The Monkey

Perkins consciously assumes the sense of chaos to shape a story that, by unexpectedly combining the 'indie' sensibility with that of the bloodiest 'blockbuster', offers results as uneven as they are striking. [Full review in Spanish]

If you’re willing to dig past The Monkey’s blood and guts, you’ll find a thoughtful inquiry into the very different lives of people depending on their response and disposition toward the random, inordinate, and callous suffering around us.

The film, shot in oily gloom by Nico Aguilar, sets out to dispatch every passerby in fashions that would appal Caligula. Good old-fashioned disgusting fun. I had a blast.

This is a riot of a film and I pretty much enjoyed every moment of it.

Perkins’s film never explains how the monkey migrates so much, but follows it from pillar to post on an equal-opportunity killing spree. As spectacle, it’s garish.

A horror film can’t survive on kills alone, and the narrative of The Monkey — for all the movie’s craft and pedigree — is the worst thing a horror saga can be: boring.

Perkins doesn’t maintain a consistent tone between the blood-splattered hilarity and the more complicated handling of Hal’s emotional state, and the movie suffers for it.

It's a rollicking good time. Theo James, as these two twins, is kind of fantastic.

We were a little split on this. Yes, it's entertaining but the excess and overly-comedic tone may prove too much for some. Still, Perkins signature techniques shine through enough for this to be a winner.

While The Monkey may not soar to the heights of Longlongs, it still cements Perkins as a major player in the genre, showcases the range of its main cast, and delivers another stellar Stephen King adaptation.