VividSimon Simply Perfect

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Lee Eisenberg George Romero burst onto the scene with "Night of the Living Dead", which used the image of reanimated corpses terrorizing people to address the breakdown of the nuclear family (among other issues). He continued addressing political issues in later movies, included "Monkey Shines". This one uses the story of a monkey that gets too attached to its human to address the issue of animal welfare (look how they treat the animals in the lab).It's not Romero's greatest movie but I still enjoyed it. Particularly neat were the POV scenes from the monkey whenever it's about to carry out one of the human's rage-induced wishes. A creepy movie, but one that I recommend.Watch for a young Stanley Tucci as the doctor.

Scott LeBrun While this will likely never be considered one of filmmaker George Romero's best, it still represents a commendable effort in one of his rare forays into studio productions (in this case Orion). Scripted by Romero based on a novel by Michael Stewart, it tells the story of Allan Mann (handsome Jason Beghe), a law student who gets into a horrible accident that renders him a quadriplegic. He soon becomes despondent enough to attempt suicide, but soon he receives some temporary salvation in the form of Ella (Boo), a capuchin monkey who is trained to see to his needs. What he doesn't know is that his friend Geoffrey (John Pankow) has been playing mad scientist and injecting the cute lil' thing with human brain cells. Soon the bond between patient and helper becomes so strong that a mental connection is made, and Ella is physically acting out Allan's worst impulses. So what is he going to do about this little homicidal primate? Romero does a good job here at telling a fairly interesting story, although some viewers might be turned off at the lack of sympathetic characters. Most of them are flawed to some degree or another - creepy dean Burbage (Stephen Root), smarmy, incompetent doctor Wiseman (Stanley Tucci), fair-weather girlfriend Linda (Janine Turner), bitchy nurse Maryanne (Christine Forrest, a.k.a. Mrs. Romero) - and even a guy like Geoffrey, who initially just wants to help, has his problems as he's obsessed with his work. At least Allan has an appealing love interest played by Kate McNeil, whom horror fans will recognize as the lead in the slasher "The House on Sorority Row". The cast is pretty good overall; Joyce Van Patten plays the stereotypically smothering mother to good effect, and it's a treat to see character actors Root and Tucci near the beginnings of their careers, but the one performer the audience is likely to remember is Boo, who's adorable and very well trained; the animal action is first rate throughout (there's also a rather annoying bird on hand). The evolving relationship between Allan and Ella makes for a compelling hook, and it makes one appreciate the real-life efforts that people put into training service animals, and the animals themselves. The film is light on horror - most of the violence is implied - as Romero tends to go for a more psychological approach, and refrains from going for the gore. Overall, this is a decent flick, worth a look for genre fans who are interested in checking out Romero's non-zombie films. Seven out of 10.

BA_Harrison For his immediate follow up to the excellent Day of the Dead, George Romero ditches shuffling, flesh-eating corpses in favour of a much smaller, hairier, and altogether more unlikely antagonist: a capuchin monkey called Ella.After being injected with an experimental serum designed to enhance her intelligence, furry-faced Ella (brilliantly played by Boo, whose acting career has inexplicably stalled after this impressive debut) gradually turns into a murderous beast capable of tapping into the anger and resentment of her paraplegic owner Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) and carrying out his most primal desires. As little hairy Ella proceeds to bump off those who have wronged or upset her master, she proves to be every bit as deadly as a reanimated corpse, only a damn sight more devious.Monkey Shines is a decidedly different beast to the '...of the Dead' films for which Romero is so well known: the director eschews the cartoonish blood and guts approach that has made his zombie films so popular with gore-hounds (although make-up legend Tom Savini is still on hand to provide a couple of impressive effects), and opts instead for slow-burn tension and nail-biting suspense.This more mature and reserved directorial style, coupled with excellent performances (Beghe, who is limited to acting only with his head, is superb), a well written script (adapted by Romero from the novel by Michael Stewart), and a few decent jump scares, results in a satisfying little horror/chiller that proves there is more to Romero than just gut-munching and bullets to the head (not that I dislike gratuitous splatter, but a change is as good as a rest, as they say!).

Paul Andrews Monkey Shines starts as athlete Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is hit by a truck while out running, he is taken to hospital where Dr. John Wiseman (Stanley Tucci) operates & saves his life but unfortunately Allan is left as a wheel chair bound quadriplegic who only has movement in his neck & face. Obviously depressed after the accident his girlfriend Linda (Janine Turner) runs off with Dr. Wiseman & Allan attempts to commit suicide, his scientist friend Geoffrey Fisher (John Pankow) finds him & saves him. In an attempt to help Allan Geoffrey contacts animal trainer Melanie Parker (Kate McNeil) & ask's her to train one of his lab monkey's to act as Allan's helper which she does. The monkey called Ella makes a big difference to Allan's life & acts as his hands but Geoffrey doesn't mention the tiny fact that he has been injecting Ella with a serum made from human brains in an attempt to increase her intelligence, it proves a success beyond Geoffrey's expectations & has horrifying consequences...Also known as Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear this was written & directed by George A. Romero & I really wanted to like this, I like most horror fans love what Romero did for the genre during his early career with stonewall 100% solid gold classics like Night of the Living Dead (1968), Martin (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Creepshow (1982) & in my opinion the criminally underrated Day of the Dead (1985) so I really, really wanted to like Monkey Shines which is unusual for me because I generally go into films expecting nothing. Monkey Shines was Romero's first major studio picture for Orion & his script was based on the novel by Michael Stewart & I have to say I was disappointed in just about every aspect of it. The most long-lasting impression of the film I have is that it is unbearably slow, the first 45 minutes is so boring it's untrue as it only features Allan being crippled & him be given the monkey. The character's are unlikable, the dialogue is dull, no-one is believable & the relationships are just not quite there. Then there's the fact that this is meant to be a horror film, well there's absolutely no horror in it until the final 20 odd minutes & I was just sitting there watching Monkey Shines & was literally debating whether to turn it off & go to sleep & I can tell you it was a pretty close thing but I just about managed to stick it out. The story has some interesting points & nice ideas & that makes what ended up on screen even more disappointing, the little sub plot between Geoffrey & his slimy boss comes to absolutely nothing for instance & lazy contradictions because they fit the script conveniently like Ella being able to inject someone with poison using a needle while the next time she has the opportunity she doesn't know how anymore. I wasn't keen on the oh so happiest of happy endings either as a so called quadriplegic has surgery which 'cures' him & he literally rides off into the distance with the pretty girl to presumably live happily ever after.Director Romero knows how to make a decent looking film & he manages to inject some tension into the climatic ending when Monkey Shines actually tries to be a horror film, unfortunately the preceding 90 minutes are as dull as dishwater & contain some unintentionally funny scenes. The love making scene between Allan & Melanie is hilarious, he can move anything below his neck so she positions her womanly bits over his face & her orally pleases her in a truly hilarious looking moment. The monkey, who is credited as 'Boo', for the most part isn't scary or frightening & is a bit too cute for my liking, it's well trained through I'll give it that & it acts better than most of the human cast! This being a Romero film & having Tom Savini listed in the opening credits as special make-up effects man I was hoping for some good gore, unfortunately there's barely a drop of blood in it. There's a cut hand, a little bit of blood in a surgery scene & a silly Alien (1979) inspired effect in a dream sequence.I was amazed to see this had a budget of about $7,000,000, where did all the money go? There's no special effects, no action scenes, no big name stars & although it's competently made it's nothing special. I mean Day of the Dead had half the budget of Monkey Shines & it looks the more expensive film. The acting isn't anything special & the monkey Boo gets the 'best actor' honours in it.Monkey Shines was a huge disappointment to me, I was expecting so much more. I really liked the overall story but it's so slow, so devoid of any sort of horror & just plain stupid on too many occasions. I hate to say it but Monkey Shines is basically the beginning of the end of Romero's midas touch in the horror genre.