Buckle your seatbelt and be prepared for nonstop action in this telling of the legendary tale, which looks spectacular but doesn't get to the fable's real messages until late in the game.
Without the Buddha's introductory revelations about The Monkey King, this film's titular character could seem unredeemable (besides his self-aggrandizing humor) for a chunk of the action. Sure, he was ostracized as a child and never learned to love or be loved. We get it. But it takes an hour-plus of fast-paced, far-fetched brawls before his young, female sidekick Lin shows him what he's been missing -- and sees the lonely creature inside him as well.
In that sense, the film aims squarely at a very young audience, for whom the action will be entertaining enough. Older viewers can appreciate the film's textured look, which was meant to mimic Chinese brush painting.
Read the full review at Common Sense Media.
Images courtesy of Netflix.
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