The Monkey King the latest, original animated film from Netflix is impressive and eye-catching in its animation and action, but falls short in its writing and world-building.
The film follows an ambitious and determined monkey (voiced by Jimmy O. Yang) who struggles to be accepted and loved by those around him despite being born amongst the immortal gods above. However, after the monkey takes a powerful staff from a narcissistic Dragon King (Bowen Yang), he starts to defeat the demons hurting different villages and dubs himself The Monkey King. He continues his demon-defeating efforts to hopefully be recognized by the gods above and become immortal. That is, until he runs into a young girl named Lin (Jolie Haong-Rappaport) who wishes to be his assistant on his journey but harbors her own motives. So, the Monkey King and Lin embark on an adventure that sees them battle the forces that wish to stop the Monkey King from becoming a powerful immortal as well as the Monkey King’s growing ego.
The Monkey King is at its best when it cranks up the action, as it features some great animation and a stunning color palette. The swift movement and flashing colors that illuminate the ends of the Monkey King’s staff elevate the action sequences immensely. The action is where the film totally lets loose and has a ball displaying some fun energy and combat that matches the eccentric personality of its titular protagonist. The 3D animation also gives the environments some depth in action sequences and the character designs flow just as nicely. Not to mention, there’s an incredible montage of the Monkey King defeating demons that utilizes a different animation style from the rest of the film that’s just immaculate. It’s bursting with color, action-packed and stylistically unique compared to other animated films we see nowadays. Frankly, it makes you wish the rest of the film varied in animation at times just to give interactions their own visual identity and constantly inject new energy into the film.
The only technical aspect that’s flawed in The Monkey King is its music. Frankly, this film could’ve been completely fine without original songs and the ones that are here are obnoxious. They vary too much in tone and add to the annoying aspects of the characters. They’re not memorable in the slightest and feel totally forced into the film.
Unfortunately, the film’s story and characters are also flawed and ultimately create a lackluster watch. The writing never really finds its footing and is often marred by the rushed nature of the storytelling. Both the beginning and ending sprint through important character-building that make the morals and themes the film is trying to establish through the Monkey King’s arc come off weak. Even the world-building of the film doesn’t feel as strong and compelling as it should. There is some interesting Chinese and Buddhist mythos established that has a lot of potential to immerse viewers into some deep cultural lore. There are even some cool moments in the film’s finale that emphasize the morals of the cultures and beliefs seen in the film. Sadly, though, the film never explores its world enough to take advantage of its rich potential.
The film is mostly thwarted by its lack of tolerable personalities, as the Monkey King’s ego of its main character is too far too great to overcome. Although his ego is meant to be an intentional part of his arc, there aren’t enough sympathetic qualities built around him. The whole idea of his need for acceptance and love because he was mocked by others makes sense, but it isn’t strong enough to balance out his persistently annoying personality. He’s just a jerk to everyone and is as narcissistic as the film’s villain and really, every other character. The film’s comedic elements also tend to swing and miss and the lack of good lesson-learning or a meaningful arc for the Monkey King mean that neither he nor his story leave an impression that makes you care about him.
The Monkey King might have some awesome visuals and action that might entice subscribers to check it out, but its lack of engaging characters and misguided story approach will likely struggle to keep them around.
