The Monster Hunter movie has finally received a teaser and thus gives us a first glimpse. MeinMMO author Larissa Then has watched it countless times but can find little good in it.
What kind of movie is this? Already in 2012, Resident Evil director Paul W. S. Anderson expressed his interest in directing a Monster Hunter film. As a long-time fan of the series, it is a passion project for him that he would love to realize.
The film is set to hit theaters in December 2020. When it will be released in Germany remains to be seen.
What is it about? So far, little is known about the film’s content. Starring Milla Jovovich as soldier Lt. Artemis, who, with her team, is transported into a strange world through a sandstorm. The terrifying monsters they encounter there are immune to their ordinary weapons.
Ultimately, they encounter a mysterious hunter, played by Tony Jaa, who has techniques and weapons against the monsters. It all sounds quite good and is well cast.
However, the first teaser lets my hopes, as well as those of MeinMMO author Larissa Then and other fans, dwindle.
At least the monster sounds good
As a fan of the Monster Hunter series and with over 1000 hours in Monster Hunter World, I was genuinely looking forward to the film. However, I kept my expectations in check. Many adaptations of games are known to be quite disappointing, similar to live-action films of animes.
But the first teaser of the Monster Hunter isekai, featuring soldiers teleported to another world, left me somewhat speechless. And usually, I am easy to excite.
This is what the teaser offers: The short trailer begins with the words “What the hell is that?”, yes, I asked myself that too. Subsequently, the small group is attacked by a monster emerging from the sand, a Diablos.
Those who know the monster from the games can see some parallels here. Overall, the Diablos is the highlight of the teaser. It behaves like in the game, burrowing into the ground and then rising up to attack brutally. Moreover, its roar sounds really good.
Unfortunately, the monster does not play the main role in the teaser, and the protagonist’s facial expression looks almost silly. Although I might look the same if I encountered a Diablos, who knows …
Additionally, a soldier squints the wrong eye to aim with his rifle. All in all, a presentation to chuckle at.
There is still little dialogue visible, as mainly shouting occurs. It’s an understandable reaction to a Diablos, but it still seems quite artificial and forced. The teaser gives the impression of the film being a run-of-the-mill action flick and conveys none of the Monster Hunter magic that I love.
Hardly a positive comment
This is what the fans say: Even the users hardly have anything good to say about the teaser on YouTube. The 21,000 thumbs down (compared to 11,400 thumbs up) send a clear signal. The user lurgee says:
“What the hell is that?” Exactly what I said after watching the trailer.
“Something big” A big disappointment perhaps?
via YouTube
Expectations for the film have been reduced to a minimum for some after the teaser. Some draw conclusions about the overall quality of the film from the first impression of the teaser. User 101 Snow writes:
Did he really try to look through his scope with one eye closed? Can I measure the quality of the film by that?
via YouTube
With the emergence of Fatalis in the last update of Monster Hunter World and now this teaser, the fans feel doubly battered. The monster holds an incredibly strong armor, but is really tough to defeat. User Leon Alexander 9928 says about Fatalis and the teaser:
Imagine trying to defeat Fatalis all day long. Failing at every attempt, getting depressed and then watching this. It was a tough weekend.
via YouTube
This was only the first teaser for the film, and it can still get better. We haven’t seen anything from the hunter yet, and the rest of the setting remains hidden.
So we have to wait and see how the film will ultimately turn out. My hype is definitely dampened now. But maybe that’s a good thing, as the film could still pleasantly surprise me.
