For us Asians, the legendary Monkey King character which dates back to 16th century Chinese mythology is nothing new. Based on one of the great classic Chinese novels Journey To The West from the Ming dynasty, the plot revolves around Sun Wukong aka the Monkey King, one of three disciples that follow Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang west to India in search of holy scriptures.
These famous stories and characters were widely used and have been adapted countless times for modern Chinese film, animation and stage, and other media all around Asia. The renowned Japanese manga Dragon Ball was initially inspired by Journey To The West, and we even recently saw a live-action rendition of Monkey King by Daniel Wu in American Born Chinese.
So think of this latest Netflix animated movie The Monkey King as a reintroduction to Western audiences. This American adaptation feels somewhat like watching Kung Fu Panda where the visuals, characters, actions and humour make it easy for kids to digest. Despite the movie having its shortcomings and being a bit boring with basic animation, the themes seem to be ambitious enough for a potential franchise.
The premise of The Monkey King has no protagonist like Tang Sanzang, the half-pig and half-monk Zhu Bajie, or the water monster Sha Wujing, but rather it tells the origin story of the Monkey King (Jimmy O. Yang) himself. It shows how he grew up and discovered a magical fighting stick that leads him into an epic quest as he seeks to become a god by victory over 100 demons so that the immortal ones will aid his ascension.
Along the way, he meets young village girl Lin (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), who challenges his self-centred attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.
I've been a fan of comedian Jimmy O. Yang for quite some time and the way he voices the Monkey King in this film is fun and expected for a character like him.
He's a cocky rebel who doesn't like playing by the rules and his unruly nature and mannerisms make him appealing in his adventure, especially with how well-timed his jokes are. So I actually found him becoming more sympathetic over time, even though he acts like a complete jerk throughout the movie.
The Monkey King.
This version of The Monkey King brings up the question of how do you idolise a hero who doesn't have idealistic heroic qualities? And that's where the comedy also lies because just when you thought his ego couldn't get any bigger, it does.
Surprisingly, it's the assistant Lin who helps move the story along. If Lin's arc was not part of the equation, the story probably would be thinner and shorter because it is fairly predictable in the sense that it follows a pair of characters who go on a big adventure and end up saving the world in the process.
The movie is clearly targeted at a younger demographic and prioritises entertainment above all else, with lots of goofy jokes one after another, especially the banter between the Monkey King and Lin, or the Dragon King (Bowen Yang), which sets a different mood and tone from the original Chinese animated versions.
The turn of events also feels a bit too convenient, and sometimes the action feels repetitive. Also, the whole magical stick as the main weapon that's being fought over just doesn't seem all that significant after a while. So it's these little things in the plot that may make us feel it could have been a bit better.
However, while this film is flawed and falls short in some ways, it's still a nice little animated movie with dynamics between the characters that are enjoyable and entertaining enough the whole family can watch together.
- The Monkey King
- Starring Jimmy O. Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Bowen Yang
- Directed by Anthony Stacchi
- Now streaming on Netflix
