Big movie versions of popular games remain a difficult genre, given that it is still impossible to interactively draw the audience into a story in ways that a game can, but it hasn't stopped Hollywood from trying. Despite a relatively consistent lack of artistic recognition, the prospect of game fans forming a large paying audience for the movie adaptation is simply to hard to resist.
I guess you could call Paul W. Anderson somewhat of an expert in the field, since he was the one to bring Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil and Alien vs Predator to the big screen. Yes, I know, AvP was more of a movie franchise crossover (but in all fairness, it was a game franchise long before it became a movie). And yes, there was and still is a lot of hate for what Anderson has done, even though some of his adaptations are about the only ones that have been financially successful (and thus must have their fair share of fans).
I'm in two minds about his work: I can enjoy Mortal Kombat as an amusing special-effect-camp B-movie, and for the same reasons, I appreciate especially some of his later Resident Evil movies (the first two remain bad in my opinion); I was okay with the forgettable Soldier, Death Race, The Three Musketeers and Pompeii. Event Horizon and AvP really got panned by critics and audiences alike at the time, even though I really liked them, but both currently enjoy a surprising amount of cult success. Nevertheless, I recognize the weaknesses in Anderson's movies: he can film some decent action scenes, but he isn't the best writer of stories or dialogues. Nor does he have a nose for acting talent: the casting and direction of his (usually cheap and mediocre) actors often provides ample targets for ridicule (yes, that's you, Kiefer Sutherland ridiculously trying to emulate Jeremy Irons in Pompeii).
So I went into Monster Hunter with the expectation of another forgettable creature feature with some amusing action sequences at best. But to my pleasant surprise, this is one of his best efforts at writing and filming, because for once he doesn't waste a lot of time with nonsensical plot developments, contrived character depth and forced laughs. In fact, he keeps the plot pleasantly basic, with a team being dragged into a parallel world full of dangers, and not much else in the form of unnecessary plot embellishments.
Some find the story seriously lacking but I wasn't bothered by it at all, since it basically unfolds automatically as Milla Jovovich (aka Mrs Anderson) takes us on an adventurous journey of exploration of this strange world, where the danger can come from both monsters and its human inhabitants. No endless clunky expository dialogue, no scenery-chewing villains who are endlessly monologuing; just show, don't tell: we get dropped into the action and have to learn the rules as we go. Sure, it's still a basic pulp novella (or game script) where stock characters are as easily introduced as they are dispatched as moster bait, most of the characters chase MacGuffins that get a minimum of explanation, and the ending has more sequel hooks than your average super hero or slasher franchise, but I wasn't bored for a second. The cinematography of the locations also looks breathtaking, making me often wonder where such places can be found on Earth.
What little plot there is forms enough scaffolding for a lot of action that looks surprisingly convincing, given the amount of CGI that was undoubtedly necessary to bring the huge monsters to life (and appropriately yucky, considering that it received the highest rating in many countries). Don't put too much faith in reviews that say that the effects look fake, and that the action scenes are blurry due to a lot of shaky cam and choppy editing. There is a lot of kinetic action, big monster brawls as well as some martial arts (no surprise with Tony Jaa in the cast), but in all of them, I had a reasonable overview of what happened. There is not a lot of dialogue, so the cast doesn't have to rely on clunky lines. Jovovich impresses with a lot of stunt work that (I assume) must have left her bruised and battered, and gives a decent performance for a change (but she is like a female Schwarzenegger for me; I'm never really bothered by her lack of acting skills).
This all results in a movie that is spectacular and even tense at times, with some well-planned action scenes and even some black humor rather than the cringeworthy comic relief from some of Anderson's previous movies. For those who like big-budget sci-fi pulp such as Stargate and John Carter, I can highly recommend watching this on the big screen. Especially with 4DX.
I guess you could call Paul W. Anderson somewhat of an expert in the field, since he was the one to bring Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil and Alien vs Predator to the big screen. Yes, I know, AvP was more of a movie franchise crossover (but in all fairness, it was a game franchise long before it became a movie). And yes, there was and still is a lot of hate for what Anderson has done, even though some of his adaptations are about the only ones that have been financially successful (and thus must have their fair share of fans).
I'm in two minds about his work: I can enjoy Mortal Kombat as an amusing special-effect-camp B-movie, and for the same reasons, I appreciate especially some of his later Resident Evil movies (the first two remain bad in my opinion); I was okay with the forgettable Soldier, Death Race, The Three Musketeers and Pompeii. Event Horizon and AvP really got panned by critics and audiences alike at the time, even though I really liked them, but both currently enjoy a surprising amount of cult success. Nevertheless, I recognize the weaknesses in Anderson's movies: he can film some decent action scenes, but he isn't the best writer of stories or dialogues. Nor does he have a nose for acting talent: the casting and direction of his (usually cheap and mediocre) actors often provides ample targets for ridicule (yes, that's you, Kiefer Sutherland ridiculously trying to emulate Jeremy Irons in Pompeii).
So I went into Monster Hunter with the expectation of another forgettable creature feature with some amusing action sequences at best. But to my pleasant surprise, this is one of his best efforts at writing and filming, because for once he doesn't waste a lot of time with nonsensical plot developments, contrived character depth and forced laughs. In fact, he keeps the plot pleasantly basic, with a team being dragged into a parallel world full of dangers, and not much else in the form of unnecessary plot embellishments.
Some find the story seriously lacking but I wasn't bothered by it at all, since it basically unfolds automatically as Milla Jovovich (aka Mrs Anderson) takes us on an adventurous journey of exploration of this strange world, where the danger can come from both monsters and its human inhabitants. No endless clunky expository dialogue, no scenery-chewing villains who are endlessly monologuing; just show, don't tell: we get dropped into the action and have to learn the rules as we go. Sure, it's still a basic pulp novella (or game script) where stock characters are as easily introduced as they are dispatched as moster bait, most of the characters chase MacGuffins that get a minimum of explanation, and the ending has more sequel hooks than your average super hero or slasher franchise, but I wasn't bored for a second. The cinematography of the locations also looks breathtaking, making me often wonder where such places can be found on Earth.
What little plot there is forms enough scaffolding for a lot of action that looks surprisingly convincing, given the amount of CGI that was undoubtedly necessary to bring the huge monsters to life (and appropriately yucky, considering that it received the highest rating in many countries). Don't put too much faith in reviews that say that the effects look fake, and that the action scenes are blurry due to a lot of shaky cam and choppy editing. There is a lot of kinetic action, big monster brawls as well as some martial arts (no surprise with Tony Jaa in the cast), but in all of them, I had a reasonable overview of what happened. There is not a lot of dialogue, so the cast doesn't have to rely on clunky lines. Jovovich impresses with a lot of stunt work that (I assume) must have left her bruised and battered, and gives a decent performance for a change (but she is like a female Schwarzenegger for me; I'm never really bothered by her lack of acting skills).
This all results in a movie that is spectacular and even tense at times, with some well-planned action scenes and even some black humor rather than the cringeworthy comic relief from some of Anderson's previous movies. For those who like big-budget sci-fi pulp such as Stargate and John Carter, I can highly recommend watching this on the big screen. Especially with 4DX.