Video game movies are most often hit or miss affairs especially when studios start considering the mass appeal of the films and how they can rake in non-fans. The Monster Hunter movie (2020) was no exception; the filmmakers had to take liberties with the story and plot as well as many other elements in order to condense a typically 40+ hour-game and make it a digestible 2-hour experience.
So you can probably forgive them for including some standard American action flick tropes. After all, the film still managed to somewhat stay true to the source material. Just how much of it was faithful to the Monster Hunter franchise and which parts would have made the video game fans roll their eyes? Well, both aspects of the film come in equal doses, making it all the more polarizing.
10 Accurate: Costumes And Weapons
Barring the fatigues from the unlikely protagonists of the film, the armor, and the weapons are quite spot-on as far as the usual low-level ones appear in the game. The Hunter (Tony Jaa) wears a garb that well-mimics the one worn by one of the most familiar faces in Monster Hunter World.
Additionally, Captain Natalie Artemis’ changed into a more apt attire for the new environment and also wore something familiar. Meanwhile, the weapons also look convincing enough, despite being notably beginner-gear.
9 Not: The US Army
There’s the elephant in the room. The US military is almost always present in many American action movies and according to the filmmakers, they help the non-fan viewers insert and immerse themselves into the film.
By that logic, the US military is a blank slate or template and thus don’t make for compelling protagonists. They’re the only characters in the movie that stick out like sore thumbs and you don’t have to be a fan to consider them as unnecessary additions.
8 Accurate: Cooking
Being based on a long-standing video game that exists in a niche similar to Dark Souls, the Monster Hunter movie just had to add in some homages. It shouldn’t be too hard since there are tons to do in the game outside of the standard Wrestlemania against wild animals.
Cooking is another thing that the film emphasized and how important it is for establishing the primal and wild nature of the setting. They even got the portable cooking tools right as well as some of the food which is a huge part of the Monster Hunter games.
7 Not: Gun Damage
Sadly, when you add real-life elements into a fantasy setting, the logic starts falling apart. The Monster Hunter universe has guns but they’re quite primitive or even prototypical in order to balance out with the need for melee weapons.
Then along came the US Army equipped with machine guns, miniguns, assault rifles, and VTOL aircraft. Since their weaponry is way more advanced, they really could have taken out the monsters a lot easier even with the limited ammunition they have.
6 Accurate: Meowscular Chef/Palicos
Since food was more or less accurate in the film and represents the film’s cuisine quite well, it would be a disservice to not include the best chef or cook in the game franchise, the legendary Meowscular Chef. He’s the biggest and toughest out of all the palicos and despite how menacing he is, he prefers to stay in the kitchen.
Fans will be pleased to know that the Meowscular Chef made into the movie and is as buff as ever. Of course, he’s also there with a cooking scene to show off just how important he is when it comes to preparing for some dangerous monster hunts.
5 Not: The Storm
Forces of nature make themselves well-known in the Monster Hunter universe, usually in the form of environmental hazards. However, they’re not as blatantly artificial as a storm that takes the victims to another dimension.
That pretty much explains why there are army grunts stuck in the desert having trouble with a Black Diablos. According to the story, the said storm can also bring the monsters to the real-world, so that’s a good motivation for the US Army protagonists to give a damn.
4 Accurate: Monster Design
As expected, the design and CGI department of the Monster Hunter movie did a great job of recreating some of the monsters from the games. Black Diablos was terrifying as ever and Gore Magala was convincing enough.
Even some of the smaller monsters such as the Aptonoths and other dinosaur-like fauna are there and look great. The environment they’re in also reflects their physical characteristics as much as possible, making them decent counterparts to their game versions.
3 Not: Weapon Moves
Sadly, the weapons in the Monster Hunter games are ridiculous and wouldn’t sit well in live-action with their original video game proportions no matter the strength of an actor or stuntman. That’s why The Hunter’s greatsword looks noticeably smaller compared to its game version.
More than that, the combat movements for the weapons are also too complicated in the games and would likely result in a couple of broken bones if performed in stunts. Hence, the combat and action are more conservative in the film.
2 Accurate: The Characters
Apart from The Hunter who has an uncanny resemblance to his game counterpart, the gang’s also pretty much complete in the movie. Well, at least the most standout members are there such as Meowscular Chef and even The Handler.
Their leader, the gruff and explosive Admiral is also present and Ron Perlman does him justice at the very least. Seriously, why didn’t they make the main protagonists out of the original video game characters instead of plain military guys with no background?
1 Not: The Rathalos
One thing that the hardcore fans of Monster Hunter games will have likely laughed at is how the movie places the Greater Rathalos on too high a pedestal. Rathalos in the Monster Hunter movie is painted like the T-Rex from Jurassic Park.
It’s even heavily implied that it’s one of the strongest monsters in the film and makes him seem like an Elder Dragon. In reality, the Rathalos is nothing but a pushover in the games and something not even worth the grinding time, especially in Monster Hunter World.
NEXT: 10 Action RPGs To Play If You Like Monster Hunter: World
