Now FASTing: NE ZHA, A Boy Chooses His Own Destiny

Raising a child becomes much more, er, challenging when the child realizes his power.

Ne Zha (2019)
The English-dubbed version is now streaming free-with-ads on The Roku Channel.

In my review of Ne Zha II, which returns to U.S. theaters in a new English-dubbed version this Friday, I mentioned that I had sampled the opening scenes of the 2019 version and come to the conclusion that it was meant for children.

(For the record, this reinforced what I thought when the film opened in U.S. theaters, based solely on the synopsis and a casual viewing of the trailer: "The Mandarin-language animated fantasy is aimed at children, and I have no children, so that's my excuse for not watching this film already (it opened yesterday).")

Yet I was so impressed by the sequel, which is definitely not meant only for children, that I wanted to see the original. In the U.S., it's available on two FAST services, as well as Peacock TV. Since I only have an ad-supported subscription to Peacock TV, I ventured back to The Roku Channel to satisfy my curiosity.

In the Heavenly realm. The Supreme Lord separates a Chaos Pearl, which has been prodigiously sucking up energy, into a Spirit Pearl (good) and a Demon Orb (bad). Cursed to be destroyed in three years, the Demon Orb is instead reincarnated as a young human boy, Ne Zha.

It's always challenging for anyone to determine their own individual identity, and Ne Zha's youth is further complicated when his parents tell him that he will grow up to be a demon hunter, not a demon. This leads to a series of delightful misadventures with other young children in the village. It's all fun and games until Ne Zha (eventually) learns his true origins, his true identity, and his dreadful fate.

Much of the film leans toward the lighter side and is bright and colorful and witty. (Since I've already seen the sequel, I also realized which scenes in the sequel are direct callbacks to scenes in the original, like the toilet humor.) It rolls along in a quite satisfying and rather exuberant fashion until it gradually darkens, representing Ne Zhan's concurrently gradual realization of his own identity.

The action sequences are wonderfully designed and animated, showing the participants doing things that are beyond the capability of normal earthbound humans. That all contributes to the joyful environment. When events become more dramatic, the action becomes more intense. One can only imagine watching in 3D and on an IMAX screen.

Even so, watching at home is exceedingly pleasant. (I recommend watching it while eating a meal, as the ad-breaks are well-timed to get something from the kitchen.) Along with its sequel, Ne Zha is a highly-recommended experience, in whatever order you watch them.

Now FASTing celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) services.