TL;DR – While not all of this story works, it is like lighting striking when it does.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.

The Monkey King Review –

Of the great works of human canon, few contenders have had the impact of the Journey to the West. It has had adaptions across every form of media and multiple interpretations worldwide. My first experience with it was watching Monkey Magic on SBS in the afternoon as a kid, so I enjoy seeing when they can reinterpret the story in new ways.


So to set the scene, the world was in balance for generations under the watchful eye of Budda (BD Wong) and the immortals under the leadership of the Jade Emperor (Hoon Lee). That is, until one day, a monkey is born from a rock that can shine light from his eyes. This is a world full of rules and order, but The Monkey King (Jimmy O. Yang) does not follow the rules. He is an entity of chaos, of recklessness, such as stealing the Grand Column from the Dragon King (Bowen Yang) and ignoring the advice of the elder Monkey (James Sie). He wants to be an immortal, so how do you do that? Well, you defeat 100 demons. Cue the montage scene. But on demon 100, things don’t go to plan.

I did like the animation choices that they made in this film. Turning Monkey’s stick (Nan Li) into a fluorescent light tube that radiates across the screen was a fantastic idea realised perfectly. The design of The Monkey King was delightful because you can feel the chaotic energy and the dexterity you need to imbue the character. The other characters all fall into a stylistic range that feels Dreamworks-adjacent. I didn’t mind it, and it did feel familiar. It also worked for the choreography you need in the film’s many action scenes. Oh, and am I a sucker for different art-style montage? You bet ya.  

The narrative is not adapting the original story but takes the familiar elements and puts them in a new scenario based on the character of Lin (Jolie Haong-Rappaport). In many respects, this is more of a prequel to The Journey, but those familiar elements still ground the narrative in the world it explores. The vibe is a more modern interpretation with heavy American influences, bringing its benefits and negatives. So while I liked a slightly more sassy Monkey by way of an excellent vocal performance by Jimmy O. Yang. This all happens while the soundtrack flows from solemn orchestral work to heavy rock anthem and back again. Which is a delight. However, we also get a lot of influences like villain/two henchmen that I have seen repeatedly and better in films like Hercules. Also, some of the more modern elements already feel a bit dated.      

In the end, do we recommend The Monkey King? Yes, we would. Now it is not without its flaws. However, it is highly entertaining, full of exciting characters, with a fun story. If you liked The Monkey King, we would recommend to you Luca.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched The Monkey King?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Monkey King
Directed by – Anthony Stacchi
Screenplay by – Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman & Rita Hsiao
Based on – Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en
Music/Songs by – Toby Chu, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
Edited by – Pam Ziegenhagen
Production/Distribution Companies – Netflix Animation, Pearl Studio, Reel FX Animation, Star Overseas & Netflix
Starring – Jimmy O. Yang, Jolie Haong-Rappaport, Nan Li, Bowen Yang, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Stephanie Hsu, Andrew Pang, Sophie Wu, Hoon Lee, Andrew Kishino, Jodi Long & BD Wong with James Sie, Dee Bradley Baker, Robert Wu, David Jordan Chen, Andrew Kishino & Kuno Inghram    
Rating – Australia: PG;