Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- witty
- energetic
- retro movie night
- cult comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a commercially successful but tonally confused supernatural comedy with weak laughs, uneven performances, and an underdeveloped fantasy premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Chandler Jarrell dismisses the claim that he is destined to find and protect the Golden Child, but the investigation increasingly validates the prophecy.
The plot centers on a Buddhist mystic, monks, ritual practices, demon worship, and a Tibetan-associated spiritual mythology.
Chandler's profession as a lost-child finder becomes the concrete engine of his search for the kidnapped Golden Child.
Eddie Murphy's comic persona drives the film's treatment of demon worship, prophecy, peril, and the villain Sardo Numspa.
Films like The Golden Child, and why
Big Trouble in Little China
shares an 1980s action-comedy blend, charismatic comic lead, supernatural peril, and irreverent fish-out-of-water energy
The Last Dragon
combines buddy-comedy humor, occult threats, martial-arts-inflected adventure, and a larger-than-life villain
The Mummy
features a skeptical protagonist pulled into a mythic supernatural quest with broad comedy and adventure spectacle
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Ritchie
- Release Date
- 1986-12-12
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1228)
Cast
- Eddie Murphy
- Charles Dance
- Charlotte Lewis
- J.L. Reate
- Victor Wong
- Randall 'Tex' Cobb
- James Hong
- Shakti Chen
- Tau Logo
- Masanori Toguchi
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Golden Child about?
- A skeptical lost-child detective is drawn into a dangerous mystical quest to rescue a kidnapped Buddhist prodigy from an evil sorcerer.
- What is The Golden Child like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Golden Child as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Golden Child violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Golden Child as mild.
- What did critics think of The Golden Child?
- Critics broadly found the film a commercially successful but tonally confused supernatural comedy with weak laughs, uneven performances, and an underdeveloped fantasy premise.
- Which films are like The Golden Child?
- Films with a similar feel include Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, and The Mummy.
- How long is The Golden Child?
- The Golden Child runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Golden Child?
- In United States, The Golden Child is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
