On paper, an R-rated animated series about a monkey assassin taking on the Yakuza in the world of the Marvel Universe sounds like a 14-year-old’s Mountain Dew-induced fever dream. Shockingly, “Hit-Monkey” is a real thing and is the latest Marvel animated series hitting Hulu, after the successful launch of “M.O.D.O.K.” earlier this year. Unfortunately, the incredibly fun, patently ridiculous premise is buried under a mound of jokes that don’t land, animation that underwhelms, and a plot that will make the viewer wish a primate would sneak up behind them and end this misery.
Created by the duo of Will Speck and Josh Gordon, filmmakers who previously directed comedies such as “Office Christmas Party” and “Blades of Glory,” “Hit-Monkey” is a 10-episode animated series, based on the Marvel character of the same name. And yes, that Marvel character is in fact a monkey who dresses up in a nice suit and dark glasses and murders the shit out of bad guys. In that respect, Hulu’s series is spot-on, giving the viewer all the gory assassin mayhem they could possibly want, led by a sharp-dressed primate. But that’s really all the series does to deserve any praise, as everything else ranges from simply dull to enragingly terrible.
The plot of “Hit-Monkey” follows a very human assassin, Bryce (Jason Sudeikis), who is double-crossed and killed after he finishes a mission to murder a political candidate. Through some sort of hijinks (it’s not really spelled out very well in the show), Bryce’s spirit is tethered to a Japanese snow monkey, whose tribe was also taken out by the very same bad guys. So, with the help of Bryce, the snow monkey goes on a revenge mission and gets tangled up in the Tokyo underworld and a heated political race.
The biggest problem facing “Hit-Monkey” is that the show just isn’t all that entertaining, which is saying quite a bit given the absolutely ludicrous plot. The series hinges on a relationship between a monkey who doesn’t speak English and a motor-mouth spirit of a dead assassin, and it just never gels. What the viewer is presented with is Jason Sudeikis dropping quip after quip with the occasional sex joke thrown in for good measure in a neverending series of one-sided discussions with a monkey who is rightfully annoyed. Sudeikis is clearly doing his best Ryan Reynolds impression as Bryce, in a role that truly does feel like it was written with the “Deadpool” actor in mind. Unfortunately, Sudeikis’ brand of snark doesn’t have the charm or heart that Reynolds imbues in his roles. So, the viewer is left with badly written jokes delivered with annoying smarm by an actor who just doesn’t fit the role. And when that’s 50% of the main relationship of the series, each of the 10 episodes feels excruciatingly cringe and exceedingly irritating.
Even considering the awfulness of Sudeikis’ performance, the rest of “Hit-Monkey” is almost just as irksome. The pacing of the series is so formulaic that the viewer can easily browse their phone and miss 15 minutes of a 22-minute episode without really losing the plot. The monkey learns information about his next target. Said monkey sneaks into a new location. Gory mayhem ensues. Monkey leaves after finding out the name of his next target. Rinse. Repeat. And honestly, the tedious pacing and predictable plot would be acceptable if the action and story were even remotely interesting.
In a show about a monkey assassin taking on a colorful gang of killers, it’s shocking just how unimpressive the action is, and a large part of that issue is due to the animation. To be fair, the animation isn’t terrible on its own, as it does borrow heavily from Japanese anime in its style, but there’s an undeniable cheapness in the execution, where it feels like you’re watching a rough cut and not a finished product. Gunfights are stilted, with very little kinetic energy on display. And often the action relies on cheap gore to get a reaction out of a viewer. However, after seeing more than one person chopped in half (yes, it happens multiple times) or someone’s entrails spill out, it just all feels gratuitous and unnecessary.
And ultimately, that’s where the biggest issue of “Hit-Monkey” lies—the juxtaposition of the over-the-top violence and an apparent message about how killing won’t solve your problems. Early on in the series, Bryce tells Hit-Monkey, “If you pick up a gun in anger, it’s hard to put it down.” This would be an intriguing proposition, with an assassin wanting to avoid taking lives at any cost. And sure, this theme is explored throughout the series, as Hit-Monkey does try to adopt some sort of killer’s moral “code.” But ultimately, that thematic element is consistently and hastily swept to the side (sometimes in the same scene) when everything just results in excessive and exaggerated violence. And to further put the nail in any sort of heartfelt “violence isn’t the answer” message, these gore-filled scenes are often punctuated with a one-liner from Sudeikis’ character that undercuts any heart-to-heart discussions that preceded it.
All told, “Hit-Monkey” is a prime example of a show that has all the makings of a good time, with a ridiculous, borderline silly plot and a talented cast and crew to bring it to life, but somehow everything is botched along the way. It’s a sad state of affairs when a show about a homicidal monkey wearing a “John Wick”-esque suit and carrying loads of guns in the world of the Marvel Universe is reduced to a soulless slog that will test the patience of even the biggest comic book fan. But here we are. [D]
“Hit-Monkey” is available now on Hulu.