Resident Evil: Jovovich vs Monsters
Introduction
I’m going to be blunt with you. Despite it being a complete pacing disaster in regards to the movie’s overall narrative, 2020’s Monster Hunter was quite a fun flick to watch. That said, while I have played the games, I do not consider myself to be a Monster Hunter fan. I can sympathise with fans of the series who did not like the film after watching Paul W.S Anderson raped the Resident Evil Franchise violently in the bum for fourteen years right in front of me.
Setting and Plot
Monster Hunter stars Millia Jovovich as Captain Artemis, a character unrelated to the Monster Hunter universe created as an excuse for Paul W.S Anderson to shoehorn his hot wife into this movie. Her Unit is cruising around the desert, searching for a missing squad when suddenly they are transported to another world, where the local wildlife wants to eat them. With the odds stacked against them, Artemis must team with a group of Monster Hunters to take down the foul beasts and return home.
Similar to Michael Bay’s films, one does not watch Paul W.S Anderson’s work for their artistic appeal or symbolic plot relevance but rather for their intense action, and Monster Hunter has this in spades. The film had several terrific fight sequences with the monsters, and a couple of well-choreographed fight scenes as well. Yet, the movie does noticeably dip in quality during key moments, which is honestly a bit of disappointment.
If you are a monster enthusiast, then Monster Hunter has you covered, showing some real nasty beasties that can put up a great fight. Creatures like the Diablos and Apceros make an appearance in this movie, as well as several others.
Sadly, the effects tarnish the look of a couple of monsters, making them seem almost robotic at times. Especially during the film’s opening, where the creature looks like an 80s mechanical puppet thanks to the choppy visuals.
As for the pacing of the film, Monster Hunter introduces and kills off two entire squads of soldiers within twenty minutes, discounting for Captain Artemis, who narrowly manages to escape certain death thanks to some heavy-duty plot armour. The movie’s ending is a bit of disappointment as it ends abruptly as well.
Characters and Performances
While I always found the movies to be a major reason why the Resident Evil franchise decline, I never blamed Jovovich’s acting for the series grotesque performance. As an action heroine, she is up there with the best of them. The same goes for Artemis, she does get many great scenes where you see her bond with The Hunter and train alongside him. Their chemistry is probably one of the best moments of this movie, as they work off each other so well.
Speaking of which, Tony Jaa does an excellent job with his role as The Hunter, despite not being allowed to mutter a single word of English unless it is taught to him by Artemis. Ron Perlman’s The Admiral’s ragged warrior appearance makes him look like he came directly from a flintstones movie, a style that makes him very difficult to take seriously. It is also annoying that the rest of the hunters all appear during the last quarter of the film. Well, at least they are more interesting than the redshirt jar-heads she arrived with.
Conclusion
Monster Hunter has multiple problems surrounding the pacing of its plot and some of its effects. However, I can’t believe I am saying this, but it feels like one of the most exciting films that I have seen all year. If you are fans of Paul W Anderson’s other stuff like Alien vs Predator or some of the Resident Evil films (the first three, we don’t speak of the rest), then Monster Hunter could be a bumpy yet enjoyable ride.
