Monkey King: Visual Analysis of a Movie

Monkey King: Visual Analysis of a Movie Poster

Journey to the West is one of four classic novels written during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1500 -- 1582). It tells the story of a monk named Xuanzang, who traveled to India in the seventh century with the hope of finding Buddhist scriptures to take back to China. The novel's author, Wu Chen-en, was an elder statesman who used all that he had witnessed in his lifetime about human nature to write his story, which he infused with his own sense of compassion and humor. The adventures of the monk (Monkey) and his guardians are well-known in China today, and they are familiar to children in Japan and Korea as well. The Monkey stories are readily seen in pop culture, from television to comic books (Kulik, Gu, and Patt n.p.). The poster for the movie The Monkey King would therefore need no explanation to a Chinese moviegoer, who would probably be familiar with the story and perhaps eager to see it brought to life on the big screen. A western moviegoer, however, might know nothing of the story. The poster provides some information, but perhaps not enough information to support a decision about spending the price of a ticket.

For people who know the Monkey stories well, the image on the poster either conforms to their ideas about what the Monkey looks like, or it does not. Someone who has only read the story or heard it told aloud will have a mental picture of the Monkey that may be similar, or completely different, from the image shown. If the mental image is too different, it could be off-putting. The person may say to himself, "That's not what I expected," or "That's not how I pictured it," and may decide, as a result, that the movie would not be to his liking. An individual may see details in his imagination, or he may just have an overall impression of the character being described. It seems reasonable to expect that if the poster image is aligned with the image in the mind's eye, the person would be more open to seeing the movie.

The minimal information in the poster -- just the movie title and the name of its star -- makes it appeal to the Asian moviegoer, as one who knows the story and knows what to expect to see onscreen. The poster is striking and attention-getting and could very well attract viewers who know nothing about the Monkey. The poster provides a great deal of information about the movie's genre and clues viewers as to what they might expect.

It is immediately evident that the movie is fantasy. The character that dominates the poster is a composite of human, monkey and giant bird. One would expect that there would be other mythical creatures in the movie as well as exotic settings and fantastic situations in which the characters will find themselves. One would expect to find very little realism in this film.

The Chinese writing communicates to the viewer a sense of place. The location is fictional, but this made-up place will have a decidedly Asian flair. The fact that the Chinese characters as well as the English title, "The Monkey King," are rendered as if cut from stone adds to the importance of the story. It is a weighty, like stone, and like stone it has stood the test of time. We get the sense of a very old story that has endured. There is no text other than the movie's title and the name of its star, Donnie Chen.

The name of the actor may or may not be familiar to Chinese audiences; the Westerner has no way to tell from the poster whether this is a small, independent film or a blockbuster featuring a well-known star. Either way, the actor portrays a very powerful character. His eyes are open wide, indicating he is alert and ready for whatever happens. His mouth is open and it is clear he is shouting. Perhaps it is a war cry or a challenge to an adversary. The Monkey is dressed in elaborate clothing and wears a small crown on his head. His hair flies outward from his face, suggesting a lion's mane. The lion is known as the "king of the jungle," and thus the flowing hair reinforces the idea of leadership and power. The giant wings seem to rise up from the back of Monkey's head. They are spread as in flight. The Monkey's pose is one of action. One leg is well ahead of the other, as though he is leaping through the air rather than merely flying. His red cape billows behind him, giving the illusion of speed. The cape cuts across the entire poster, providing a strong diagonal line that separates a dramatic, threatening sky from the landscape below.

The sky is ominous, with swirling colors and angry storm clouds. The portrayal of the sky adds to the sense of drama and adventure in a way a calm, sunny sky never could. Below, there is an almost magical landscape, with thick forest, low clouds, towering rocky structures, and a dramatic waterfall. Once again, these elements add a sense of drama and also create a unique setting for the Monkey's adventures. There is no place on Earth that is quite like it.