Summary
A short, lively, and overall enjoyable watch, The Monkey King floods some new life into this old Chinese folktale.
Here is our review of the 2023 Netflix movie The Monkey King, which does not contain significant spoilers.
2023 has seen some amazing animated films. The Super Mario Bros. Movie delighted audiences with its classic take on the character, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse blew everyone away, and the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has earned praise for its visuals and take on the characters.
The Netflix film The Monkey King seeks to join these titans, and while it’s not as amazing as Across the Spider-Verse or funny as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it still is part of the conversation when talking about animated hits.
It takes a Chinese folktale and breathes chaotic new life into it.
The Monkey King (2023) Review and Plot Summary
Based on Wu Cheng’en’s 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, The Monkey King follows the titular primate, voiced by a lively Jimmy O. Yang, as he tries to find his place in a balanced world.
Born alone into a carefully ordered world where everything is in perfect balance, the Monkey King upsets the natural way of things crafted by the gods. But he wants to be loved, and after the tribe of monkeys rejects him, the Monkey King goes on a chaotic quest to join the Immortal Ones.
To join them, he must become immortal himself and defeat the Dragon King, voiced by Bowen Yang, an evil creature that wants to flood the world.
The Monkey King is joined by Lin, a small peasant girl and Monkey King fan-girl, voiced by Jolie Haong-Rappaport. She desperately wants to become the Monkey King’s assistant, but her intentions aren’t quite as noble as they first seem.
The pair race across the world to find the perfect way for the Monkey King to become immortal, crushing any resistance in their path.
But beneath all his bravado and feats of strength, the Monkey King wants to be loved and not end up alone. He puts on a brave and selfish face and has all of these massive goals, but it’s all just a show to cover up the quest he thinks is unconquerable.
He doesn’t go up against many external challenges but instead faces several internal ones and has to try and let go of his massive ego.
The animation is visually appealing to look at, with some locations in particular well-designed and brought to life. The ears get a similar appealing experience, with lively and energetic performances from the cast.
While the big third-act fight at the end is visually impressive, because there aren’t many stakes to it due to earlier events in the film, it loses some of its impact. What happens after the fight, however, is much more interesting, as the film surprises audiences by going in a different but still satisfying direction to what they might have expected.
The film doesn’t have too many huge laughs, but there are still some chuckle-worthy moments. At some points, adults may roll their eyes, but these aren’t often.
Overall, The Monkey King is a short and light watch, which makes it a nice counter to recent Hollywood films that insist on being overly long and drawn out.
Is the 2023 movie The Monkey King good or bad?
With lively voice-acting, unique visuals, and a surprising twist at the end, The Monkey King joins the boom of great animated films that have come out so far this year.
Is the 2023 movie The Monkey King worth watching?
Yes, The Monkey King is an entertaining and lively watch that brings a new take on an old and classic Chinese tale.
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