Flying Monkeys (2013)

For the Sci-fi creature double feature lover, this movie has it all. Similar to Sharknado in its characters. Wonderfully entertaining. Based upon on a story of a girl that receives a pet monkey as a gift. The "gift" is not what intended, but proves to be a terror to the local town. Acting in this movie was actually very good for the content. The movie constantly moved and did not have any moments of lull. Would enjoy seeing a second film of this. Setting of movie in Kansas reminded me of Wizard of Oz, definitely because there were flying monkeys (a take from the wicked witch). These also were not the friendliest creatures. I would recommend this if you are looking for a film that is entertaining, not too heavy.

For an original SyFy Channel movie, then "Flying Monkeys" wasn't as bad as it could have been. Let's face it, SyFy Channel do spew out a fair share of questionable movies in a steady pace. But every now and then they do manage to deliver something that isn't as campy, cheesy or unwatchable as the rest of their movies. "Flying Monkeys" wasn't one of their greatest movies, true, but it was enjoyable even though it was cheesy.The story in "Flying Monkeys" is about Joan (played by Maika Monroe) who graduates from high school. Although her dad James (played by Vincent Ventresca) promised to attend, he arrived late. And to make amends for his late-comings, then he buys his daughter an exotic pet monkey, which she names Skippy. It turns out that the cute monkey turns into a demonic winged killer monkey at night and wrecks havoc on the town. A couple of Asian hunters are chasing after the monkey to kill it before it can further its evil. And the trick is, that the monkey can only be killed by weapons that were blessed in old times. If killed by conventional means, the monkey parts and becomes two.Storywise, then "Flying Monkeys" is as standard as these type of movies come. But still, it was enjoyable, because there was a good pace to the story, and there was just something profound cheesy to the movie which made it more fun to watch.The acting was quite good, and that helped lift up the enjoyment of the movie. Even the monkey that played Skippy was doing a convincing job.I nearly toppled over when they showed a scene that was supposed to be from Hong Kong. That was from mainland China somewhere, and not Hong Kong. I lived there for four years and am familiar with the scenery, the street signs, cabs etc., and that was not Hong Kong. But hey, at least they had the continent right. It was an effort, but a goofy mistake to make.As for the CGI effects; well, they were there and they served their purpose. However, don't expect to be dazzled by multi-million dollar Hollywood CGi effects, because that is not the case."Flying Monkeys" is a fun movie to watch, it is predictable and generic, yes, but then again, so are many movies in the killer animal genre - if there is such a genre.4 out of 10 stars from me. Fun, campy, predictable but still enjoyable.

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

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.