Monster Hunter

What could I have expected? Paul W.S. Anderson and his significant other once again decided to make a film where the main heroine is the badass Jovovich, who takes down all the monsters that stand in her way. If this concept sounds familiar, yes, Resident Evil was built on a similar premise, except for one thing (swap "monsters" for "zombies"). To be fair, the film can be quite entertaining at times and the visuals aren’t among the worst (the monsters surprisingly look decent, and the CGI is acceptable), but the story, oh, the story. Within a few training sessions with Tony Jaa, the marine captain transforms into an invincible fighter who isn’t intimidated by monsters as tall as skyscrapers (like... what?). Ron Perlman must have mixed up his casting, as his presence felt out of place (why does he need this?). The ending with the army is probably the best part, along with the spider nest (this spider scene reminded me of Anderson’s early directing days, when he made Event Horizon, which at least had some atmosphere). It’s truly the most average entertainment you can choose to watch. For me, it’s 5/10. P.S. After watching the film, I definitely don’t want to try the game :D (02/20/2021)

Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson may be done with Resident Evil and zombies, but their Monster Hunter is more or less the same thing. Only there are dragons and dinosaurs, but otherwise this duo once again serves up solid action wrapped in a very contrived and uninteresting story with characters you'll be glad you remembered their name. Unfortunately, the decent action loses out on points to an uninteresting story and boring characters. But perhaps that's all one can expect from Anderson. (02/22/2021)

I'm satisfied. I got what the trailer promised. An hour and a half long epic battle between Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa and monsters. There is action from start to finish, the visuals are awesome, the soundtrack is intense, the monsters look great (quite possibly the best dragon on screen ever), and there are two badass scenes (the spiders!). I didn't miss a more interesting story that would have slowed down the pace. Dramas come out ten a week, but such an epic monster slaughter comes out only once a year and I definitely find this more enjoyable to watch than self-absorbed arthouse crap. Maybe switching the desert location for a jungle wouldn't have been a bad idea, but otherwise I really don't know what else an adaptation of a game that's about nothing but action and monsters has to offer; the film certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard, and to only have 12 percent more than the ultra cheap shit Sharknado is absolutely laughable. Anyone who likes monsters, action and likes to have fun at the movies can't be disappointed. Story**, Action****, Humor** Violence**, Funniness****, Music****, Visuals*****, Atmosphere****, Suspense***. 7.5/10. (02/17/2021)

Quite entertaining hogwash with a nicely OTT finale. The monsters look really great, the action is easy to follow and is a dream come true for little fans of fantasy who love dragons and dinosaurs. Anderson is a B-movie director to a T and he gets great joy out of making this sort of thing with Mila. It’s interesting to see how they steal things from the "Dark Tower" saga by Stephen King (the parallel worlds, and the Tower that unites them; come on, now - give it a rest!). It’s dumb as anything, Ron Perlman has awful hair, the relationship between the heroine and Tony Jaa is really shaky, but it’s bearable.  It isn’t so much about people anyhow. (02/28/2021)

The coronavirus has made me miss a lot of things, but mindless CGI blockbusters like this is certainly not one of them. It can hardly be considered a movie, Paul W.S. Anderson has stopped making them, now he makes expensive long videos where his wife can play the action heroine, that’s the only reason why Monster Hunter exists. Seeing Ton Jaa and Ron Pearlman contributing to this in their less than dignified roles is just sad. (02/16/2021)