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The Monkey King 3
Movie

The Monkey King 3

2018 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

The Monkey King and his friends try to break free from a ruler that takes them hostage. However, their exploits provoke the anger of a deity that decides to punish them for their actions.

Overall Series Review

The film centers on a spiritual quest, using the conflict with the Womanland as a test of the protagonist's devotion. The travelers enter an all-female kingdom whose people believe men are inherently deceptive and deserving of death, which drives the initial plot. A side story involving three male characters experiencing pregnancy serves as a moment of fantastical comedy and gender-role reversal. The main dramatic arc focuses on the Buddhist monk Xuanzang's choice between personal, romantic love with the Queen and his higher spiritual duty to all sentient beings. Ultimately, the narrative reinforces the supremacy of a transcendent moral and spiritual calling over worldly attachment, leading the monk to reject marriage and the Queen to find her strength in remaining dutifully in her sovereign role. The core themes affirm the importance of vocation and selfless compassion, drawing heavily from the traditional moral framework of its source material.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The narrative's central conflict stems from the Womanland's policy that being a man is a capital offense, establishing a binary conflict based purely on immutable gender characteristics. The plot, however, does not rely on modern intersectional theory, race-based vilification, or any form of historical 'race-swapping,' as the production is based on a classic Chinese novel with an East Asian cast.

Oikophobia1/10

The movie is an adaptation of an ancient Chinese novel, celebrating a foundational piece of Chinese literature and its cultural and spiritual heritage. The story centers on a Tang Dynasty Chinese monk on a mission to bring Buddhist scriptures back to his home nation. Institutions and spiritual quest are consistently portrayed as worthy and protective structures.

Feminism4/10

The film's initial premise of an all-female society that views men as deceptive and the inclusion of a comedic male pregnancy subplot introduce anti-masculine and gender-inverting themes. The conclusion is not 'Girl Boss' focused; the monk chooses his spiritual vocation, and the Queen finds strength in her sovereign duty and compassion rather than pursuing a career by joining the quest, reinforcing a complementary view of distinct, duty-bound roles.

LGBTQ+2/10

The primary dramatic tension is the heterosexual temptation between the Queen and the monk. The gender role-reversal of magical male pregnancy is a non-sexual, comedic fantasy trope drawn directly from the 16th-century source material. The narrative does not promote alternative sexualities, deconstruct the nuclear family as an oppressive structure, or lecture on modern gender theory.

Anti-Theism1/10

The core of the movie is the Buddhist monk Xuanzang's quest and his final, explicit choice of spiritual commitment over personal desire. The resolution is a profound affirmation of transcendent morality and faith, where non-attachment and universal compassion are depicted as the ultimate, objective moral law and the source of true strength.