Traditional gender normative are further enforced by the villainization of androgyny and an unfavorable transgender depiction, which was a notable change from the source material. This may be in part due to the source content of the relevant chapters of Journey to the West, yet license had been routinely taken throughout each film in the franchise and there is no good reason to miss the mark here given the nature of the setting and plot. What more, I concur with Elizabeth Kerr that this film "felt like a missed opportunity" to depict its primarily female cast as active-not-reactive. While depicting the Journey to The West may be nationalist in itself, I find it incredibly unfortunate that this film took opportunity to inject current political propaganda, particularly in favor of the implications of limited children policies. Cosmetics and effects rivaling, if not trumping, The Shape of Water, a star cast, precedence and notoriety for its previous installments, and a story adapted from a famous ancient Chinese novel deeply imbedded in Chinese national identity (as well as renditions throughout East Asia), were all foundational pieces to set this film in good standing.
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