Pop Commentary

The new movie, “The Monkey,” is one of the best Stephen King adaptations I’ve seen in a while, but it’s not without its flaws.

The film is based on one of King’s short stories, in which twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey that causes a series of outrageous deaths. They dispose of the toy, hoping it will remain hidden, but 25 years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree, which forces the estranged brothers to confront the cursed object.

The movie is kind of giving “MEGAN,” in that a toy is going around killing people. The films are also both horror comedies that blend laughs with crazy killings. “The Monkey” isn’t quite as campy though.

My favorite parts of “The Monkey” were the comedic scenes. I went into the movie without knowing much about it and I was pleasantly surprised with how dark and funny it was.

The killings were all pretty outrageous, which kept the movie interesting. The audience expected people to continue dying, but they were kept on their toes with how.

I also liked the cast. Theo James did a great job playing two different characters. However, I think it took a little too long to introduce the adult versions of the brothers.

For me, the weakest part of the film was the final act. The first and middle parts of the movie were good, but it seemed like they didn’t know how to land the plane. Eventually, people are dying even without the monkey playing its drum, which didn’t make sense. I just would have liked a better ending that didn’t seem so convenient.

Overall, I did enjoy “The Monkey.” It was certainly better than the last Stephen King movie, “Salem’s Lot.” So, I would suggest the film to others, especially horror fans, but I think you can wait for it to be placed on streaming.