The Monkey Is Back

The Stone Monkey (Pakho Chau) is a powerful deity who has saved the world in the past, and is upheld as the guardian of the mortal realm. In the immortal world, however, trouble is brewing. This strife threatens to break out into the mortal sphere. A fierce wood demon wants to rain terror onto a small village settlement. The Stone Monkey wants to intervene. This village is home to Ba Hai Xing (Chai Wei), a woman whom he once encountered in the immortal realm when she was just a young girl. She is now fully grown and has never forgotten the Stone Monkey – and a promise he once made her. The rest of the village, though, have lost faith in their former guardian. When deities clash, the Stone Monkey tumbles out of the heavenly realm and lands in the village. Here, stripped of his divine powers, he must do what he can to defend the population against the forces of evil. Will he save the day once more – and keep his promise to Ba Hai Xing? This movie is based on characters made famous in the classic 16th-century Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” attributed to Wu Cheng En. “The Monkey Is Back” is a 2021 Chinese movie that was directed by Li Wei Ji.