Monkeybone: Critic Reviews

There's unwieldy mess -- but there's also unruly brilliance to this dark and funny story.

Its fondness for fart and genitalia jokes ... proves its downfall.

The result is a script so needlessly complicated that it defies comprehension.

You can almost see money dripping off the walls of the sets and cybersets in this special-effects extravaganza.

The guy can't control his 'monkey,' get it? Heh-heh. Yep, that's the whole concept. Heh. Pretty twisted, eh? Heh ... har ... um ... zzzzzz.

Why do I still have a soft spot for this flick? Because there are glimmers of intelligence in the mess, because it must have driven the marketing department crazy, and because it fails so differently than all those run-of-the-mill failures.

Starts out bad and gets progressively worse.

Fun fun fun, but not necessarily for all the family.

Primed to be dark, twisted, and playful -- all exhibited traits of the works of the director, animator Henry Selick -- it is instead juvenile, amateurish, and sloppy.

A bundle of chaotic energy signifying nothing.

The film Monkeybone is a raucous mess. Director Henry Selick mixes animation and live action to the noisy, clumsy detriment of both.

...an outrageously funny demonstration of how our interior angst can be put into the service of art.

This tale about alter ego and greed generates more morbid and sexual content than a real sense of ghoulish fun or panic.

A crass and frantic comedy-fantasy pitched alternately, I think, at ten-year-olds or stoned college students.

The design is often brilliant, although the film is nowhere near as tasteless or funny as it ought to be.

The movie doesn't seem to have a purpose other than to fill space.

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An embarrassment for Brendan Fraser. Consider this surreal comedy attempt a career hurdle that Fraser has since cleared.

Don't waste your time with this monkey business.

Monkeybone is kind of like a Tim Burton movie - except it wasn't directed by Tim Burton.

There's a special place in my heart for movies that create new worlds for us to inhabit.

A largely frustrating 90-minute experience.

Selick does his cast a major disservice.

If you're interested in craziness, loony looking critters and other people's nightmares, there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

Nice bid all around, kids. Too bad it doesn't quite work.