Page

The Monkey King

Watch trailer

02:19

The Monkey King

Save

Summary

A majestic simian with an oversized ego is his own worst enemy in a fantastical computer-animated adventure directed by Anthony Stacchi. Based on the 16th-century novel Journey to the West attributed to Wu Cheng'en, The Monkey King focuses on the eponymous hero (voiced by Jimmy O Yang), who is overly confident in the face of danger. Ostracised by peers and elders, Monkey pursues a solitary path to becoming an immortal king, which can achieved if he defeats over 100 demons and steals a fabled weapon from the clutches of the Dragon King (Bowen Yang). Along the way, Money encounters a kind village girl named Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), who challenges his self-centred view of the world. She teaches Monkey to consider his actions as ripples in a big pond and to learn from his mistakes to become a valiant warrior

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Dave Golder

There's plenty of magic and mayhem in this colourful and action-packed animated children's film based on the same Chinese folklore that inspired the cult 1970s TV series Monkey. It's the frenetic tale of a cocky monkey whose ambition is to become an immortal god. The demon-battling quest takes him to Heaven and Hell, and from the depths of the ocean to far reaches of the universe, where he aggravates pretty much every deity he meets along the way. Directed by Anthony Stacchi (The Boxtrolls) and featuring Jimmy O Yang, Bowen Yang and Jo Koy among the voice cast, the film owes more to Kung Fu Panda than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There's a lot to enjoy, especially the film's wonderfully amoral protagonist, breathless action sequences, plentiful gags and eye-popping visuals. But the relentless pace, shouty dialogue and lack of subtlety may make The Monkey King slightly more of an endurance test for parents having to sit through it with their kids.

imdb-square

5.8/10

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Crew

rolenameDirectorAnthony Stacchi

Details

Theatrical distributor

Netflix

Released on

2023-08-18

Languages

English | Chinese

Formats

Colour

News & features about The Monkey King

Ad

Ad

Ad