"The Monkey," directed by Oz Perkins, is based on a short story by Stephen King. This film was recently released in theaters, featuring Theo James as Hal and Bill and Oz Perkins as Chip Zimmer.
This film is about a cursed, wind-up toy monkey that is dangerous. This monkey brings terrible luck to innocent people who turn the key. The main characters involved are these twin boys named Hal and Bill. The toy monkey was their fathers; these boys started turning the key. This key caused the deaths of people connected to their lives. The deaths were caused by freak accidents that were horrific and inhumane.
Highs
There were minimal highs of this film. The primary high point of this film is the acting of Theo James, who plays both characters Bill and Hal. Hal is more composed and quiet, whereas Bill is dramatic and foolish. His performance portrayed compelling emotions such as the trauma and guilt that he experienced as a child. The struggles he faces are shown perfectly. As Bill, he possessed the perfect level of dark comedy, which kept the audience full of laughter. James made this film better with his acting skills.
The dark humor kept the audience intrigued, which was a high point. It was hilarious, more than a typical horror film. The dark humor was captured interestingly and portrayed well, considering it can be challenging to perfect.
The film's scenery was as expected for a horror film, as it took place in a creepy town.
Lows
The tone was inconsistent throughout the film due to the mixture of horror and comedy. It was missing more aspects of horror; it was more gory than scary. The gore was too intense and hard to watch. Having guts flying and deaths portrayed in the most horrific ways could make the audience uninterested.
The dialogue was poorly written, making it difficult to understand the plot through the conversation. It was not unique and did not add anything special to the film. Good writing is essential in horror films. The dialogue keeps the audience interested, but there are also few jumpscares. The film would have been better with better writing and jumpscares.
The lack of character depth is low; Hal’s twin brother Bill is not described well. It was hard to understand his motive and why he was determined to murder his brother, Hal. The lack of emotional depth was lacking; their family did not care for the boys after their mother passed away.
Their mother Lois, played by Tatiana Maslany, was also a low because she had a sense of responsibility. She was too blunt and not a motherly figure. She was an unlikable character who was more morbid with her sons. She would tell her son unnecessary things and speak too much about death, which specifically scared Hal.
Verdict
"The Monkey" is not worth the watch, considering how terrible the dialogue is. Theo James was the only highlight in this film; his acting never fails, but the plot was not captured well.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
