What do you want from a movie called Monster Hunter? Well, you want giant monsters, colossal creatures with scales and wings and teeth (oh my!). And you want someone to, well, hunt them, with military firepower and outlandish oversized weapons in David-vs-Goliath bouts. Well roll right up, because that’s exactly what you’ll get in the first trailer for Monster Hunter, the latest video-game-to-big-screen adaptation from husband-and-wife director-star duo, Paul WS Anderson and Milla Jovovich. Having made a string of Resident Evil films together, the pair have this time turned to the epic Japanese RPG series, a gaming franchise that continues to broaden its audience with every new entry (the most recent being 2018’s Monster Hunter: World). Watch the trailer below:
If there are things that long-time fans of the games will grumble at – the framing narrative of Jovovich’s militaristic Artemis being from our world, and finding herself in a beast-filled environment along with her squad is not based on any part of the games – there are at least plenty of monsters, and a considerable amount of hunting. And the creature designs look properly faithful to the source material, as do some of the otherworldly weapons. Starring alongside Jovovich are the likes of Tony Jaa and T.I., while Ron Perlman is also on board in a role not seen in the trailer.
Will this be a rare, worthy game-to-screen adaptation? Only time will tell – while the Resident Evil films picked up a considerable following over the years, they were never critical favourites. Still, in a year where we could all do with more ridiculous escapist big-screen flicks with titles like Monster Hunter, this should be a welcome blast of oversized creature-feature fun. The film is due in UK cinemas from 4 December, having recently brought its release date forward, contrary to most films shifting further back in 2021. Here's hoping it's a (Tango ice) blast.