Before its upcoming U.S. rerelease, Ne zha II-a Chinese animated film—had already made plenty of waves. Seemingly out of nowhere, it clinched the title of the highest-grossing animated film of all time. With its billion-dollar milestone marking the first time a non-Hollywood production crossed that threshold, A24’s stateside theatrical and IMAX rerelease only confirms that glowing reputation: Ne Zha II isn’t just a global phenomenon—it’s a generational triumph.
Written and directed by Jiao Zi, Ne zha II does not ease audiences into its narrative; instead, it plunges them headfirst into a vast world of Chinese, Indian Hindu, and Buddhist mythology, filled with cosmic stakes and high-energy spectacle. Picking up after the events of the 2020 film, the sequel follows Ne Zha (Crystal Lee), a child of prophecy destined to either bring destruction to the world or serve as its savior. Alongside him is his best friend, Ao Bing (Aleks Le), another child of prophecy, who is tied to a dragon heritage.
The film quickly summarizes its predecessor in the opening moments, using the urgency of a disclaimer in a drug commercial to bring audiences up to speed. In essence, Ne Zha‘s story revolves around the strong bond between the two boys, supported by the love of Ne Zha’s parents—Lord Li Jing (Vincent Rodriguez III) and Lady Yin (Michelle Yeoh)—as well as Ne Zha’s spiritual mentor, Taiyi Zhenren (Rick Zieff). Together, they guide the boys on the path of good.
While the first film saw its leads rebel against fate, Ne zha II centers on their continued coming-of-age story as Ne Zha endeavors to complete a series of insurmountable heavenly trials to become an immortal and restore the body of Ao Bing (who’s currently sharing Ne Zha’s) while keeping a dragon invasion at bay in the background, with Ao Bing’s father, Ao Gang (Christopher Swindle) believing his son had been killed. There are numerous spinning plates in Ne zha II‘s plot, but the film does enough to ensure that audiences at least grasp the broad strokes of what’s happening as it introduces new mystical items and lore throughout, much like joining a JRPG raid.
Despite its mythic tone, Ne zha II doesn’t shy away from irreverence. It’s packed with gross-out humor common in children’s films, sure, but it’s also got some clever sight-gag jokes and genuinely laugh-out-loud moments from most everyone in its cast. The standout is its leading man. Ne Zha himself carries a Bart Simpson-esque ‘tude with a bratty and impulsively rebellious streak throughout the film. His charm anchors the film’s emotional core even as its plot rockets forward. Still, he’s infectiously endearing as he navigates his sense of otherness in a story that’s filled with as many resonant emotional beats as literal beat-downs.
The film doesn’t just deliver action; it drowns viewers in it. There’s enough spectacle in Ne zha II to constitute filling three films, let alone one, and yet it never feels gratuitous. Standout battles, be they with anthropomorphic gophers or atop bamboo shoots with lightning elementals amid a waterfall, escalate with such intensity and creativity that it’s almost absurd the film doesn’t charge extra for the experience. Despite being an animated film, it’s by no means a bloodless affair, as typically seen in children’s films. If anything, Ne zha II is downright gnarly. Blood is spilled, stakes are felt, and victories are hard-earned, making each triumph, especially in its finale, feel revelatory. Like its speedy narration, the film seems to trust audiences of all ages to handle both its gross-out potty humor and its brutal action.
Still, its fights evoke the grace of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the bombast of Asura’s Wrathwith action sequences so decadent and kinetic that they make even the most elaborate video game cutscenes, such as those from Final Fantasy, League of Legendsand God of War, look tame by comparison. What’s more, its action choreography is chest-pumpingly euphoric and inventive, to downright overwhelming in the best way—like watching a dual meteor shower collide in slow motion. Every frame of Ne zha II is like a decadent painting, awe-inspiring as it is equal parts painterly and pulse-pounding. There were multiple moments when our IMAX theater audience had a common refrain of swearing under their breath as gaggles of children sat beside us, mouths agape at the sheer spectacle of eldritch and high fantasy visual splendor we were witnessing.
Ne zha II‘s story moves at a mile-a-minute pace, with narration even in the final act to help viewers keep up. It’s exhilarating, but not without cost. Some emotional moments are swept aside too quickly, and the dub occasionally stumbles in its efforts to match lip flaps to both its comedic and serious moments. Still, performances from Yeoh, Lee, Le, and Daniel Riordan as antagonist Shen Gongbao bring enough gravitas to smooth over the film’s rough edges. While the pacing occasionally rushes past the fallout of devastating battles and character deaths, the emotional beats still resonate, even if some feel like glancing blows rather than deep wounds.
Ne zha II is a cinematic rollercoaster. As a film, it’s an animated epic that feels like it was willed into existence by an entire nation’s artistic ambition. Emotionally vibrant, visually decadent, and spiritually rich, you feel every second of its nearly three-hour runtime, but not a moment is wasted. Ne zha II maintains its unrelenting cinematic splendor and spectacle to its herculean finale, which virtually sends things to the stratosphere. By the time the credits roll, the film has left you breathless, as if you had witnessed a divine spectacle unfold before your eyes, and practically beckons the sensation of being sequel-baited, which it exceeds expectations in delivering.
Ne zha II returns to theaters and IMAX on August 22.
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