“Ne Zha 2” was released into theatres in the United States on February 14 after becoming increasingly viral in China.
“Ne Zha 2” is a movie based on the story of a protective deity of Chinese folklore, Ne Zha. In this movie the protagonist attempts to regenerate his body after it was destroyed in the first movie. However, during this time the dragon king of the east ordered an attack on his village. Ne Zha’s friend, Ao Bing, tries to protect Ne Zha but sacrifices his physical body in the process. Ao Bing then fuses with him and occupies the same body. As a result, Ne Zha ventures through a journey to restore both his body and Ao Bing’s body.
“My favorite part of the movie was when Ne Zha crashed out because he thought his parents died and he started taking it out on everyone,” said sophomore Anthony X.
“Ne Zha 2” is a movie that was made in China and first became popular there before the fame reached the United States. Many Chinese people living in the United States were excited to watch the movie in American theatres.
“I watched [the movie] with my entire family and we heard [the movie] was very good. Since we lived in America we wanted to watch more Chinese movies and touch the culture. I learned more about some Chinese history and Chinese values from [the movie],” said Fiona G, an AP Chinese teacher aide at the Stony Brook Center for Chinese Learning.
“Ne Zha 2” combined many traditional Chinese beliefs and values such as filial piety and fate vs. free will. One of Ne Zha’s famous lines is “我命由我不由天“ (my destiny is decided by my own hands) which emphasizes Ne Zha deciding his own destiny rather than being bound to the fate predetermined by the gods.
“I liked how they combined Chinese culture and traditional stories with animation, and they added funny parts too so [the movie] was good for larger audiences,” said sophomore September C.
“Ne Zha 2” also has a prequal which is “Ne Zha 1.” In contrast to Ne Zha 2’s world building and the emphasis on the broad mythological universe, Ne Zha 1’s plot focuses more on Ne Zha’s internal development as a deity that didn’t fit in human society as he tries to connect and understand others better. Compared to “Ne Zha 2”, “Ne Zha 1” didn’t receive nearly as much fame and recognition but it is still a worthy watch.
“The difference between “Ne Zha 1” and “Ne Zha 2” is that there was more outside plot in the second movie while in the first movie was just talking about his family life,” said Fiona.
Within only the first week of release, “Ne Zha 2” made over ¥6.79 billion yuan (approximately $931.6 million USD), according to ecns.cn, setting a new record for the highest-grossing film in a single market. This achievement surpasses the previous record held by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” As of right now, “Ne Zha 2” surpassed “Inside Out 2” as the highest-grossing animated film with a global gross of over $2.1 billion, according to deadline.com.
“I feel like [the movie] is worthy of being the highest-grossing animated film because I did a little research and the editors put in years of work into the movie and there were many deep meanings in the movie. I would recommend this movie to others, especially those who don’t know anything about Chinese culture so they can learn about it,” said Fiona.
Although “Ne Zha 2″ is not currently available for streaming yet, “Ne Zha 1” could be streamed on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.◼️
