Monster Hunter | Movie Review
By: Xagon Speaks
Tags: Review, Cinema, Movie Review, Movies, Monster Hunter

Good morning ladies and gents of the X-Army, I hope each and every one of you are good. It’s been a hot minute since my last post and for that I do apologize. COVID has been filled with ups and downs, but right now that is irrelevant. Today I am proud to be reviewing a movie in this COVID period, which is a unique experience. The movie in question is Monster Hunter which is based off the video game of the same name. So without further ado, let’s jump right into the review.

Synopsis |

Behind our world, there is another. A world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported from our world to the new one, the unflappable lieutenant receives the shock of her life. In a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers and unstoppable, terrifying attacks, Artemis teams up with a mysterious hunter who has found a way to fight back.

Cast |

The film stars Resident Evil vet Milla Jovovich who portrays our protagonist Natalie Artemis, a US Army Ranger who gets transported to another world via sandstorm. No not the song. Next up we have the martial arts legend himself in Tony Jaa who plays The Hunter. He is a skilled warrior trying to survive one day at a time in this vast waste-land. Clifford Harris, Jr. a.k.a TI plays the role of Lincoln in the film. He is a member of Natalie’s troops and is second in command. Meagan Good plays the role of Dash, a Army Infiltry Driver and Navigation Specialist. Ron Perlman joins the crew in the role of The Admiral, the leader of The Hunter’s crew and monster slayer specialist. He is out to shutdown the portal that links our world with the New World.

Set-Pieces |

The first set-piece introduces us to Natalie’s team running a search and rescue for a previous team who disappeared without a trace. The team are surveying the a deserted land for any traces when they are swarmed upon by a mysterious storm. The second set-piece sees the teams teleported to the New World by way of the storm. They are dazed and confused after finding the previous team’s vehicles with no sign of what killed them. The team make it across the mysterious land via Army Vehicles when they are suddenly attacked my a gigantic sand monster. The third set-piece sees The Hunter hearing the gun fired of the team and helps out by firing distraction arrows are the beast. The team makes it to a cave for shelter where they are captured by monstrous spiders. After what appears to be ours, Natalie regains consciousness and see the remains of her team being decomposed in the spider’s cocoons. She tries to escape from the swarm of spiders where she reunites with Lincoln, who has been infest with baby spiders consuming him from the inside. Natalie uses her resolve and escapes from the nest and fights to understand what is going on and where she is.

The fourth set-piece sees The Hunter making contact with Natalie, who are unable to communicate. After a series of fighting each other, the two become trusting of each other after Natalie rescues The Hunter from the same spider nest she survived previously. The two form a fast friendship and The Hunter communicates to Natalie that they must work together to get across the sandy terrain and pass the sand monster. He also shows Natalie that there is a power source across the way that could potentially send her home. Set-piece five sees a series of training montages with Natalie picking up swordsmanship and the two working together to thwart the spider for their venom to use against the sand monster. By a series of lucky and special effects, the two manage to kill the sand monster and make it to a reservoir where they stock up on food and supplies. In the midst of their recovery, they are once again attacked by a monstrous dragon. With destruction around them, they are saved by The Hunter’s team who manage to save the two and ward off the dragon for a final conflict. Natalie shows her appreciation for the help from The Admiral and his men, but The Admiral knocks her out in hopes he can get some answers from her in regards to the portal.

The sixth set-piece sees Natalie escaping a holding cell The Admiral held her and explains to him that she is a friendly and helped The Hunter defeat the sand monster. With that bit of information and a disposition of trust, The Admiral allows her to join the crew and devises a plan to shutdown the portal. The entire crew sets out to the source where they once again see the dragon from earlier, it being the guardian of the portal. The team attacks the beast as a collective, but are unsuccessful. Natalie sees an opportunity to attack the beast, but is flung back and is sent back to the normal world with everything seemingly normal. Here she is approached by fellow military troops who gives her IVs in hopes she survives her wounds. Unexpectedly the dragon comes through another portal and kills the Army Soldiers one by one. Natalie regains consciousness and goes back to battling the best. With the aid of The Hunter, who came through the portal too, the two defeat the dragon. The final set-piece sees The Admiral, his team, and Natalie witnessing that this is not going to be over. The portal from their world is bleeding into our world and monsters are coming over. The team gears up and prepares for a sequel. The end.

Conclusion & Rating |

This movie overall makes zero sense. Conveying what I saw into a proper review was a bit of a challenge and I had to do so in sequential order. Overall it is not a good movie, but I did appreciate going to the theater to witness something. To have the movie going experience there days is a privilege. Overall, if you want a dumb popcorn movie that comes from the same people who make the Resident Evil movies, actors and directors included, I recommend this. It has no substance, the acting is horrible, jump-scares all over the place, and the script made no sense as a viewer, but it was entertaining. I give it a solid 2 out of 5.

Ladies and gents thank you so much for checking out our review for Monster Hunter, we hope you found it helpful in your movie going decision. Please stay tuned for more content. Be safe and I hope to see you in the next review. Take it easy!