PANDORA'S BOX is the first instalment of Stephen Chow's A CHINESE ODYSSEY series, loosely based on the classic JOURNEY TO THE WEST story of Sun Wukong. It's one of those films that's beloved by Chinese viewers for the whimsical stylistics and endless humour, but something gets lost in translation for those of us in the West; I found this one of Chow's weakest productions. The whole thing feels low budget, with a single torch-lit cave setting, and it has little to do with the original novel. Instead Chow plays his usual 'joker' character, running around after dominant women. The emphasis is very much on sight gags and character interplay, but none of it is remotely funny and the sight of actors mugging endlessly gets a bit much after a while. There are some fun fantasy elements to the story, with monsters and giant spiders turning up, but overall this is a lacklustre exercise.
