Monkey Kingdom

If you don’t love monkeys, I can all but guarantee this film will teach you to! Narrated with perfect added drama by Tina Fey, this nature documentary proves two things. 1) Unfortunately, the fall has affected nature. Though animals don’t have morality like humans do, they still behave violently. 2) Fortunately, the fall did not remove all goodness from the world! All the world’s zones still offer breathtaking beauty. These two things make for a very uplifting message: if you’ve been greatly affected by the fall, there is still hope for a better life in this world!

The educational plot follows Maya, a monkey of the lowest class in her kingdom. She gets the worst food, worst treatment, and least of everything. But life gets better when she has a baby to love and be loved by. And the good will increase if the male interested in her can outsmart those in the higher class! But, one day, the monkeys are attacked by an enemy kingdom, and all must learn great skill.

The Creator is not specifically acknowledged, but neither is He by any means denied. Of course, monkeys don’t have spiritual, prayerful lives, like we should. But the principle of fighting for freedom and the pursuit of happiness can be applied to the viewers. In fact, the Bible encourages us to learn from animals. This film proves that monkeys are another creature for us to learn from!

There is no profanity or sexual content. You don’t expect strong language or inappropriate sexual content in a nature documentary, but you do expect Evolution agenda—especially in a documentary about monkeys. But I am so happy to say that this film is free of even that! I found zero references to Evolution. In one scene, the monkeys enter a village, and the humans are referred to as predators. This may be questionable, but the story is told from the monkeys” perspective. Environmentalism is not taught by the film.

There are some scenes of fighting and meanness among and within the kingdoms. There is also some peril from other animals such as monitor lizards. It’s mentioned that two monkeys die, and we see their bodies from a distance. No blood is shown. The violence is kept family-friendly.

In addition to the stunning jungle scapes, the monkeys do the most adorable things. Especially since there are no negative elements, this is refreshing to watch. It’s also often hilarious. As of today—early September, 2015—this movie comes out on DVD in a little over a week. My advice: Don’t wait for the DVD release! See it in a cinema! And bring the kids!

Violence: Mild / Profanity: None / Sex/Nudity: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in Christian Spotlight reviews are those of the reviewers themselves, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Christian Answers.