Monster Hunter

I use to play video games all the time when I was growing up. I had the Wii from age eight to fifteen years old. The game that I have never played is the hugely popular "Monster Hunter." But, that does not mean that I have not seen what the game looks like, because I've seen some images and videos of the game. I didn't know that director/writer "Paul W.S. Anderson" made a movie adaptation of the game. Based on the simple premise, I expected it to be a weak enterprise. But how did this film turn out? Let's begin: This is a marvelous visual treat; thanks to the glorious structure by Paul Anderson, the execution is utterly intense; delivering enormous shock value for the scares, the action, and a plot-twist at the climax. It really distracts the simplistic narrative. As for the writing, it has some clever ideas to make the storytelling gripping. The breathtaking screenplay is powered by the thorough editing, like the slow-motion and the quick cuts that has been used at the right time. Not to mention the astonishing, unforgettable detail that some of the imagery has. Paul Anderson did a great job on the direction where his structure and timing lets my guard down at times. The thunderous tone provides great bombastic effect. for the high-volume explosion of blasting noise. There are also times where the camera is the eyes of the characters and monsters. This film could be seen as the ultimate meta experience; The concept alongside the the plotline reminded me of "Journey to the center of the Earth" (2008), and a game that I use to played called "Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013." In one scene where Natalie Artemis is alone in a claustrophobic area where killer creatures lurk made me think about Ridley Scott's "Alien." The character "Hunter" is like a foreign human version of Chaka from "Land of the Lost." And the cliff-hanging latter reminded me of "The Incredibles." I did not expect this film to be a tongue-in-cheek action movie. It's tongue-in-cheek feel was created with intent to be fun without insulting my intelligence. Yes, sometimes it does exposes it's silliness with it's dialogue involving chocolate, but for the most part, the unintentional comedy of it's feel is just so funny to me. Only twenty-five percent of it's tongue-in-cheek feel has been unveiled, because most of this movie contains rip-snorting action that hits hard like a ton of bricks, and it never lets up until the end credits. Another aspect that emphasizes the execution, is the epic electronic score by Paul Haslinger. His score reveals it's electrifying power. The human characters are tough, skilled warriors that can kick some serious butt real good. Natalie Artemis (Milla Jovovich) is a strong female protagonist that is a US army ranger who relies on her army, she also has great skills from both brains and brawn. Hunter (Tony Jaa) is a fierce archery fighter with the qualities that are well up to par with Natalie's skills and teaches Natalie the monsters. He speaks a different language (either Chinese or Japanese). The chemistry between the two is appealing and amusing; they stick together like glue, they really care for each other, and what's even more appealing is how they come up with a strategy to take on the monsters. And they have plans to survive and take on the infernal odds. Admiral (Ron Perlman) is the wise leader of the hunters. The monsters from the game series are here in this film, and these lethal monsters are terrifying; they have shocking abilities that are over-the-top, and they posses immense power for destruction. There's the monstrous Diablos, the creepy Nerscylla, and the most fearsome monster of all: the dreaded Rathalos. In conclusion: I had a blast; It's an imposing and adrenaline-pumping powerhouse with it's mere quibbles that have been compensated by it's relentless entertainment value. 4.5/5

As far as visuals, sound, and (for the most part) acting are concerned, this film was great. As an adaptation, it follows the usual pattern of falling quite short. And somehow the plot falls even shorter. The ending... was not even an ending. I wouldn't even call it a cliffhanger since chances are good that you won't be wanting more. Most of us expected a disappointment going in, but that doesn't take away the sting of when it proves true. Even if you don't have any history with the Monster Hunter franchise, I would still avoid this. I can't even consider it a proper action film.

At first I was going to pass on this movie because I hard heard a lot of talk about how the movie wasn't that great, but just the other day an article caught my eye talking about how well done the movie was in its faithfulness to the source material and I decided it would be worth a try... And I did enjoy it! Now I have played the games so a bit of a disclaimer there, but they did a spot on job of making the monsters look and feel right. Black Diablos is the terror that it is, the Nerscylla are a fright, and Rathalos King of the Skies. No strange edits to change them up just for the movie, they look properly based on the games and even show signs of damage in the same classic way. Even the weapons and backgrounds had fine touches that showed the attention to detail they gave the world setting to match that of the proper Monster Hunter games. I also like how they did a good job in showing the communication barrier that would exist and how they manage to work around it. Although the Admiral (Ron Perlman) being able to talk perfect English did feel a bit off even if he "studied it". I thought he had been someone who crossed over before but it doesn't seem like that based on context. An accent or dated language might've been better to that regard. Otherwise, they did not bother to exposition things to death which I see as a perk and I was also pleasantly surprised by characters showing up like the Handler and the Meowscular Chef. The fights were good, with the monsters showing off just how dangerous they are, and I liked the back and forth fight between Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and the Hunter (Tony Jaa) before they reconciled their differences. It made sense given the limited power they each had left stuck in a life threatening situation an unknown stranger and potential threat. There are a two or three slower points in the movie mainly around the beginning, but otherwise it kept my attention for the majority of it. I think this movie is definitely for Monster Hunter fans made by a Monster Hunter fan, and its real strength comes from keeping to the source even if that means strangers to the Monster Hunter property might not care as much.