Star Milla Jovovich and director, writer, producing husband Paul W.S. Anderson are back together in a new fantasy actioner aimed at a demographic who’ve been enamored with the 2018 game its based on.
Monster Hunter has taken a bit of heat from China for some (unintended) offensive lines, but others may take offensive at how dreadful this other world like transporting actually can be.
A crazy tempest puts Jovovich’s Capt. Natalie Artemis and her military squad into a realm where humongous, perilous creatures dwell. And which can’t be quelled very well with their weaponry.
Natalie will gradually warms up to an enigmatic Hunter (martial arts maven Tony Jaa, back after a self-imposed exile) as he lets her into the particulars of exposing weakness. Perhaps important to finding a portal back home.
Compared to their earlier Resident Evil collaboration which concluded four years ago with Final Chapter Ukraine-born Jovovich and Anderson provide another immersive 3D experience more headachy than exhilarating. That’s not to say the GCI when it comes to the monsters is awful, but the existence is a bit silly which makes for a discordant watch.
Nonetheless, gamers will comprehend any semblance of a story or backstory that qualities here as the early middle-age actress still displays a lithe toughness suited for this type of material. The mindless action might have its jumpy, jittery thrills (with plenty of cuts from editor Doobie White) but this isn’t as involving as Evil especially in its earliest incarnations or Mortal Kombat for that matter.
The director of Event Horizon also gets much mileage out of show-motion sequences which adds up to an unnecessary, protracted feel. In this kind of movie it might be easier to side with those seemingly influenced by Alien vs. Predator and the like.