When the Monkey King abuses his master, the Longevity Monk, he is banished to human form until he learns the meaning of life and only then will he be reunited with his master. However, the Monk sacrifices his mortal life making it seemingly impossible for the Monkey King to return to his immortal form.  In the meantime, evil sisters arrive at the mountain where the Godly reunion is to take place in search of the Monkey King.  Unfortunately, they only encounter Joker (Chow Sing Chi), the hapless leader of a band of robbers who poses as the Monkey King in order to win the heart of one of the sisters.  To complicate things further though, the mighty King Bull appears seeking revenge on the Monkey King and attempts to kill Joker but only ends up killing one of the sisters.  Joker's only hope to save her is to obtain Pandora's Box; a sacred item which allows the user to travel back in time but can Joker save everyone in time and find true love?

Based on the 16th century novel entitled Journey to the West by Wu Cheng, 'A Chinese Odyssey Part 1: Pandora's Box' is not only an excellent incarnation of the myth but also an outstanding standalone period piece comedy.  With stunning visuals, fantastical battles and numerous hilarious running gags/spoofs, this is exactly the kind of vehicle that Chow Sing Chi thrives upon as it provides him with a chance to demonstrate both his comedic timing and acting abilities.  This top notch display from Chow can, in part, be attributed to the scripting that is spot-on and utilises the source material well, deviating just enough to add  some new spice to the story whilst never losing site of the original concept.  Chow is also assisted by a first-class supporting cast, from the ever present Ng Man Tat to the extremely adaptable Karen Mok, who all play their roles to near perfection and round off the film nicely.

Unfortunately, there is one major fault to this movie in that this is really only half a film as the abrupt ending means the viewer has to seek out the second part to complete the story but this is easily resolved by just buying both films at the same time.  However, even on it's own you can't escape the fact that this is all-round entertainment and a superb watch, definitely Chow Sing Chi and the Monkey King myth at their finest.  Highly Recommended.