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The Film (4/5)
Allan Mann (Jason Beghe) is a college athlete with a law major. But he becomes victim to a traffic accident while he is out for a morning run. After surgery he has become a quadriplegic and he thinks about suicide. His scientist friend Geoffrey (John Pankow) has a strange solution to his problem. He gives Allan one of his monkeys, named Ella, to be his assistant. But what Allan doesn’t know is that Ella has been secretly injected with a human brain secret formula that happens to make her angry.
MONKEY SHINES (1988) is a well-crafted shocker with some of the best acting and characters of the late 80’s. But the film is shadowed by George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy and is rarely brought up when discussing his best films. Maybe this was because it was Romero’s first studio film, but SHINES is one of the most enjoyable 80’s horror movies I’ve had the pleasure of discovering in the Blu-ray age.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Stewart and seems to be faithful with rich characters that are completely fleshed out. The film’s real problem is it’s pacing. It drags during some of the character bits but then turns into a sharp thriller. It almost too heavy with subplots and characters. Romero does find balance with the last 3rd where it becomes Allan vs Ella locked in his house.
Romero avoids many tropes of killer animal movies, and instead turns the story into a twist friendship (and at points almost a romance). The chemistry between Jason Beghe and the various actor monkeys is impressive and the glue to the story. Romero also uses plenty of flamboyant and subtle camera moves and set ups. Some of the most striking being the reverse wheelchair POV shots. The monkey vision set pieces are also well handled and not cheesy.
Jason Beghe (THELMA AND LOUISE) makes a likable lead. The rest of the cast is balanced out by John Pankow (TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA) giving his all as the scientist best friend with a drug problem. Kate McNeil (HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW) gives a carefree and warm vibe as the girlfriend. Rounding out the cast is great bit parts for Joyce Van Patten, Stanley Tucci, Stephen Root, and as the voice of Ella Frank Welker.
Audio/Video (4.5/5)
The 5.1 English DTS-HD MA sound mix is well handled with only a few minor moments of muffled audio. The musical score, effects, and dialogue are all clear without hiss or pops. The second sound track is the 2.0 English LPCM mix. It's just as balanced but slightly softer on my sound system. English subtitles are included.
The 1080p HD picture is clear with sharp focus. The colors stand out with some nice highlights during the rainstorm at the end. The transfer especially looks nice when you can see intense emotions and sweat on their faces.
Extras (5/5)
This release comes with an exclusive audio commentary by Travis Crawford and a collector’s booklet of liner notes with an essay by Craig Lan Mann that features production stills and posters. The track by Crawford is filled with information on the film’s production and Romero’s career. It’s a breezy and well-researched track.
The rest of the extras are sourced from the Shout! Factory release. This sit is filled with great bonus material on one of Romero’s best and unsung films. Up first is a highly entertaining commentary with Director Romero. “An Experiment in Fear” is an hour long making of featurette with plenty of interviews with cast and crew. It was nice to hear that Beghe and Turner had such a fun time during the filming. There are also vintage interviews, the original EPK, deleted scenes, alternate ending, Behind-the-scenes footage, News reports, and a trailer gallery.
Overall (4.5/5)
MONKEY SHINES is a surprising little gem from Romero’s career. Tightly edited with a great cast, this is one fun horror film from the 1980’s. Eureka also gives the movie the deluxe treatment in this great Blu-ray set. Highly Recommended!
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