https://www.cybersport.ru/other/articles/milla-iovovich-i-kotiki-protiv-ogromnykh-monstrov-obzor-filma-monster-hunter

Before talking about the film, it’s worth delving a little deeper into the source. The Monster Hunter series of the Japanese studio Capcom appeared in the distant 2004 and today has grown to a considerable size of a media franchise. You have to play it steadily as a hunter, who, over and over again, goes into dangerous battles with various representatives of the local fauna – from small monsters to giant creatures, which are simply impossible to defeat alone. The global goal in this case is usually quite simple – to achieve the rank of the best hunter in the world, performing various tasks to find materials, capture creatures and kill especially formidable opponents.

The plot of the works of the Monster Hunter franchise could never boast: in the first parts, you just had to be friends with the characters and go into constant battles, although in World, for example, the hero as part of the expedition had already studied ancient creatures that could disrupt established ecosystems. Nevertheless, hunting has always been at the center: studying opponents, luring out, using weak points and obtaining ingredients from fallen creatures.

Of course, there were other entertainments: setting traps, choosing equipment (which radically affects the feel of the game), roasting meat on a spit around the fire, and little jokes like the palico (a sentient anthropomorphic cat) called the Meaty Chef, who is famous for being an excellent cook.

But back to the film, or rather, let’s talk about its creator. The director of “Monster Hunter” was made by Paul W.S. Anderson, familiar to gamers from two cult film adaptations – Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil. And if in the second case he gradually moved away from the original vision in favor of a strange, thoughtless action with the omnipotent Milla Jovovich (by the way, the director’s wife), then Mortal Kombat many love and 20 years later. Largely due to the clear sense of childlike fascination of the creators: literally every frame screams that both the director and the team just kayfovo was to do what they were doing. Putting fights, playing with accessible lore, putting on strange costumes and fooling around in moderation – so much as not to seem idiots, but at the same time do not deny yourself anything. And for fans, there is also a fan service scattered throughout the film: from the famous “Get over here!” before Stage Fatality in the final showdown between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung.

Similar magic is seen in Monster Hunter. It will be obvious to everyone who played Monster Hunter that Anderson and the gamers are on the same wavelength and he himself spent more than a dozen hours hunting, and even showed the film crew what the thrill of the game is. Unless for those who are not in the subject, we had to tie a strange line with our world – however, not to say that this greatly interferes with perception.

Jovovich, as in “Resident Evil”, here is a true heroine, able to single-handedly deal with almost any misfortune. True, it is much easier to do this with allies – and then a resident of another world in the person of actor Tony Jaa comes to the rescue (in the credits he appears as the Hunter – consider the original protagonist from the games). Together, they also carry out a classic hunt: they lure one of the monsters with bait, use well-developed tactics and get the necessary ingredients for further passage. It’s not worth talking about exactly what we’re talking about – spoilers.

Of course, the ideal film cannot be called even close: for example, the director relies heavily on repetitive techniques such as slowing down the flow of time (more than once or twice the viewer will watch how cars with passengers roll over slowly). A no less problem is the branded “epileptic” editing: the battles, despite a certain spectacle, are assembled in such a way that it is not easy to keep track of what is happening. Shots change at a breakneck speed, constantly alternating angles and not allowing you to focus on the actions of the characters. Fortunately, there are general plans too, and in them you can see how Jovovich and Jaa use proprietary techniques familiar to everyone who played Monster Hunter.

With fanservice, it also turned out a little twofold. The appearance of the Meaty Chef in the frame will undoubtedly delight everyone who has played World: everything is reproduced, including the trademark animation with a sprig of cumin on a piece of meat. And Ron Perlman, who played the Admiral from the same part, also fits well into the character. Alas, until the time of action comes: a middle-aged actor can hardly perform anything more difficult than a simple hitting the ground with an ax or rotating around his own axis. Considering that the grandfather is already over 70, there is nothing to be surprised at, but this does not make him less sad.

There is one more small problem in the “children’s” PG-13 rating. Despite the fact that the local creatures devour people, tear their flesh and are able to easily pierce any bone sac, there will be no blood in the frame. The film based on Mortal Kombat also had a similar drawback: the game, which had to create a rating agency due to the abundance of violence, received a rather toothless (albeit stylish) film adaptation. In most cases, this is successfully done with various camera tricks, but in some scenes, alas, it is impossible not to spit.

The film is easy to kick for the almost complete absence of a plot, but here I want to make an important remark: the game, too, could never boast of a serious story. The details of the world – please, and the study of regions and ecosystems has always been in order. With this, the film is still simpler, but there is a clear and large reserve for the sequel – perhaps we will learn more about the new world inhabited by monsters in the sequels.

And yet, in spite of all the problems, I absolutely do not want to scold “Hunter”. In many ways, the fact is that the pros and cons of the film are very similar to those of Mortal Kombat in 1995: there was also enough hack and bad graphic solutions, which did not prevent fans from enthusiastically looking at situations from their favorite fighting game. “Hunter” works in the same vein, luring the authors with genuine delight and unclouded love for the original source, because of which it is easier than ever to turn a blind eye to flaws. In addition, all the aforementioned “little things” like a skewer, traps and even the choice of equipment found their place in the film adaptation, and it is clear that everything was created with the utmost love for the original source.

By the way, the traditional scene after the credits takes place – and the authors are clearly hinting at a new conflict. Whether the film will receive a sequel, however, is difficult to say now: such initiatives always run up against the box office, and in the “post-like” world they will clearly be lower than they could have been before the pandemic.