cinema 128
  16. 8 Chick Flick Fantasy and Postfeminism in Chinese Cinema: 20 Once Again as a Transnational Remake 149
  17. 9 The Sacred Spectacle: Subverting Scepticism in Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee Films 166
  18. PART III ETHICS
  19. 10 Almost Wild, But Not Quite: The Indexical and the Fantastic Animal Other in China-Co-Produced (Eco)Cinema 185
  20. 11 Domesticity, Sentimentality and Otherness: The Boundary of the Human in Monster Hunt 203
  21. 12 Transforming Tripitaka: Toward a (Buddhist) Planetary Ethics in Stephen Chow’s Adaptation of Journey to the West 222
  22. Coda: Sino-Enchantment in a Time of Crisis 245
  23. Selected Filmography 249
  24. Bibliography 255
  25. Index 277
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