Monkey Man (2024)

Featurette of Dev Patel on Indian culture.

Bumping. Seeing it tonight. Had a stressful few days and I need to unwind.

If anyone knows if there’s a post credits scene, warn me now.

I’m out of the movie. WOW that was good. Very tense, angry movie. Good reccomendation.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Apr 4th 2024 at 7:26:12 AM

Just saw it, really really solid action movie. Slick but not too slick, and very brutal in the best way.

Was not expecting the trans representation, but it was handled so well.

I’ll be honest. The trans rep went over my head the first time I saw this. I’ll have to pay closer attention next time.

So as someone who likes John Wick and The Raid, worth seeing?

Yep.

Any mid or post credit scenes?

Nope.

This isn't a John Wick style film. Like, the comparisons are shallow, in that it's revenge and some martial arts.

I thought the biggest similarity was the dog.

But yeah, most first blush comparisons like that are very shallow. Its like how any fantasy show aimed at adults gets compared to Game of Thrones.

The movie did seem aware that such comparisons would be made, as they mention the film by name.

Edited by ArthurEld on Apr 6th 2024 at 4:08:02 AM

My big question is, does he fight anyone who can actually challenge him in the movie?

Oh yeah, it features a dog for a short time. I think saying, "It's a revenge movie that has a dog appear in the movie," summarizes how absolutely shallow the comparison is. The Game of Thrones example is a perfect example of something new latching onto the brand of something else instead of just going, "it's a dark fantasy." I understand why, but I also think it's risky when something turns out not to be that.

There's not all that many fight scenes in the film anyway. But yes, he faces challenges. He isn't an ultra-talented badass. Far from it. The marketing for this movie is a lie.

Also, I swear I hate shaky cam. I hate shaky cam so goddamn much.

I thought the film was alright, when giving a review. It was far more artsy than I expected, and it could've been much better structured with how it portrayed events, introduced ideas, etc. (I started thinking this around the midpoint, though the structural issues ate at me throughout). Still, I'm glad to see something like this get a chance in theatres.

Edited by Prime_of_Perfection on Apr 6th 2024 at 9:58:35 AM

yeah he gets the shit kicked out of him a lot. Even when he does win his fights its more due to ferocity than skill (this film includes a few pretty gnarly kills even by modern standards).

Its also a movie where guns are treated as very serious and dangerous weapons, and they dont have to be in the hands of some improbable marksman to be so.

I wanted to go and see this, but I've heard that there's a lot of shaky-cam, which I'm not particularly good with. Is it an amount that if I sit near the back of the theatre that I would still enjoy myself, or is it to the extent that I should just pass and wait for it to be streaming to watch it on a smaller screen?

...I guess it just comes down to how important following the "flow" of the action is for you.

The shakey-cam is mostly for the middle of fight/action scenes, and the important bits, at the beginning and the end, are mostly steady (if not Steadicam).

I enjoyed it.

One of my new favorite movies.

I can honestly say it's the first time in a while that I felt shaky cam was done right—that is, to give a certain of "energy" to a scene, and deliberately forgoing the comprehension of a shot's composition.

It's one of those stylistic tools that was super cool and interesting when people started using it, then got way over used but now, seeing it done right is almost novel again.

I appreciated that certain scenes had subtitles just for heavily accented English, too, though I'm the kind of person who would prefer it if all movies just had subtitles to begin with.

Edited by ArthurEld on Apr 28th 2024 at 8:08:19 AM

I watched this movie today and I really enjoyed it. The action was really good and visceral, and I appreciated the themes. Also loved the trans representation, that was very cool.

Picked Abigail and forgot this was out. Guess I'll see it tomorrow.

Saw it. Thought it was fine. I like that the message was "If you hang out with enough trans women, you too can become John Wick".

The action made me dizzy but I'm not much of an action movie person anyway (I'm here to support my man Dev). I thought he bit off more than he could chew structurally and thematically (not in the "no wokie social commentary in MY action movie" way, moreso I didn't think it all came together properly), but it's overall a valiant first directorial effort.

I am curious about the choice to not have a "Rama" analog in the Ramayana theming, which I didn't notice until the credits named the High-Class Call Girl Sita.

So there are trans themes in this movie or is there just a trans actor/character?

Both.

agreeing w/r/t Shaky Cam: it actually added to the frenetic pace, violence, and how much of it is Kid improvising a way out of an explosive situation, plus grappling with his trauma. i dont know if it was because i watched it in dolby cinema but the way the Shaky Cam was used still kept the action clear and understandable imo

also love that hijra get to kick ass in this

If you had me told one of the guys who co-wrote Happy Feet would co-write one of the best original action movies in a decade, I wouldn't have believed it.

It's also proof that good, small budget movies are still being made that aren't necessarily "arthouse" (though this is mildly arthouse by typical action movie standards) and can still do well in the current market.