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The Monkey King

Original title: The Lost Empire
  • TV Mini Series
  • 2001– 2001–
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 2h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
The Lost Empire
Play trailer1:36
3 Videos
24 Photos
AdventureFantasy
American journalist Nick Orton is caught up in the world of Chinese gods and monsters while on a search for the long lost manuscript to 'Hsi Yu Chi' (The Journey to the West) by Wu Ch'eng En... Read allAmerican journalist Nick Orton is caught up in the world of Chinese gods and monsters while on a search for the long lost manuscript to 'Hsi Yu Chi' (The Journey to the West) by Wu Ch'eng En. He is accompanied on his journey by a humanoid ape with incredible strength and magical ... Read allAmerican journalist Nick Orton is caught up in the world of Chinese gods and monsters while on a search for the long lost manuscript to 'Hsi Yu Chi' (The Journey to the West) by Wu Ch'eng En. He is accompanied on his journey by a humanoid ape with incredible strength and magical powers, a humanoid pig-man, and his brother-in-arms, an ex-cannibal. Based on one of the g... Read all
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Thomas Gibson
    • Bai Ling
    • Russell Wong
  • Stars
    • Thomas Gibson
    • Bai Ling
    • Russell Wong
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy

    Episodes2

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    2001

    Videos3

    The Lost Empire (2001)
    Trailer 1:31
    Watch The Lost Empire (2001)
    The Lost Empire
    Trailer 1:36
    Watch The Lost Empire
    The Monkey King
    Trailer 1:32
    Watch The Monkey King

    Photos24

    The Monkey King (2001)
    On set of "The Lost Empire" with Peter MacDonald
    Giving out instructions to crew members in Malaysian jungle set
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    The Odyssey (1997)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)
    Bai Ling, Thomas Gibson, and Russell Wong in The Monkey King (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Thomas Gibson
    Thomas Gibson
    • Nicholas Orton
    Bai Ling
    Bai Ling
    • Kwan Ying
    Russell Wong
    Russell Wong
    • Monkey King
    Ric Young
    Ric Young
    • Confucius
    Kabir Bedi
    Kabir Bedi
    • Friar Sand
    Eddie Marsan
    Eddie Marsan
    • Pigsy
    Randall Duk Kim
    Randall Duk Kim
    • Shu
    Henry O
    • Wu Chan Yen
    Lim Kay Siu
    • Subodhi
    Burt Kwouk
    Burt Kwouk
    • Professor Sheng
    James Faulkner
    James Faulkner
    • Marcus Harding
    Stuart Ong
    Stuart Ong
    • Jade Emperor
    Kwong Loke
    • Imperial Crier
    Yu-Beng Lim
    Yu-Beng Lim
    • Skeleton Demon
    Turbo Kong
    Turbo Kong
    • Big Demon
    Hossan Leong
    • Spectacles Demon
    Hon Ping Tang
    Hon Ping Tang
    • Nine Inch Nail Demon
    Picasso Tan
    • Pointy Head Demon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Loosely based on the story from classical Chinese Literature "Journey to the West".
    • Quotes

      Nicholas Orton: So I might never get rich, buy my own jet, or even maintain a stock portfolio. But when I look in her eyes, I know that none of these things really matter.

    • Connections
      References The Fly (1958)

    User reviews41

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    Lessons Unheeded
    Well, this mini-series was the straw that broke the back for producer Robert Halmi with NBC. The faults of his previous rating disaster, "The 10th Kingdom" have not been heeded in this production. The screenplay is overloaded with over the top characters and situations that never let up. But, to me, the failure of "The Lost Empire" falls in three categories. The total miscasting of Thomas Gibson, who gives a tired and stiff performance. Gibson seems to barely be able to walk, much less perform martial arts, and his delivery is unbelievably stilted. The music score is among the worst I've heard in a production like this. There is little thematic melody and even less of the score reflects the rich culture depicted in the story. Third, the director chose to shoot most of the frequent martial arts action from the waist up, so much of the visual impact of those scenes is lost. Indeed, only Bai Ling retains her dignity in the production. The only other redeeming feature is, that the film did cause me to look into the classic book, "Journey to the West."
    helpful•5
    3
    • Mark-129
    • May 7, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 11, 2001 (United States)
      • Czech Republic
      • Germany
      • Singapore
      • United States
      • English
      • Chinese
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • Hallmark Entertainment
      • RTL
      • Babelsberg International Film Produktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 30 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby

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