The Monkey King – Movie Review
Director: Anthony Stacchi
Writer: Steve Bencich, Ron J Friedman, Rita Hsiao (Screenplay)
Cast
- Jimmy O Yang (Crazy Rich Asians)
- Bowen Yang (Isn’t It Romantic)
- Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (Watchman)
- Jo Koy (Easter Sunday)
- Ron Yuan (Mulan)
Plot: Inspired by an epic Chinese tale, translated into an action-packed comedy, a Monkey and his magical fighting Stick battle demons, dragons, gods and the greatest adversary of all – Monkey’s ego.
Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Monkey King starts when a lone Monkey King hatches from a rock, he hopes to join the immortals. However, nobody will accept him, so he decides to go on a quest to defeat 100 demons. When he comes up against his 100th demon Lin arrives to offer to be his assistant.
However, in the aftermath of defeating his 100th demon, he learns of the next challenge to become immortal. This sends him on a journey where he must learn the meaning of being an immortal, instead of the selfish figure he has become.
Verdict on The Monkey King
The Monkey King is an animated action comedy following a monkey that believes he should be immortal. However, after he has been pushed away by the world, he looks to go on a quest to become immortal. Although, he doesn’t understand what this means to what he needs to achieve and his human friend is the only one that can guide him.
This does have a big message about people’s position in the world. While the Monkey King is driven to prove himself to the world, Lin looks to find her own place in the world. This has a strong message about understanding your own place in the world. There is a lot of fun to be had through the film making it an enjoyable journey. This is a lot of fun, big, animated action and a heart that sends a big message.
Where to Watch: The movie is available on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts –The Monkey King is an enjoyable action-packed animation.
