Audiences may be surprised to learn just how many times The Monkey King has been adapted to film and television. But when his history’s taken into account, it shouldn’t be all that surprising. He comes from one of China’s oldest epics and has a long list of adventures for storytellers to choose from. Netflix’s latest attempt focuses on the early part of the Monkey King story and takes several liberties, as most adaptations do. But the film’s wild style, crazy fights, and respect for the source material has enough fun for younger and older generations alike.
After hatching from a stone on top of a mountain, Monkey (Jimmy O. Yang) grew up into an incredibly powerful being. Never one to accept his place as a lowly animal, Monkey went to the Dragon King (Bowen Yang) under the sea in order to get a weapon and defeat a demon who threatens the other monkeys. After he accomplished this, he was crowned Monkey King. But he didn’t stop there. His journey to join the immortals took him to see ancient beings, and he succeeded. But his arrogance grew in the process. In order to teach him humility, Buddha (BD Wong) and Monkey’s assistant, Lin (Jolie Haong-Rappaport), send Monkey to spend 500 years under a mountain, after which he was released to help stop the demons that had taken over the Earth.
Jimmy O. Yang is surprisingly charming as Monkey. It’s almost close to perfect casting. Also, the story does a great job balancing Monkey’s arrogance with his underlying desire to do good. This is just the beginning of Monkey’s tale. His journey West was hinted at in the film’s closing moments. There were a couple of questionable decisions that made the film goofier than it should have been, such as the Dragon King traveling around the surface world in a bathtub. Still, it’s different enough from other adaptations while also respecting its source material to stand up as a worthy version of the fabled Monkey King.
The Monkey King is now streaming on Netflix.
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