The Monkey Review

Image credits: Neon/The Associated Press

The Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins, is a film that promises a lot but ultimately falls short of expectations. Based on a short story by Stephen King, the movie follows the story of twin brothers Hal and Bill, who encounter a demonic toy monkey as children. The film's plot is simple: the monkey's existence is cursed, and whenever it is wound up, someone dies. However, the execution of this concept is where the film falters.

Perkins' film is overly reliant on gore and shock value, with scene after scene of gruesome death and destruction. While some of these moments are original and even chuckle-worthy, they quickly become tiresome and feel like a desperate attempt to satisfy the film's target audience. The film's tone is also inconsistent, veering wildly from comedy to horror to drama without ever finding a consistent balance. The cast, which includes Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood, is talented, but they are given little to work with in terms of character development or depth.

One of the main problems with The Monkey is its lack of depth and meaning. While King's original story touched on themes of mortality and the inevitability of death, Perkins' film barely scratches the surface of these ideas. Instead, it focuses on delivering increasingly elaborate and gruesome death sequences, which quickly become boring and unimpactful. The film's use of CGI to create these sequences also detracts from their effectiveness, making them feel fake and unconvincing.

Despite its flaws, The Monkey is not a complete failure. Perkins shows flashes of his talent as a director, and some of the film's original moments are genuinely funny and entertaining. However, these moments are not enough to save the film from its overall lack of depth and coherence. The Monkey feels like a missed opportunity to explore some truly interesting and thought-provoking themes, and instead settles for a shallow and unsatisfying experience.

In terms of the film's production, Perkins has stated that he aimed to create a film that was both a tribute to King's work and a unique interpretation of the original story. However, it's clear that the film's budget and resources were limited, and this shows in the final product. The film's special effects are often cheesy and unconvincing, and the script feels like it was written with a focus on delivering gore and shock value rather than telling a compelling story.