I find Cineplex Movies‘ lack of faith disturbing. When All Wishes Come True! (八仙; lit. translation: The 8 Immortals) isn’t getting an even distribution across North America, and the chain may not be confident it can draw regular crowds in Canada. I can’t say I blame them. Nor can I speak to how the film is performing in other parts of the world. Usually, unless a Chinese production has a big name like Jackie Chan that audiences recognize, crowds aren’t guaranteed to flock to it. For writer/director Zhengyang Mu, a relative unknown, perhaps the film needs new posters that read, “From the studio that brought you Kung Fu Panda 3 and Abominable…”
That might help folks who are unsure about the film decide to see it. A few moments echo Pearl Studio‘s previous work and DreamWorks‘ design philosophy, making this movie an easier sell. The humour is evident, and everyone understands the Ocean’s Eleven reference. Who doesn’t want to see that? There’s also the promise of an animated action-adventure about the Eight Immortals, technically soon-to-be immortals, who must prove their worth as new heroes while the current ruling dynasty sorts itself out. This introduction establishes how they rose through the ranks and challenged the norm.
Even after watching the film, I want more, and I want to see it again. But when the long commute costs twice the price of admission, getting to the nearest theatre isn’t easy. Oddly, that’s analogous to what I witnessed during the finale. There’s a big bad evil guy who seems impossible to take down, and even when the cavalry arrives, the mid-credits zinger says it’s not over yet!
Before we can get there, introductions must be made, and I need to explain why I love Zhongli Quan (Chen Hao). He’s a ne’er-do-well who lives by his own code, and nobody will stop him from doing what’s right, even if that means angering a few gods along the way. That alone makes me fond of this film. When Quan hatches a plan to break into a vault belonging to the Gods of Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity, he knows he needs help!
His heart also comes from the right place. He was kicked out of his monastery for doing what was right. He used a magical item and its nectar to summon rain, saving several villages along the way. He even gave one child the clothes right off his back. Apparently, some acts of kindness aren’t regarded as that at all.
Instead, suffering must run its course, and a balance between extremes must be maintained. Even in Daoism, compassion sometimes can’t be freely given, even to the lesser man. When dogma dictates certain rules, challenging authority can be treated as wrong.
Life hasn’t changed much for the boy Quan saved, who is now an adult. That boy is Lü Dongbin (Li Shaozhe), although Quan doesn’t recognize him when they meet again. Instead, after catching Zhongli in the act, he decides to spare him by not taking him to the authorities. Lü convinces him that there’s a better quarry. However, the plan they hatch can’t be completed alone. After renting an abandoned temple that hands out well wishes to others, hence the film’s English title, they soon meet other vagabonds who have the same idea of robbing the three gods.
Those they encounter include the boisterous Cao Guojiu (Zhang Yunqi), the childlike Lan Caihe (Cao Zhishan) and the cantankerous Tieguai Li (Guozi Gege). After a misadventure or two, the musician Han Xiangzi (Dong Tianyi, Yu Pengli and Huang Yushuo) and eccentric Zhang Guolao (Deng Xiansen) also join them. Soon, they become a proper gang with a common goal, and the chemistry that forms is all too familiar.
Digging such a tunnel without being discovered isn’t easy. All that dirt they’re removing must go somewhere, and in a comic twist of fate, selling it as charms earns them a proper income. The humans who come to curry favour while the gang pretends to be priests also earn them a reputation that has yet to be investigated by the proper authorities.
The humour is perfect. By the time they break into the vault, what they discover draws the attention of the war god Yang Jian (Jionsen Joseph), who is later identified as a Sanjiyan. That’s because he has a third eye which gives him additional divine powers. Whether that’s tied to Yuzo Takada’s manga, 3×3 Eyes, there’s no official confirmation.
As a long time fan and reader of this series, I suspect he is from this world! The treasures range from money to a lamp that can prevent the Doomsmite, a recurring calamity capable of shutting down the universe. The pieces of the narrative finally come together, as do the roles everyone plays, including the arrival of the eighth and final member of the group.
She is He Xiangu (Lidong), and she possesses the same fierce individuality as Fujiko in the Lupin the 3rd series. She’s independent and perfectly capable of pursuing her own agenda. Best of all, she doesn’t exist to complete the group or become somebody’s romantic interest. As the warrior, she’s not even like Black Widow, although I suspect that’s what the writers intended when the screenplay was written.
No, All Wishes isn’t another Marvel Cinematic Universe in the making. Instead, it becomes a lesson in how to destroy the universe wholesale!
There’s no Thanos-style threat. Instead, another character believes the Yuxu Glazed Glass Lamp (玉虚琉璃灯) can be used for other purposes. This object is mentioned in the prologue, setting up the state of the world before the story begins, and is recognized as one of myth’s Four Great Divine Lamps alongside the Baolian Lantern. While traditional texts treat its divine flame as a symbol of enlightenment, modern animated movies adapt the item into a dramatic plot device capable of gathering souls and resurrecting fallen immortals.
That is why the Sanjiyan has decided that he really must have it, and the narrative shift turns a standard villain into a deeply sympathetic antagonist. Although Jian’s backstory isn’t widely known to general audiences, a well-placed line delivers a key reveal: he isn’t seeking power, but trying to bring his mother back to life. It transforms him from a simple roadblock standing in the protagonists’ way into a man willing to defy heaven, break sacred rules, and burn down the status quo just to hold his mother again. It pits personal love directly against the rigid dogma of Daoist fate. Jian’s motivation mirrors Zhongli Quan’s exile.
Until either gets to hold what matters most, both remain incomplete, lost between mortal grief and divine duty. That narrative reveal is what makes this film special.
In a pseudo-fantasy world where gods and mortals intermingle alongside a few technological upgrades, what’s presented is very different from other interpretations, such as Green Snake (White Snake 2). The magic feels more real, but whether all wishes are granted seems unlikely. Penglai is an eclectic city, and I believe it was purposefully designed to resemble the main Las Vegas Strip, with iconic creatures from legend hiding in every corner and other luxuries representing a mixture of world religions.
I’d have to rewatch the film to see whether stores sell joss paper and other ritual goods, but I suspect those particular Easter eggs exist. I have to grin at the thought that, instead of casinos, Penglai has temples everywhere. When they’re designed to represent the hierarchy of the gods, the arrangement is purposeful, as is the number eight. Also, this movie draws inspiration from the I Ching, a design detail I greatly appreciated. With more meaningful Easter eggs packed throughout its runtime, no single viewing is enough to spot all the nuances that make this movie great.
From a Western cinematic and literary perspective, the film mixes a healthy dose of Robin Hood-style scepticism with dogma to boot. Other cinematic references include the aforementioned The Bad Guys and Ocean’s Eleven, alongside The Goonies. I say that because Data and Lan Caihe are far too alike! All these mismatched pairings suggest one thing or another, just like I Ching predictions spilling out of the cup.
Like the promotional poster, even I had to set sail to find a purpose: seeing this movie theatrically in another city just to cement my cred as a Chinese animated movie aficionado. Cineplex never counted on that fact. When they decided not to include my home city, with a sizable number of Asians living here too, they weren’t obviously considering general metrics, but rather were wondering where the dollars are hiding the most. Nobody handed me a nearby screening either. I crossed the waters, landed and dug my own tunnel to where the big shiny pearl is at!
4 Stars out of 5
The 8 Immortals (All Wishes Come True)
Movie Trailer
