The Monkey First Reactions Are Near Unanimous About The Stephen King Horror Adaptation

The first reactions to The Monkeyare finally here, and the response has been almost universal. Based on Stephen King's short story, the movie revolves around a toy monkey with a thirst for blood. Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), Theo James (Divergent), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), and more serve as The Monkey's cast. Directed by Osgood Perkins, it is currently preparing for its upcoming February 21 release.

Though the premise is somewhat absurd, The Monkey's early reviews are near-unanimously glowing. Critics adore the movie's sense of humor, shocking brutality, and performances. James (Hal) earned praise, but the majority of the acclaim is directed at Perkins, who appears to have developed a laugh-out-loud critical darling. Many reviewers compared the movie to Final Destination, though it features a far more humorous look at those deaths. Check out some of the reactions below:

Screen Rant's Tessa Smith praised the movie's unique deaths while reflecting that it is "one of the best horror comedies" that she has seen in ages.

The Direct's Russ Milheim believes that this movie will ensure that audiences are "glued to their seats" while chaos ensues on-screen.

TheWrap's Drew Taylor adored the release, calling it "funny, scary, poignant" while comparing it to Gremlins (1984).

Joey Magidson believed that the movie balanced humor and gore perfectly, easily managing to bridge its fun premise with promises of horror.

Mark Pacis loved the "wicked" humor in The Monkey and believes that it is an absolute "must-watch".

Courtney Howard adored The Monkey's "bananas" story, but she has special praise for James' performance.

Reyna Cervantes adored the movie and had nothing but praise for James' portrayal as well. They believe that this movie is just Final Destination with a fully comedic edge.

What The Early Reactions Mean For The Monkey

This Movie Should Have Legs

The early response has been incredible so far, which only means that word of mouth will add more interest in the movie for moviegoers. Even if audiences were not interested after seeing The Monkey's trailer, the critical response could ensure a strong opening weekend. This has previously worked out for a Perkins movie in the past, where strong reviews for Longlegs led to box office success. It seems the trajectory would be no different for The Monkey, especially considering that it is an adaptation of a King short story, adding more weight to the interest.

If this had been portrayed with a straight face, it likely would have flopped quickly.

The Monkey reportedly has a $10 million budget, so it would likely need $25 million to achieve a profit after the marketing budget is accounted for and after theaters take their cut of the ticket sales. That doesn't seem like a difficult feat, but it will be facing competition against other news releases like The Unbreakable Boy, Old Guy, and Cleaner. In addition, it will also face off with Captain America: Brave New World, which will be in its second week when The Monkey releases in theaters. Nevertheless, if the interest stands in the next month, the upcoming horror movie should see a strong box office performance.

Our Take On The Monkey's Early Reactions

Stephen King's Next Hit Is Here

Tatiana Maslany screaming with blood running down her face in The Monkey.

King has several upcoming adaptations, but The Monkey appears to be the most interesting. The premise is bizarre, but Perkins is leaning into the comedic aspect, which should serve the movie well. It honestly doesn't come as a surprise that the first reactions are very positive, as Perkins has quickly become one of the rising directors in recent years. Now, the final verdict rests on audiences and King himself when the film comes in February.

Source: Various (see above)