Journey to the West 1986 vs. 2011

Now… I know what all of you who are from the ’90s are going to say – the 1986 version is an unrivalled classic. Yes, it is, there is no argument there, but that should not mean any version that comes after it is automatically rubbish.

(Although, there are also a lot of rubbish versions out there, I won’t deny that.)

In 2011, director/producer Zhang Jizhong’s version (not to be confused with Zhejiang’s version that came out one year before) of  Journey to the West aired. And despite many, MANY opposing opinions, the series received plenty of positive feedback as well. My verdict? Both versions are worth watching. Here is a brief comparison between the two so if you are one of those who have never seen a Journey to the West drama, you can decide which one is for you.

*WARNING: this post of humor-free (meaning: I’ll try to be more serious than usual).

A little intro for anyone who is unfamiliar: Journey to the West is a part historical part fantasy story about Tang Xuanzang’s journey to obtain Buddha’s sacred scriptures. On the way, he encounters the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie (a former marshal of the heaven who is half-pig in appearance), and Sha Wujing (also a former Heavenly general); together they make the journey to achieve enlightenment.

THE MONKEY KING

You can’t have Journey to the West without the Monkey King. So naturally, he should be the first aspect of the story to be looked at.

1986 version – Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Zhang Jinlai) played The Monkey King. All I have to say about his performance is: where did they find this actor?

Liu Xiao Ling Tong came from a family that take great pride in performing arts. Both his father and grandfather used to play the Monkey King on stage and spent almost all their lives studying and promoting the essence of this character, so it isn’t that difficult to understand why Liu’s interpretation in the drama is so lively and believable.

Watching him, you see a mischievous and hot-tempered monkey, a reliable oldest brother, and also an undefeatable king – exactly the kind of things you’d expect from this Chinese cultural and literary icon. Not to mention Liu’s perfect monkey-like movements – especially when he does combat scenes – that contribute to his character’s authenticity.

On the screen, Liu Xiao Ling Tong is not an actor who plays a monkey; he is not a monkey pretending to be a man; he is JUST the Monkey King.

I can write another three thousand words of analysis on this Monkey King alone, but for now, let’s just leave it at that.

2011 version – Wu Yue.

Believe it or not, Wu Yue brought a whole new interpretation of the Monkey King on to the screen. He did not try to recreate any other actor’s Monkey King.

Besides being invincible, impish, and ambitious, this Monkey King also displays the vulnerability of a parentless child – which is exactly what Sun Wukong is. He was born from a rock and spent almost all his life without a proper family before he joins the group. Wu Yue’s Monkey King is extremely relatable on this ground.

TANG SANZANG

1986 version – Because of the amount of time it took to film the drama, a total of three actors played the role of Tang Sanzang: Wang Yue, Chi Chongrui, and Xu Shaohua. Chi Chongrui, however, played most of the episodes, so this analysis will be based on his performance.

This Tang Sanzang is how you would imagine him from the book. He’s physically fragile, easy to manipulate, stubborn to protect his doctrines, and determined to achieve his goal – which is to acquire the sacred scriptures from the Buddha. And you see all of these qualities in this version’s Tang Sanzang.

There isn’t much to complain about any of the actors’ performance. Chi Chongrui, in specific, delivered exactly the Tang Sanzang the novel depicts. Because of the same reason, however, this character can seem unrelatable.

Sometimes while watching, you have to ask yourself why he gets to be the leader given his lack of experience and knowledge of the real world. A lot of times, you feel frustrated for the Monkey King and the rest of the group for having to put up with someone as stubborn as him, because you know for a fact that he’s wrong, and that his disciples are the ones who will pay the price for his mistakes. As the viewers, you might feel disconnected with him at times due to his lack of understanding and sympathy for the very people who are trying to protect him.

2011 version – Nie Yuan (you might have seen him from The Story of Yanxi)

Nie Yuan is a talented actor, and in his hands, Tang Sanzang definitely appears more understandable. Besides being a strong-willed pilgrim, he is also a leader, and a father figure to Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing.

Even though Tang Sanzang is the weakest in the group physically, the other three (or four, if you count the horse) no doubt always look to him for guidance. The little things he does such as dusting Wukong’s clothes, laughing at their jokes, joking back, giving them small advice from time to time, setting rules to maintain peace within the group – they all contribute to creating a main character you want to root for and presenting strong bonds between these characters who slowly become a family.

In addition, Nie Yuan also delivers the rugged and intelligent side of an experienced traveller who has encountered all kinds of people.

VISUAL

1986 version – The costumes and makeup might appear outdated if subjected to today’s standards, some of the materials seen on the screen are not authentic in appearance, but there are definitely no tacky designs. The characters’ clothes are said to have been made based on old sketches and paintings that depicted these legends Chinese gods and deities.

The special effects here are also pretty outdated since it is from… well, 1986. But since the combat scenes rely heavily on the actors’ skills and the choreography, special effects are not used that often.

The sceneries in this drama is a huge plus, all outdoors scenes were filmed in real-life locations, making 80% of what you see on the screen quite authentic.

2011 version – Most costumes in this dramas are well done. The main characters’ clothing is both practical and aesthetic in appearance. This crew was also pretty creative with ethnical costumes.

Although, as a lot of viewers have expressed, some character-masks are too thick and therefore prevent the character from expressing their emotions properly.

In addition, while the sets are detailed and unique, the overuse of green screens and special effects are distracting and can significantly affect your experience of the story. And sadly, it appears as if the characters are walking across different wallpapers to reach their destination instead of taking a real journey.

BREVITY

The 1986 version is obviously the shorter one (24 episodes). There are also no cliffhangers, each episode deals with a specific set of problems and resolves them accordingly, informing the viewers in clear terms what the moral is supposed to be. However, the small number of episodes do place some restrictions on character development, giving the impression that these people remain the same after ten plus years of hardship.

The 2011 version, on the other hand, is probably longer than it needs to be (66 episodes). While the development of the main characters is well written, several episodes are repetitive and many backstories do not necessarily contribute to the plot. This drama makes a point of bringing as much of the novel to life as possible, but that is just the problem – the novel itself contains chapters that are quite similar in theme and motif.

Bottom line: 

Want to see a near-perfect Monkey king who is everything you could imagine? 1986.

Want to see a relatable Tang Monk being a leader and actually looking like he’s up for a hundreds-mile long journey on foot? 2011.

Want to see the main characters’ relationships highlighted more? 2011.

A concise interpretation of the journey to the West as a whole? 1986.

Want to see Buddhist philosophies and Chinese mythology explored in more depth? 2011.

Have time to spare? Watch both versions.