Monster Hunter
The latest collaboration between writer/director Paul W. S. Anderson and actress Milla Jovovich is not nearly as engaging or as much fun as their previous work on the Resident Evil films, but there’s still enough to enjoy in this sci-fi/fantasy/horror mash-up videogame adaptation.
Premise: While searched for a missing military unit, Army Ranger Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her team find themselves transported to a parallel universe where giant monsters roam the world. Their only hope of survival may lie with a mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa) who is native to this New World.
Review:
First things first, Monster Hunter is a film that does exactly what it says on the tin, and if the prospect of seeing characters do battle with giant monsters doesn’t appeal to you, then this film is never going to win you over. You obviously have to approach Monster Hunter in the right frame of mind and take it for what it sets out to be – a popcorn sci-fi action flick, nothing more, nothing less.
On that level, it’s largely effective. The monsters of the New World are rendered in suitably impressive CGI, and have a real sense of scale and weight to them. The film is (for better of worst) pretty much non-stop action, covering everything from fist-fights and military engagements, to survival horror and epic fantasy showdowns with “magical” weapons. Whatever else can be said about it, the film certainly isn’t dull.
“…once you look passed the spectacle the film’s weaknesses become apparent…”
Most of the monsters are fairly identifiable from each other, but some of the designs of the larger ones are a little “samey”. I’ve never played any of the Monster Hunter videogames, and so I can’t comment on how faithful this film is to the games, but from the clips of the games that I have seen, I understand that this film appears to have done a pretty good job of adapting the game’s visuals and aesthetics onto the big screen.
However, it's once you look passed the spectacle that the film’s weaknesses become apparent. The characters are pretty paper-thin (even for a popcorn action flick), and some (such as Ron Perlman’s character) don’t really appear to have any discernible character or personality at all. The only two characters that really get fleshed out at all are Milla Jovovich’s Artemis and Tony Jaa’s Hunter, and even they are still fairly basic archetypes. That said, it was a nice touch to make Tony Jaa’s character not speak English, as that allows his character and Milla Jovovich’s Artemis to develop a non-verbal mutual respect for each other, which is fun to see unfold.
“…settles for a sequel-baiting finale…”
The plot is arguably even less developed than the characters, and essentially boils down to the characters surviving a series of encounters with different monsters, until they reach the destination that they’re heading for. I don’t know how much plot or storyline is in the Monster Hunter videogames, but for the most part this movie does feel like you’re watching players in a videogame progress from one encounter to the next, building XP and having the occasional cut-scene between battles. After a while, it does wear a little thin, and leave you wanting a little more story to go with the action.
The flimsy plot is particularly disappointing when the ending of the film suggests that there’s much more going on than first suspected, but instead of trying to develop a fully engaging and intriguing storyline in this film, Monster Hunter settles for a sequel-baiting finale and mid-credits scene. If, as now appears likely, the hoped-for sequel doesn’t materialise, I can’t help but think that the chances of successfully starting a franchise would have been improved had this first film done more than simply scratch the surface of this storyline.
“…as a put-your-brain-in-neutral popcorn action flick, there is still fun to be had…”
On the plus side, the film has a decent sense of humour, and was genuinely funny in a handful of places. At the other end of the scale, a couple of the scenes really push the horror content for a 12A, and if you have an aversion to spiders, one scene in particular could really be quite a traumatic watch.
Overall, the Monster Hunter movie is unlikely to win over legions of devout fans, and those who already love the videogames may or may not feel that this film does their beloved franchise justice. But despite all of its flaws, as a Friday-night, put-your-brain-in-neutral, popcorn action flick, there is still fun to be had in watching the confrontations with the giant monsters, without becoming distracted with needless plot or character developments.
