Get the latest gossip
‘Ne Zha 2’ Review: Hit Chinese Animated Sequel Delivers in Jaw-Dropping Visual Spectacle, but Overflows With Lore
Now the highest-grossing animated film in history, 'Ne Zha 2' packs stunning effects and character animation in its astonishing action sequences.
Late in “ Ne Zha 2,” the record-breaking, box office behemoth of a sequel to the 2019 Chinese animated action saga, the battle between a clan of divine immortals and the grisly monsters they look down upon in an ancient realm of myth reaches such dazzling, mind-melting fever pitch, one can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of astounding effects and characters in relentless motion. The heavenly abode known as Xu Tu Palace where immortal master Wuliang Xianweng (Wang Deshun), who takes on great significance in the film’s last third, is said to be made entirely from jade, and the texture and lighting on display certainly reflects that claim in a convincing manner. Like other Chinese animated features with similar scopes and vast mythologies, including “The Storm” (2024) and “Big Fish & Begonia” (2016), the “Ne Zha” franchise suffers from dense exposition conveying the supernatural particularities of the legends and deities that guide the drama.
Or read this on Variety
