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The Golden Child

Play trailer Poster for The Golden Child PG-13 1986 1h 31m Comedy Adventure Fantasy Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
21% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child (J.L. Reate), is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance), humankind's fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy) on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being "chosen."

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The Golden Child

Critics Reviews

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Michael Healy Denver Post May 11
Eddie Murphy upstaged by a soft-shoeing soft drink. There is something desperately wrong here. Go to Full Review
David Stratton Sydney Morning Herald 05/27/2021
A generally over-produced, over-cooked movie. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3/4
This film -- insignificant and lightweight and monumentally silly -- is entertaining from beginning to end. Go to Full Review
Justin Brown Medium Popcorn 02/12/2025
3/5
This movie is absolutely madness and the CGI doesn't hold up, but I still find this enjoyable. The 80's were a wild time. Go to Full Review
Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn 02/12/2025
2/5
There some very intense, oddly gothic moments in this movie that don't match the comedic tone that Eddie Murphy was going for. Lots of things were apparently changed from the initial idea and this is evident in the final product. Go to Full Review
Casey Chong Casey's Movie Mania 07/04/2024
2.5/5
[Eddie] Murphy’s role as a wisecracking detective specialising in finding missing children may have been right up his alley. But his usual charismatic turn isn’t enough to offset the slapdash and clunky plot. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Melissa M @Lisey May 13 Chandler is the finder of Lost children. Kee at first has the hardest time convincing Chandler to help. But after he has experiences that are beyond explanation. He decides to help find The Golden child. Chandler is Tested in ways he never imagined. Kee had some mad fighting skills. She looks fragile. But she is tougher than nails. Sardo is a wickedly supernatural demon. A real rat bastard that could actually turn himself into a rabbid rat. Don't want to give away too much of the movie no spoiler alerts here. After making the Beverly hills cop movies, the 48-hour films - The Golden child Eddie Murphy has definitely earned the right to be called an action star. This movie is a supernatural, Syfy, action , comedy. if you give this movie a chance you definitely won't be disappointed. However some of the special effects are a little cheesy & campy. But the movie is highly imaginative. And worth watching See more Mike L. @ArbiterXII Feb 20 Not quite a review I cannot think of details Only a haiku See more Yuri B. @RyuBlack Jan 4 Literally one of the funniest films that I have ever seen. And definitely my favorite Eddie Murphy flick of all-time... 💯❤👍🏾 See more Nick B @Yoshmin64 Dec 1 The Golden Child is an underrated comedy classic that gets better every time I see it. This is peak Eddie Murphy—electric, hilarious, and completely in command. The story is genuinely unique, kind of in the Big Trouble in Little China lane but with its own flavor, blending supernatural adventure with Murphy’s signature comedic style. The tone pushes PG-13 to its absolute limit, and the action scenes are surprisingly solid. The supporting cast is excellent—Charles Dance chewing up the screen as the villain, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong, and J.L. Reate all delivering memorable performances. Add in Ken Ralston and ILM’s fantastic visual effects and Michael Colombier’s unforgettable score, and you’ve got a movie that truly stands out. I honestly don’t know why this wasn’t a massive hit when it came out, or why it took so long to get a proper Blu-ray release. It’s fast, fun, and laugh-out-loud hilarious from start to finish. The haters can kiss my ass. And Teddy too. See more F J @RT33958296 Nov 22 Great old movie. Enjoyed it when I was a kid, and now that I'm 43. People who dog this movie are trying to compare it to a modern film. See more Erin M @Mightymotes Nov 12 Awesome movie!!! Eddie Murphy was great in this one and a very interesting and action packed movie with a great soundtrack! Classic 80’s goodness! See more Read all reviews
The Golden Child

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The Golden Child

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a Tibetan boy, the mystical Golden Child (J.L. Reate), is kidnapped by the evil Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance), humankind's fate hangs in the balance. On the other side of the world in Los Angeles, the priestess Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis) seeks the Chosen One, who will save the boy from death. When Nang sees social worker Chandler Jarrell (Eddie Murphy) on television discussing his ability to find missing children, she solicits his expertise, despite his skepticism over being "chosen."
Director
Michael Ritchie
Producer
Dennis Feldman, Edward S. Feldman, Robert D. Wachs
Screenwriter
Dennis Feldman
Production Co
Paramount, Eddie Murphy Productions, Industrial Light & Magic
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 6, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$78.1M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Surround