QS stands for “Quickshot”, a series of short form review/preview/opinion articles.
I just watched this new monster hunter animated movie that released on Netflix last week. It’s kind of funny how Monster Hunter has been a relatively niche franchise ever since its inception, and now we’ve gotten two films about it in the past year alone. Contrary to the live action feature film (which I didn’t think was awful), this animated adaption is strikingly faithful to the source material. You can tell it was made with an exceedingly high amount of love and care.
The film follows the early adventures of the Ace Cadet, a character from the games. His real name is Aiden, which was revealed at the end of the recent Monster Hunter World expansion, Iceborne (is this a Monster Hunter cinematic universe, or what?). Veteran players will know him all the way back from Monster Hunter 4, and this film explains how he came to work alongside the other ace hunters and climb the hunter ranks.
Two other familiar faces are at play in this movie, and they are the Ace Commander (Julius) and the Ace Gunner (Nadia). By the end of the film, two original characters have joined their motely crew. The plot centers around a young and inexperienced Aiden growing immensely as he strives to save his village from the impending attack of an elder dragon. Elder dragons are bad news in the Monster Hunter universe, and this film’s central antagonist, a feisty Lunastra, is Armageddon in the shape of a blue flame lion.
Let’s cover the positives first. The soundtrack is pretty solid, and definitely evocative of the tone of the game’s music (a few select motifs were even lifted, which was cool). The voice acting is solid enough. Nothing spectacular, but it got the job done (Dante Basco, who voiced Zuko in ATLA, is the voice of Aiden). The pace is perhaps too quick, but it kept things moving along. I was never bored. The visuals are also bright and vibrant, just like the source material. The monster variety is also unique (no Rathalos in sight, THANK YOU!).
There are a few too many negatives for me to wholeheartedly recommend this film to those unfamiliar with Monster Hunter. The overall animation is fine, but it’s choppy in some parts and rushed in others. It certainly looks like a video game cutscene at points. The film (clocking in at only 58 minutes) is a bit too short to do much with its plot or characters. Neither are bad, but they aren’t exactly original either. One character was killed before being able to do much of anything at all (I did appreciate the feeling of genuine stakes, however).
This is very clearly a film for the fans. If you like Monster Hunter, you’ll like this (or at least enjoy it). If you don’t care for Monster Hunter, this is a much tougher sell.
The Contrarian Corner 