In spite of a long gap twixt then and now, it’s fair to say Kung Fu Hustle was one of the finer theatrical experiences to have transpired in my younger life. I’ve never actually seen Stephen Chow‘s ensuing feature, CJ7, nor anything of his that had come before, but it was that one time experience, almost eight years on, which has me willing to try out what comes next.

Co-directed by he and Chi-kin Kwok is Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, a high-concept, generally insane-looking adaptation of one of the nation’s Four Great Classical Novels — but, I’ll go ahead and assume, with some new spins to make things more fun. (That has to be the case here, or I’m really missing out by not getting my hands on some translations.) The English subtitles are a nice bonus, but don’t do much to provide necessary context as to what’s going on here, some of the more unique properties including a (literally) pig-headed man and people exploding into sand when hit by flying gold rings. Not that this matters when it’s all such a visual treat, and especially not when bringing Hustle back to mind for yours truly.

The trailer can be seen below (via ThePlaylist):

Journey to the West has no U.S. release date.

Going off this trailer, should we be eager to see what Chow has planned next?