On the one hand, 'Soldier,' 'Event Horizon,' and 'Resident Evil: Extinction,' not to mention 'The Three Musketeers,' among others. On the other hand, 'Resident Evil' sequels 'Afterlife' and 'Retribution.' At his best Paul W. S. Anderson makes genre larks that are very fun; at his worst and most indulgent, he loses all sense of craftsmanship to a brainworm that requires everything to look heedlessly Slick And Cool, with nothing else mattering. Meanwhile, I know nothing of the 'Monster hunter' game franchise except for the broad descriptions I've read of it. And so we come to the usual questions: How satisfying is this adaptation for game fans, and how satisfying is it for general audiences? How are the visuals and action sequences, on the one hand, and on the other hand, how is the writing, direction, and acting? Is there any substance here, or is it a total romp, and would Anderson put real care into it, or is it just an empty shell of pointless style? Should we be thanking Capcom for handing their franchise over to the filmmaker, or should we be chastising them?
Wow, the dialogue is abysmal. Like, laughably abhorrent. The characterizations truly aren't significantly better. The scene writing is fine so long as Anderson is whipping up ideas for a sequence of violence, or of gnarly sci-fi horror imagery, and the good news is that this is about 98% of the runtime. There is a plot here, so long as you consider "soldiers led by Milla Jovovich (no, not Natalie, not Artemis, but Jovovich herself) find themselves mystically teleported to a different world populated by enormous, deadly monsters" to be a 100% complete plot from beginning to end. Speaking of those deadly monsters, there was tremendous detail and texture put into their designs, and the artists behind the digital wizardry put in enough work so that the beasts often look fantastic. Then again, I did just say "often" and not "always." The thing about relying on computer-generated imagery over any practical effects or tangible creations is that it almost always looks worse the more we see of it, and ages rapidly. There are times when the creatures look amazing; there are times when they look like more detailed models cut from the same cloth as Goro in Anderson's own 'Mortal Kombat' of, um, twenty-five years earlier; there are times when they look like hyper-detailed action figures inserted into filmed footage and so far removed from the characters before us that the illusion of the danger is thoroughly dispelled.
We know Jovovich can genuinely act when she is required to do so, and we have seen even in her collaborations with husband Anderson that she is quite capable in a physically demanding lead role. I'm not familiar with Tony Jaa, meanwhile, but I'm vaguely aware of him. Not least with their aid, there are scenes in this picture that could have been meaningful and impactful in one way or another if they were treated appropriately. Unfortunately, the writing isn't great, the monsters only sometimes meet our expectations of fanciful behemoths in cinema, and despite working in the medium for many years, here Anderson does not illustrate the necessary skill and intelligence as a director to allow anything to have the intended effect. The action should be thrilling, the monsters should be horrifying, the touches of humor should be funny, the dramatic moments should carry weight, and Jovovich's (not Artemis') moments of discovery, preparation, and triumph should be rousing. None of this is true, however, at least not on a level of any real consequence. Only in irregular, intermittent, sporadic fleeting bursts does a moment of the predominant action hit us as viewers in the way that it should; we care about the monsters and the world they inhabit more than the characters we're supposed to empathize with. Take into account some questionable choices of shot composition and cinematography, dubious dynamics written for Jovovich as a white woman and Jaa as an "alien" man of color, and indeed an excess of flair and fashion over function, and the grand, epic, perilous adventure that 'Monster hunter' should have been sadly feels pretty hollow and frivolous, something that only passively commands any attention.
Please understand, I don't dislike this movie. I admire the production design and art direction, the costume design, the hair and makeup, and the props and weapons. I appreciate the practical stunts and effects that we do get, and the work of the special effects artists, even if the results are variable as we see them. I quite like Paul Haslinger's original music, a score that lends nice flavor throughout the proceedings. The filming locations are gorgeous. And in fairness to Anderson, and to his cast, in the back end of these 100-odd minutes the feature opens up some, and moves beyond "Okay, they're in a desert. Still in a desert. Yep, more desert. Is this all there is?" As Anderson shows us more of Capcom's world through his eyes this actually does become a little fun, and I discern more earnest care to have been exercised in the writing and direction - and therefore with the action, with the monsters, with the humor, with the dramatic beats, and sure enough, with Jovovich's journey, and even with the stylistic flourishes. Even this hardier portion isn't without its faults, as I believe the final stretch falls back to some degree on issues that troubled the flick from the outset, but it distinctly has a leg up and remains an improvement from where we began. I just wish that the same measure of consideration had gone into the totality of this title that went into its latter half, because if that had been the case, I'm certain it would have found more success. It definitely would have left a better impression, anyway.
For what it's worth, troubled as 'Monster hunter' is, when all is said and done it IS a good time. I don't regret watching; I'm glad I took the time. Only, again, I can readily discern where Anderson applied himself and where he did not, and it's not at all surprising that, pandemic or not, this release came and went with little notice. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I did; I hope it scratches that itch for fans of the games. Maybe some day I'll come back to this and enjoy it even more, and as it is this does offer suitable entertainment. Just keep your expectations low, and don't go in assuming a revelatory experience, and maybe that's the best way to get the most out of 'Monster hunter.'
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