How To Watch Monkey Man At Home
An exciting new voice has officially entered the action sphere.
Actor Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire," "The Green Knight") had previously dabbled in the action genre by leading the cast of 2018's "The Wedding Guest." But with "Monkey Man," his feature directorial debut which he also co-wrote, produced, and stars in, Patel took a deep dive into the type of visceral, hard-hitting filmmaking that has redefined the genre over the past decade or so. The experience of getting the movie across the finish line wasn't easy — he suffered a broken bone during filming – but along the way, he managed to achieve some transcendent moments of action cinema glory that will forever endear him to fans of martial arts films.
Patel plays a mysterious young man who spends his days eking out a living in India by wearing a monkey mask and getting beaten to a pulp in an unregulated fight ring, playing the heel to a crowd of paying customers who are there to see the opposition win. By night, he works odd jobs trying to get close to India's elite ruling class so he can get revenge for a grave crime committed against his family years before. On paper, the story might seem thin, but it's practically exploding with style and political messaging about marginalized folks rising up to take power back from the hate-mongers and blatant power-seekers in charge. It's an ambitious film — as our 8 out of 10 "Monkey Man" review states, perhaps it's actually a little too ambitious — but hot damn, it's great to see someone come blasting into familiar territory with such verve and swagger.
"Monkey Man" is still in theaters, but today, Universal shared information about when you'll be able to see it in the comfort of your own home.
How to watch Monkey Man on digital and home video
Starting tomorrow, April 23, 2024, "Monkey Man" will be available exclusively on digital platforms to own or rent. If the current pre-order rates hold steady, it will cost $24.99 to buy, and given the fact that the film is still in theaters, the rental cost will likely be in that same financial ballpark. Eventually, this film will be available to stream on the paid tier of Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming service, but no release date has been announced for that yet. It's unclear if it will receive a 4K or Blu-ray release, but since we're clearly proponents of physical media here at /Film (if you love movies, you already know how crucial it is to own a physical version), our fingers are crossed that it's only a matter of time before Universal decides to make that announcement, too.
Hopefully, "Monkey Man" is just the start of a fascinating new career trajectory for Dev Patel. While he isn't immediately lining up for a sequel, we still can't wait to see what he does next.