Monster Hunter: Video Game Adaptation Is Tons of Fun and Raised (Of Course) by Milla Jovovich

By Thom Ernst

Rating: B-

If our planet should collapse into some colossal cyber-punk afterworld, we can take comfort knowing that Milla Jovovich has our back.

Jovovich — the uncontested reigning monarch of video game–based action films — again proves her moxie when dealing with unearthly creatures in Monster Hunter, directed by her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson. Even if Jovovich’s accumulated roles—ranging from zombie hunter to God’s ordained personal warrior—do not quite hit the same mark as, say, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley from the Alien franchise, we are still in far better hands than if left to rely on Dolph Lundgren or Brigitte Nielsen.

Monster Hunter is based on a popular video game which means I go in knowing nothing about the film. But computer-game illiteracy pays off. There might be some missed references to character origins and strategies easily recognized by gamers but since everything whittles down to Jovovich good/Monsters bad, ignorance is not the disadvantage one might think.

Jovovich plays Captain Natalie Artemis, the much-liked leader of a mix-matched crew of military elite, The U.S. Rangers. They are a hardy bunch of soldiers, full of wicked banter and good-natured jibes. And, to underline their camaraderie, they all join in what is perhaps cinema’s worst attempt at establishing solidarity through a rousing sing-along.

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Artemis and team are on a search-and-rescue mission when a freak storm, the likes of which we have not seen since Dorothy was tossed into Oz, sends them hurtling through a porthole into another dimension.

But instead of being greeted by munchkins, the crew are attacked by crustacean-looking creatures that burrow through the sand dunes. The creatures are suitably threatening but if Anderson had hoped to get the jump on Denis Villeneuve’s sandworms in the upcoming Dune remake, he would have needed to up his game. Even so, despite obvious animatronics, there is cause enough to squirm when the creatures swarm the soldiers en masse.

Separated from her crew, Artemis fends for herself until she meets The Hunter (Tony Jaa). For much of the second act, Artemis and The Hunter engage in a prolonged battle until they come to realize they are on the same team—something the audience has been aware of from the beginning.

For the non-gamer, Monster Hunter has more in common with Robinson Crusoe than Nintendo. The film rubs uncomfortably close to portraying Jaa’s Hunter as the stalwart savage— Friday to Jovovich’s Crusoe —whose knowledge of the land becomes essential to Artemis’ survival.

Thankfully, Jaa’s screen presence is enough to avoid stumbling into a caricature, and though his Hunter tilts towards a steam-punk aesthetic, his wardrobe and lair are more Lost Boy than Mad Max. Jovovich, who I have never credited with having much of a sense of humour, surprises with a performance spiked with wit and comic energy.

I like Monster Hunter despite its many faults, including Anderson’s affection for sunset-bathed clifftop vista shots stolen from American Express travel ads. I fear that my enjoyment of Monster Hunter will fuel my wife’s claim that she is raising two children: our daughter and me. I going to blame COVID for weakening my critical muscle.

I do not expect Monster Hunter will find much love, particularly at a time traditionally set aside for Oscar contenders and box-office draws. But you do not need me to remind you that these are far from traditional times.

Monster Hunter. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Starring Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, and Ron Perlman. Opens in theatres December 18.