The Monkey King does feel a little too slow at times. Many of the action-packed sequences start to feel too repetitive after seeing the first couple, as they do little to move the plot forward, despite being very well-executed nonetheless.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 15, 2024

The Monkey King is entertaining enough to entertain younger viewers, but it’s far from Netflix’s best animations.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 28, 2023

It's an exhausting watch.

| Sep 7, 2023

It's not particularly well-designed or animated... There's nothing new here.

| Sep 7, 2023

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.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 30, 2023

To call The Monkey King frenetic is an understatement, but there is a level of control and visibility to its rapid-fire storytelling and fight scenes that is very welcome.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 30, 2023

... With a casual approach and good rhythm, the movie appeals to a young audience and makes its hour-and-a-half running time sufficiently enjoyable. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 28, 2023

Netflix’s 2023 version of The Monkey King takes the classic Chinese tale and turns it into an annoying and stale animated kids’ film.

| Original Score: 5/10 | Aug 25, 2023

From the first frame to the last, it's consistently enrapturing, a consequential visual achievement that seems to have arrived from a place that's somehow beyond space and time.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 25, 2023

Mostly, it's just a giddy good time, a silly twist on the usual expectations that doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is.

| Aug 24, 2023

The Monkey King challenges younger viewers in asking to sympathize with a protagonist who is completely unlikeable in every sense of the word.

| Original Score: C+ | Aug 23, 2023

If the Monkey King steals the show, the King Dragon earns our affection with the power of humor and a few musical numbers. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 23, 2023

The unifying factor is the titular character’s antagonistic arrogance. The film fails to provide a perspective that allows the viewer to empathize with him or any other character.

| Aug 23, 2023

It would take some serious meddling from Buddha himself to make this movie memorable, and more than just another single-use distraction.

| Aug 23, 2023

It’s a jungle out there for family-friendly animated titles, and The Monkey King isn’t distinct or well-written enough to stand out from the crowd, resulting in a largely forgettable and unremarkable time.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Aug 22, 2023

Netflix has given us such good animated films in the last few years that we all know they can do better than this.

| Original Score: C- | Aug 22, 2023

My 11-year-old consultant was a big fan, but, frankly, I’m beginning to question his discernment.

| Aug 19, 2023

Much of the Dragon King's charm comes from Yang's vocal performance, which shifts from aggravated ruler doling out orders to gleeful villain singing about world domination.

| Aug 18, 2023

Focusing on this prequel didn’t work well as an entire feature-length movie. While I found it pretty decently made on a craft level, the storytelling and construction were lacking.

| Original Score: C | Aug 18, 2023

Not one of Netflix’s best animated works of late (like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio or The Sea Beast), but completely watchable and occasionally inspired.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 18, 2023