Monster Hunter (6/10)
The weird thing about this film is that for about 80% of its runtime, it's actually good. Weird, considering that this is Paul W.S. Anderson, who, at best, tends to make action shlock, yet here, a lot of the film is remarkably self-cosntrained. Once again, Milla Jovovich is playing a character in a desert fighting monsters, but how the film is shot and paced is in stark contrast to Anderson's RE films. Disclaimer that I've never played the Monster Hunter games, nor know anything about their lore, so for the most part, this is treating the film entirely on its own merits rather than its status as an adaptation.
So, anyway, a bunch of US Rangers operating in what I assume is the Middle East (longitude and latitude are given, but no actual location) are engulfed by a storm that sends them into a different world. Earthlike in a lot of respects (sand, blue sky, etc.) but clearly not the location they were once in. Driving across the desert sands in their vehicles, they're attacked by a creature called a dialos that's immune to everything, can dive under the sand, and kills/injures a number of them. Taking shelter amongst rocks, they're attacked by spider-like monsters, who kill/coccoon the rest, so by the time Jovovich's character escapes from their underground nest, she's the only ranger left alive. Meanwhile, someone is aiding them from afar, shooting explosive arrows and the like, but he remains an enigma at this point.
Commenting up to this point, the film's paced very well. There's action, sure, but it's a very slow burn, from getting sucked into this world, to exploring it, to being attacked, and so on. Furthermore, what I really like about the movie's first 80% is how the film conveys a sense of "alienness, but not too much" while subtletly conveying how this ecosystem works. While it doesn't have a monopoly on this concept, I found myself reminded of the game 'Another World', in that it has a similar premise (lightning storm sucks in protagonist to alien world), and said alien world being...off. As in, the creatures aside, there's nothing in the geography that would feel out of place on Earth, but there's a sense of 'offness' that pervades the environs. Of course, the very first thing we see in the film is a sailing ship literally sailing over sand, but, y'know...
Also, there's the ecosystem. It's never stated, but we can pick things out. That the dialos is death incarnate on the sand, but can't (or won't) go into the rocks. The spiders are lethal, but are extremely vulnerable to sunlight, so during the day, you're safe from them (unless you're in shadow). By extension, our protagonist can see the storm in the distance, and knows she has to get back, but has no way of travelling over the sand without being eaten. I know Jovovich's got a lot of flak over the years, but credit where credit is due, she has to carry the movie by herself for a fair portion of its runtime, and does a decent job. Though I should also point out that her character's name is Natalie Artemis. Gee, subtle...
Anyway, Artemis is captured by "the Hunter" (hence referred to as "Hunter"), and what starts off as an adversarial relationship ends as a friendship. Neither of them can speak the other's language, and both are aggravataed by that fact. I really like how the film handles this - Hunter knows how these creatures operate, and knows that they can't make for the storm while the dialos is alive, so they have to train, plan, and execute that plan, without able to speak each other's language. Again, both actors do a great job of selling this. The language barrier is handled well, so we get to learn about both characters through their actions rather than their words. Okay, sure, lots of works have done this, but still, it's done well. Also, Artemis is decked out in monster hunting gear that's neat. Over-designed, but neat. I assume that these giant swords, bows, and grapple-shots are from the games, but whatever, they're neat.
So, anyway, the dialos is killed, but Hunter is knocked out, so Artemis is forced to drag him across the desert for awhile, before he comes to, and they keep on marching, effectively retracting the steps (or wheels) of the rangers. Again, mostly silent, and mostly atmospheric, and it works. Unfortunately, however, it's what happens after this that causes the film to lose its steam. Because it's at this point that the pair reunite with Hunter's ship crew, and the admiral (played by Ron Pearlman, because...reasons), happens to speak English. Turns out Artemis isn't the first person from Earth to this world, and he learnt their language from these prior travellers.
