Flying Monkeys

Flying Monkeys (2013)

** (out of 4)

The latest from SyFy centers on a father (Vincent Ventresca) who is late to his daughter's (Maika Monroe) graduation so as a make- up gift he buys her a monkey. What he doesn't know is that this monkey is actually a shape shifter that can grow wings as well as grow in size and likes to eat humans. FLYING MONKEYS is pretty much what you'd expect from a movie that shows up on SyFy but I think for the most part it's slightly entertaining and ranks as one of the better things to turn up on the channel at nine o'clock. I know that's not saying too much since there's a lot of bad movies on there but this one here actually works on a few levels. For starters, I thought both Ventresca and Monroe were good in their parts and they certainly helped keep the film interesting and moving along. I thought both of them fit their roles just fine and their performances were certainly better than you normally see in a film like this. The supporting players, while not perfect, were also entertaining in their roles. I can't say the father-daughter subplot was all that great but it's certainly better than what most "B" movies offer up. Another thing that actually works are the CGI monkeys. Yes, the thought of a flying monkey is rather silly but I still thought the special effects were better than most. For starters, unlike so many movies, this one here didn't try to make the monsters bigger than Godzilla (remember the channel's BIGFOOT?) and instead of making them look fake, they actually went the extra mile to make them look realistic or at least as realistic as a flying monkey can be. The CGI wasn't over-the-top nor was it so bad that you couldn't believe what you were watching. First-time director Robert Grasmere has worked on several big films so he's obviously been around talent. I think he actually did a good job considering what the material was. Of course, this is still a SyFy "B" movie so I'd be interesting in seeing what he does from here as well as the cast members.

After failing to get to his daughter Joan's high school graduation on time her father decides to make amends by buying her a pet. Unfortunately the monkey he gets is not what it seems; as soon as it gets dark the monkey transforms into a demon-flying monkey which flies off to hunt live prey; largely the unsuspecting inhabitants of Joan's home town of Gale, Kansas. If that wasn't enough if it is shot and wounded it quickly recovers and becomes two creatures! The monkey was smuggled into America on a flight from China where a pair of locals are hunting the creature with ancient weapons; the only things that can actually kill the beasts... will they be able to track the last such creature to Gale before it is too late?

It must be said this film is rather trashy; it is made for TV and distinctly feels like it. That said if you are in the right mood it is rather enjoyable. The idea of the flying monkeys clearly comes from 'The Wizard of Oz' and the film nicely adds a few more references, it is set in Kansas, in a town called Gale, a clear nod to Dorothy Gale and there is even a scarecrow opposite her house. The plot is pretty basic but serves to give plenty of monkey attacks; unfortunately these feel a bit too tame; presumably due to restrictions on what can be put in a TV movie. The acting ranges from good enough to a bit ropey but that doesn't matter too much; nobody went into this expecting award winning performances. On the plus side a lack of swearing and nudity as well as nothing really disturbing means this can be viewed by slightly younger viewers than most horror films. Overall I'd only recommend this to fans of trashy horror.

Attempting to make up for his continual absence, a man's purchase of a monkey for his daughter turns out to be a form of demonic monkey-creature that begins terrorizing the townspeople and must band together with a group of hunters to take the creatures down.

This turned out to be a solid, middle-of-the-road offering that had some rather fun stuff about it. One of the better elements here is the fact that the opening shock jump doesn't kill off everyone it comes in contact with, which is a pleasant surprise as well as the film's origin story for the creatures which is far better than expected and definitely has some good elements for later use coming out of it. As well, we've got a couple fine action moments with the multitude of creatures swarming over their victims in town at several big scenes, and the finale at the house is quite exciting. This is still plagued with the usual Sci-Fi Channel atrocious CGI and gore, but as well there's another flaw in the treatment of the guardians' search for the creature who seem shoehorned into the story without really doing much and their quest at starting at the front of the chain of possession halfway through the movie doesn't make much sense. Overall, this one wasn't all that terrible though.

Rated R: Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.

Why do I watch Syfy movies? Simple: I long for the days of Creature Feature and Chiller Theater. Okay, so not much today comes close to "The Killer Shrews." I am also not the first to point that most current CGI does not improve on Ray Harryhausen. That said, there a few Syfy films worth watching. "Sabretooth" is not bad; "Rise of the Zombies" is a pleasant surprise (and way better than Steve Niles "Remains"); the best to my mind, is "Abominable." Now this film about flying monkeys with big appetites actually has a few things going for it. 1) Not a typically predictable plot--after a girl receives a pet that is not what it seems to be; (2)Two Asian ass-kickers who bring the right combination of seriousness and humor; (3) Likable characters--not generic monster food, and; (4)scary monsters. No need to make these flying monkeys Cloverfield-size--this is one film where the CGI works. Better in every way than the useless "Tasmanian Devils." 6/10

Leaving a serious review for this film is what a stupid person would do. It's cheese. It's fun. But you gotta be into that sort of thing. If your not just don't watch or review it.