The Monkey King is in Town: Creating a Real Superhero’s Tale
What young person hasn’t wanted to be transformed into a superhero defending the downtrodden? For that matter, many adults have secretly wished for the same. Those of us who have bullies that once towered over us can relate easily to the film The Monkey King is in Town and its exploration of this theme. The charming story of one boy who compels his inner superhero, sans radioactive spider or high tech armor, is about a personal voyage to become the change he wants to see. Director Ce Liang has crafted a story whose heart is so big that young and old alike can empathize and live vicariously through Alex and his mission to help others. One of the many lessons that can be taken from the enormous success of Marvel Studios multiple Oscar winning-film Black Panther is that domestic and global audiences are highly receptive to diversity in their action heroes. T’Challa and Wakanda recalibrated the definition of superheroes and The Monkey King is in Town takes advantage of this with its own unique slant.
When is a superhero film not a superhero film? The award-winning film (recognized at the San Diego International Film Festival) The Money King is in Town answers that question. Alex is a young boy whose appears to be second generation removed from China. Still in his early teens, he thinks of himself as American while most of those around him think of him as Chinese. The core of the story is Alex defining for himself who he truly is. Alex and his friends are bullied by a larger classmate named Cody. The approaching school Halloween party prompts him to consider his options for costumes and is met with comments like “Superman isn’t Asian!” Searching through a box of his grandfather left behind, Alex discovers comic books about The Monkey King and is inspired to create a costume for this legendary Chinese hero. Donning a homemade costume, he witnesses his friends once again being tormented by Cody and challenges him. Though thoroughly thrashed by the bully, Alex has inspired his friends who come to his aid. Lesson noted, heroism is not defined by special abilities but rather by the unwillingness to see others oppressed.
Films about heroes have been around as long as films. What’s unique in this story is Alex’s discovery of his family’s unique heritage compared to those around him and his decision to embrace it along with his own place in the world. While still very much a children’s story, it’s not targeted at youth audiences. There is social relevance in this film but it doesn’t point the viewer towards this. The most prominent aspects of the story are the comedy and drama, equally balanced in the delivery. Director Ce Liang enlisted editor Yuan Liang to help create unexpected moments of comedy and manifest the psychological process of young Alex. The world isn’t presented via an adult vantage of Alex’s struggles but rather as if you are directly inhabiting him and feeling these moments as a young person. In a very calculated editing style, Yuan adopts the approach of a comic book for real life occurrences. Alex feels like he is living in a comic book and we feel this, right down to the 80s soundtrack montage of his costume creation. When his friends are inspired by Alex’s defiance of the bully, the comic book panels materialize…if only in our imagination. The contributions of this approach to the story are exactly what makes it so delightful and impactful. As viewers, all of Alex’s grandiose aspirations seem possible due to the tone Yuan has established.
