‘The New Legends Of Monkey’ And The Fingerprints Of Production Value
by Frank Martin
It’s kind of an unspoken trend in the film and television industry that geographical regions have certain production styles. These things aren’t overt or advertised, but there is a definite sense and feeling that comes across in a production’s story, characters, set design, and even choreography that is hard to hide. Common audiences may not notice them. But for someone who has consumed a lot of different media from across the world, it can certainly be noticeable, even across generations.
This is obvious when language is involved. If a viewer is prepared to watch a Japanese horror film from today compared to decades ago, they can be on the lookout for some similarities. Things become harder when the same language is used all over the world. A great example: shows from New Zealand and Australia. Both of these countries use English, similar to the British and American dialects. However, their productions have a unique feel to them that is difficult to cover up even if they are speaking the same language as international audiences.
Two of the most popular shows to come out of the region are Hercules: The Legendary Journeys with Kevin Sorbo and its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess with Lucy Lawless. These shows dealt with Greek mythology and featured characters going on supernatural adventures while traveling the countryside. Of course, it’s no surprise that both of these shows would have similar fingerprints to them as they are both a part of the same universe.
The New Legends of Monkey also has that same feel. This is a Netflix show that has a much more recent release (2018), but since it came out of the same region, there are noticeable similarities. This show is based on the Chinese folk legend of The Monkey King. It also has a group of travelers roaming the countryside and getting into monster-of-the-week type supernatural adventures. Besides the format, the show’s production value also has a very similar atmosphere to Hercules and Xena. It just goes to show that certain regions have fingerprints to them in their TV shows and movies that is hard to shake off.
The New Legends of Monkey is now streaming on Netflix.
