Monster Hunter - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Monster Hunter



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Sorry this one seems to be a bit late, but Sony unfortunately had a bit of a delay sending out the review discs, and us reviewers got the film a few days ago. Either way, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what kind of movie this is from the get go. After keeping his wife employed for the last decade with the Resident Evil movies, Paul W.S. Anderson has moved on to ANOTHER video game franchise to exploit. This time the highly popular video game series “Monster Hunters”. I’ve personally never played the games themselves, and have literally NO knowledge of the working universe, so I went into the review blind, figuring as long as it’s dumb fun I’m on board. Well, that’s exactly what this film was. Dumb...just not ALWAYS fun. It’s a frenetic action movie that is basically one non stop battle for an hour and forty plus minutes as Milla Jovovich hacks and slashes her way through a bevy of otherworldly monsters.

Monster Hunter really IS the simplest plot known to man, making the last couple of Resident Evil movies look positively Shakespearean in their storytelling. We’re introduced to Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her team of soldiers who are hunting down a target out in the desert somewhere. The team runs into a mysterious storm only to be spit out the other side. A side that turns out to be completely foreign to them. Confused at where they are and what is going on, Artemis and her team run into a gigantic sand monster that comes out of nowhere, decimating the unit.

Waking up alone and confused, Artemis fights her way out of a swarm of mutant spiders, only to run into another survivor out in the desert known as the Hunter (Tony Jaa). The two are a bit at odds at first, but soon figure out that they have to band together to survive the monsters that surround them. Hacking and slashing their way out, Hunter brings her back to his people, where the true severity of her situation is laid out for her. It seems that Captain Artemis was transported to another world. One that historically was connected to our world via a gigantic tower from an ancient species (the feel is very Stargate SG-1 in that aspect), and she was inadvertently transported across due to a glitch. Now it’s up to her, Hunter and his commander (Ron Perlman) to get her back to her own world and shut down the portal.

There really isn’t much plot to Monster Hunter, as it plays out like one long video game cut scene from Doom. Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa basically swing gigantic blades around and smash things. Then when we are privy to a little world building, it’s cut short after 10 minutes and we’re left to watch the characters pull out video game style finishing moves and battle an even BIGGER monster that protects the spire that holds the portal. That literally is it. Fight, take a break, fight some more, listen to Ron Perlman vomit exposition for a few minutes (in a HILARIOUS blonde wig), and then fight some more, roll credits.

The movie shouldn’t be taken seriously, and from what I could gather from gamers, did the video game a huge disservice. All of the world building and intricacies of the game were left out in favor of massive special effects, and Milla Jovovich’s hotness being on display while Paul W.S. Anderson gleefully goes Michael Bay on us. It’s dumb, it’s rather fun, but very simply put, it’s a video game cut scene from Doom and doesn’t try to be anything else.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of creature action and violence throughout




4K Video: Video:

The Blu-ray is excellent (4.5/5), but the 4K UHD is a BIG improvement over said 1080p disc. The colors and textures really standout as sharper and more vibrant, and the use of HDR makes this a jaw dropping experience. The first 2/3rds of the movie are very much a dust and sand environment, with a dull brown color grading that does allow for sharp primaries (like blood, or a blue piece of clothing) to stand out from the rest. Detail levels still remain sharp, showing every grain of sand, every cut on Milla’s face, as well as intricate detailing on clothes and armor. The last act takes place in a more jungle like environment, with tons of greens, reds, and oranges from super powered weapons. This last CGI laden portion really is amazing, with just as much sharpness and clarity as the first 2 acts, but with a LOT more color pop. Black levels are deep and inky, getting rid of the banding I saw in the Blu-ray, but also allow for an amazing amount of shadow detail to bleed through (the scene near the beginning in the spider cave is really spectacular as you can see rocks and people in the shadows that the Blu-ray couldn’t resolved. Demo material all the way.







Audio:

The audio mix is just as reference as the video is, giving us a GREAT Atmos track that really shakes the rafters. The Blu-ray was given a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track which actually isn’t as much of a downgrade as you’d think. It’s super aggressive and massively immersive, it’s just that the Atmos mix adds some directional changes, as well as opens up the sound stage a little more with the overheads and rears. The track is a tour de force action track to the core, filled with massive explosions, roaring bass that just tears the drywall off your walls, and immerses you with super charged surrounds. The battles are non stop, and the track takes full advantage of that frenetic energy, pumping all channels with the sounds of battle from every angle. The subs are nearly always firing on all 4 cylinders, and drop into some seriously low frequency hits as well. Vocals are still intelligible at all times, and even with the non stop sonic assault, manage to stay evenly balanced with all of the action going on. Overheads are used just as heavily, adding a nice layering effect as debris and monsters rain down from the sky (the last battle with the dragon like creature that I can’t pronounce is amazing. Especially when listening to it with Artemis inside the downed copter). Superb as well.







Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• The Monster Hunters: Cast and Characters
• Monstrous Arsenal: Weaponry in the Film
• For the Players: From Game to Screen

Final Score: ​

Monster Hunter is a decently fun popcorn movie at the core, but at the weaker end of the video game adaptation list. It’s nowhere near Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but neither is it even the first Resident Evil. The movie allows us to see more Milla Jovovich kicking butt amid some great CGI and amazing technical specs from the audio and video department. The 4K UHD disc is EASILY the superior one from what I could tell, as it handily outclasses the Blu-ray in terms of video, and enhances a great 5.1 mix with the inclusion of Atmos. Extras are a tad meager, but rest assured, no one is begging for hours of behind the scenes for this one. Fun, stupid, cheesy rental.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, T.I., Diego Boneta, Meagan Good, Jin Au-Yeung
Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Written by: Paul W.S. Anderson
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core) French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Sony
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 2nd, 2021

Recommendation: Cheesy Watch

 

[Jon Liu]

I watched this over the weekend and was pretty entertained! Pretty mindless, popcorn flick for sure, but oh my it was a pretty movie to look at, for sure!

I really like watching and Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa each respectively do their thing; they both really kick major butt.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

Already have the standard blu-ray, couldn’t find this in UHD anywhere.

Was this a staggered launch? Is that goi g to be the new thing now?

 

[phillihp23]

It was a fun watch ....popcorn

 

[Michael Scott]

Already have the standard blu-ray, couldn’t find this in UHD anywhere.

Was this a staggered launch? Is that goi g to be the new thing now?

no, it was released the same day. Amazon had it when it came out at least.

 

[JStewart]

Fun, stupid, cheesy rental.

Sounds about perfect right now.

 

[Sonnie]

My kind of movie... love these kinds of monsters.

 

[Sonnie]

I did see a bunch of complaints on Amazon about it being announced but not released on time.

 

[Michael Scott]

I did see a bunch of complaints on Amazon about it being announced but not released on time.

Weird May have been a distributing problem. Could explain why the 4K copies for review were sent out weeks later

 

[Sonnie]

I now have two monster movies on the way... and you are to blame for both.

 

[Michael Scott]

I now have two monster movies on the way... and you are to blame for both.

I regret nothing. I'm the site's enabler when it comes to these type of things

 

[Sonnie]

I also have an NX9 coming Thursday... imagine that, Mr Enabler!

 

[Michael Scott]

I also have an NX9 coming Thursday... imagine that, Mr Enabler!

lol, the rangefinder? if so, those things are amazing

 

[Sonnie]

Had no idea that JVC made a rangefinder.

 

[Michael Scott]

Had no idea that JVC made a rangefinder.

lol, you're talking about that insane projector aren't you??? insert massive Jealous emojis

 

[Sonnie]

lol, you're talking about that insane projector aren't you??? insert massive Jealous emojis

There ya go! Got a great deal on a new one... couldn't pass it up.

 

[Michael Scott]

There ya go! Got a great deal on a new one... couldn't pass it up.

lol, you can tell my brain has been on guns lately when the first thing I think of when I hear NX9 is "he got the NX9 rangefinder? those are great for spacing out your shots!" lol

 

[Sonnie]

lol, you can tell my brain has been on guns lately when the first thing I think of when I hear NX9 is "he got the NX9 rangefinder? those are great for spacing out your shots!" lol

Yeah... I knew where you were going with that, being I'm in the gun business. It didn't even cross my mind that you'd think that, but hey... lol... it was a good guess considering.

 

[Michael Scott]

Yeah... I knew where you were going with that, being I'm in the gun business. It didn't even cross my mind that you'd think that, but hey... lol... it was a good guess considering.

Well I knew it was one of two hobbies lol

 

[Sonnie]

Well I knew it was one of two hobbies lol

That's right... what else would either of us be doing.