CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Film Review: ‘Monkey Kingdom’ is a Disappointing Destination
CHICAGO – Disney has always imported a bit of its cutesy narratives into its nature films. The best ones seem to spring organically from the images on screen and it becomes easy to forget the contrivances and get swept up in the story. n the lesser entries, these attempts to impose a Hollywood story structure on the lives of wild animals only highlight how artificial they all are.
Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
Disney’s latest entry “Monkey Kingdom” tries desperately to impose not just one story arc, but multiple story arcs onto the lives of a troupe of monkeys living in the ruin of an indonesian temple. The film focuses on Maya, a young female monkey at the bottom of the pecking order. She’s a plucky young heroine risking everything for her young child. And then it follows her as she tries to survive in the jungle and try to climb the social ladder of their particular monkey tribe.
The usually-reliable Tina Fey carries the weight of the narrative load and struggles a bit here with her duties. There’s a disconnect between the yarn she’s spinning and the meandering footage on screen. Her off-hand asides fall flat, and the attempts at humor smack a little of flop sweat.
Maya and Child in ‘Monkey Kingdom’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios