Monster Hunter (12A)

US Army Ranger Natalie Artemis leads her squad including Axe, Dash, Lincoln, Marshall and Steeler on a mission to locate missing troops in the desert. Bravo Team's tyre tracks mysteriously vanish in a stretch of sand lined with stone pillars. An electrically charged storm engulfs Natalie and her platoon and they are propelled through a portal into the New World. The soldiers' impressive arsenal is no match for hulking monsters including Diablos and a fire-breathing Rathalos.

LondonNet Film Review
Monster Hunter (12A)

When filmmaker couples excitedly say “I do” at the altar, they should also make a vow to say “We don’t” to mediocre genre projects that are simply an excuse to work together. Director Ben Falcone and actress wife Melissa McCarthy are trapped in a vicious cycle of misfiring romps that squander her bountiful gifts as a physical comedian. Now director Paul WS Anderson and actress wife Milla Jovovich are seemingly determined to corner the market on bombastic action adventures inspired by video games…

After six chapters of the bloodthirsty Resident Evil franchise, the couple trade flesh-hungry zombies for more ferocious beasts in an otherworldly escapade based on a Capcom video game series. The language barrier between the two leads, Jovovich and Thai martial arts star Tony Jaa, is played for uncomfortable laughs in Anderson’s script, which takes a disconcertingly laidback approach to coherent storytelling as the action oscillates between parallel realms. Impressive digital effects bring hulking creatures to life and Anderson orchestrates one exhilarating set-piece: a fire-breathing dragon called a Rathalos taking down a military plane in mid-air.

However, dialogue and characterisation are gossamer thin with a focus on exhausting showdowns between the US Army and gargantuan predators impervious to a blitzkrieg of bullets, grenades and missiles. Anderson continues to take delight in watching his wife being pummelled and maimed on screen, including bruising hand-to-hand combat with Jaa that serves no dramatic purpose other than to showcase the actors’ acrobatic excellence.

US Army Ranger Natalie Artemis (Jovovich) leads her squad including Axe (Jin Au-Yeung), Dash (Meagan Good), Lincoln (Tip “T.I.” Harris), Marshall (Diego Boneta) and Steeler (Josh Helman) on a mission to locate missing troops in the desert. Bravo Team’s tyre tracks mysteriously vanish in a stretch of sand lined with stone pillars. An electrically charged storm engulfs Natalie and her platoon and they are propelled through a portal into the New World where a horned subterranean predator called Diablos sits atop the food chain.

The soldiers’ impressive arsenal is no match for Diablos’ scaly armour and the terrified military unit seeks shelter in a cave where spider-like Nerscyllas are waiting to pounce. Meanwhile, a skilled hunter (Jaa) of these hideous beasts surveys the carnage from a safe distance using his collapsible telescope.

Monster Hunter hacks and slashes at a wearying pace accompanied by the steady growl of composer Paul Haslinger’s score. Jovovich and Jaa catalyse inert screen chemistry and whenever Anderson runs out of expendable human cast, he casually introduces nameless fresh faces to sacrifice to the towering denizens of the New World. Considering that Rathalos, Diablos and other creatures can apparently cross over into our world, the stakes should be perilously high. Instead, Anderson treats his lumbering creature feature as a walk in the post-Jurassic park.

– Kim Hu