Monkey Shines (1988) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: George A. Romero
Starring: Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil
Rated: R/Region A/1:78/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Where to get it: Scream Factory
Allan Mann (Jason Beghe, Chicago Fire) is a bitter, angry and vengeful man ever since an accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. He’s fed up with himself and everyone around him. All that changes when he’s given Ella, a monkey trained to meet his every need. But when Ella begins anticipating Allan’s thoughts, strange and deadly things start happening. And as she stalks and wreaks havoc on Allan’s fair-weather girlfriend (Janine Turner, Northern Exposure), incompetent doctor and meddling mother, Allan realizes he must stop the cunning maniacal creature…before she fully takes over his mind! Kate McNeil (The House On Sorority Row), Joyce Van Patten (Grown Ups), Stephen Root (Office Space), John Pankow (To Live And Die In L.A.), and Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games) also star in this riveting thriller from George A. Romero (Night Of The Living Dead)!
Monkey Shines was the film that followed George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead. The film is an adaption of a book and to spite clocking in at nearly two hours long, the movie apparently was cut or at least was cut in script form thus proving that Romero loves a long and drawn out story. I think it also proves that a long zombie movie is much more fun to follow for nearly two hours than a movie about a monkey gone mad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it is a bad movie. The film kicks off very well. It even ends very well. It is just the middle where things sort of drag out a bit too much for my taste. The movie pulls you in, leaves you out a bit, and the pulls things together for a strong finish. While the movie has ups and downs, the monkey business is always entertaining and the monkey might end up being our most interesting character and serves as a nice backdrop to our moments of social commentary that Romero always sneaks into his character’s dialogue. Outside of the monkey stuff, it does get a bit interesting seeing a man try to cope with becoming paralyzed. One seen soon follows his original return home from the accident that is pretty darn dark.
The movie is a strange one. Science spills into a mixture of concept that transforms into a story about man and what separates it from beast. It isn’t always the most exciting Romero film I’ve seen, but you can tell the source has a lot of deep thought into it and Romero clearly was all about the material and really saw the deeper underlying tone to the whole thing. There is also some great work by Tom Savini here. I wish there was even more, but what we get it solid. And, we get an ending that is pretty funny, even if it didn’t intend to be as funny. Overall, I wouldn’t call it my favorite Romero film, but it isn’t the worst and perhaps his most bold adventure outside of Dawn of the Dead and Knightriders. The transfer is a solid affair that only seems a little soft and faded in spots. Still, it won’t turn away anyone looking for a good HD transfer.
- NEW Audio Commentary With Writer/Director George A. Romero
- NEW An Experiment In Fear – The Making Of “Monkey Shines” – An All-New Retrospective With George A. Romero, Stars Jason Beghe And Katie McNeil, Executive Producer Peter Grunwald, Special Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini And More!
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind-the-Scenes Footage
- Vintage “Making of MONKEY SHINES” plus additional interview clips
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
