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The Monkey King

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for The Monkey King PG Released Aug 11, 2023 1h 32m Kids & Family Action Adventure Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey's greatest foe of all--his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.
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The Monkey King

The Monkey King

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Critics Consensus

Often rousing, The Monkey King is an animated blur of tried-and-true -- but still appealing -- archetypes.

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Critics Reviews

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Robert Levin Newsday From the first frame to the last, it's consistently enrapturing, a consequential visual achievement that seems to have arrived from a place that's somehow beyond space and time. Rated: 3/4 Aug 25, 2023 Full Review John Anderson Wall Street Journal My 11-year-old consultant was a big fan, but, frankly, I’m beginning to question his discernment. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com Aggressively mediocre, Netflix’s “The Monkey King” takes no risks and offers too little humor, heart, or action to entertain all but the youngest in the family. Rated: 2/4 Aug 18, 2023 Full Review Clotilde Chinnici Loud and Clear Reviews The Monkey King does feel a little too slow at times. Many of the action-packed sequences start to feel too repetitive after seeing the first couple, as they do little to move the plot forward, despite being very well-executed nonetheless. Rated: 3/5 Sep 15, 2024 Full Review Maria Lattila WhyNow (UK) The Monkey King is entertaining enough to entertain younger viewers, but it’s far from Netflix’s best animations. Rated: 3/5 Sep 28, 2023 Full Review Manuel Betancourt FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) It's an exhausting watch. Sep 7, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (117) audience reviews
TROY S This is an awful adaptation of those folk tales. A raucous soundtrack, weirdly distorted, overly intense graphics, and a somewhat cruelly distorted story lens takes away from that heroic tale. To my viewpoint there is little to empathize with in this story. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/24 Full Review Audience Member The animation style isn't the worst yet isn't the best. It's very fast paced, sometimes it's funny, but it's mostly just childish. They used metal music which is.... Well... Somewhat okay? There isn't almost a single minute where he isn't fighting. It's full of cliches. It's very colorful. It's silly and goofy. It was actually a somewhat good movie until it reached the climax. Overall. I liked it. I'll watch it again someday. And I'm looking forward to giving the next movie a try. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/20/24 Full Review Audience Member It was goofy I like that a lot. Was it perfect? No, absolutely not. But was silly goofy and I will defenitely watch it again sometime. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/13/24 Full Review Noah D The plot was way to quick Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/09/24 Full Review Sam W Colorful and imaginative with an abundance of energy, but with no moral message and an annoying lead character, it comes across as silly and childish. The good mix of animation styles and quick pacing can't hide the shallow, nonsensical plot and inconsistent ideas. The musical number towards the end was good, but the choice to use ‘metal' music was bizarre and overall, I found it tiring rather than enjoyable. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/17/24 Full Review Euan P It was actually okay until the climax Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey's greatest foe of all--his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.
Director
Anthony Stacchi
Producer
Peilin Chou
Screenwriter
Ron J. Friedman, Steve Bencich, Rita Hsiao
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Netflix Animation
Rating
PG (Action/Violence|Brief Thematic Material)
Genre
Kids & Family, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 11, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 18, 2023
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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