Synopsis: Self-taught animator Jiaozi brings us the groundbreaking sequel to his first hit film with Nezha 2. This time, the demon boy must step up to defend his home and loved ones when the residents of the Chentang Pass are attacked by the dragon kings of the four seas. Sent on a mission with the promise of peace, Nezha soon finds that not all is as it seems and finds himself up against some of his biggest problems yet! (143 Mins)

 

Views: Where do you start with a film like Nezha 2? The biggest animated feature ever made, beating those legendary titles from the likes of Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and others. It has since become the highest-grossing Chinese and non-English film of all time and beat Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens as the highest-grossing film of all time in a single market. In a nutshell, Nezha 2 has kicked the asses of many major studios and totally exceeded all expectations from both its general audience and critics alike!

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Director Jiaozi, also known as Yu Yang, returns to continue the story of the boisterous demon boy Nezha, weaving a more complex tale than before that delivers a lesson on race, morals, and the true differences between good and bad. In short, never judge a book by its cover. I had the joy of watching this cinematic gem on the big screen twice, and to be very honest, I would go a few more times if I had the opportunity. Brough to UK and Irish screens by Cineasia, Nezha 2 deserves to be seen in cinemas to really appreciate the absolute detail, beauty, emotion and work that has went into this incredible movie. Taking five years to complete, it's nothing short of perfect filled with huge ambitions with highly detailed character design, impeccable set pieces, and heart-pounding action sequences that just blew me away – and I've been watching Asian cinema for 40 years straight.​ In fact, I would go as far to say that if celebrated Hong Kong film-makers Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo Ping, Tony Ching Siu Tung, and Stephen Chow Sing Chi got together and were given an unlimited budget, Nezha 2 is quite possibly the film they would try to make. But I also firmly believe that even they couldn't deliver what Jiaozi has done here in this masterpiece of visual storytelling! When I was a kid, one of my first and favourite video tapes was Little Nezha Fights Great Dragon Kings (aka) Nezha Conquers the Dragon King; a 1979 animated feature from the Shanghai Animation Film Studio. I adored that film and, while very different in terms of it's animation limits to what this new version gives us, still believe it is one of the best and charming animated tales of Nezha. But watching Nezha 2 took me right back there! It is pretty much the same story, albeit with quite a few more ingredients thrown into the mix with an insanely huge animation team, and I just loved it.

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Produced with pure dedication and love, Nezha 2 is as epic as Lord of the Rings or any Avengers movie. The mythology of this character has always intrigued and amazed me, and I'm really looking forward to the final part of the trilogy in the near future. There was, at times, moments during the screening when I had to remind myself that I was watching an animation – it was that outstanding. The colours are vibrant, the fight action is just incredible, and the humour (which may be missed by some members of the western audience) felt like it had been written by Stephen Chow Sing Chi himself. It was hilarious! But it also strikes the perfect balance between that humour and breathtaking action, with emotion and heartfelt moments where we are reminded that, even though this kid has the abilities of a god, he's still just a kid who needs his parents and those important to him.​ Incredible in every sense of the word, Nezha 2 deserves to be seen on the big screen. And I must also give kudos to Cineasia for releasing it in it's original language with English subtitles – a movie such as this deserves as much respect. Stunning, funny, emotional, and hugely exciting, I cannot recommend Nezha 2 enough and only hope that you get the chance to experience it the same way I did!

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Overall: Simply amazing and one of the best animations ever made, Nezha 2 smashed all box office records for a reason. I highly recommend you watch that reason!