5.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported from our world to the new world, the unflappable lieutenant receives the shock of her life. In her desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers and unstoppable, revolting attacks, Artemis will team up with a mysterious man who has found a way to fight back.
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, T.I., Diego BonetaAction | 100% |
Adventure | 72% |
Fantasy | 51% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It would seem as if the husband-wife and filmmaker-actress team of Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich have all but exhausted the cinematic opportunities afforded to them in bringing Capcom's longtime and increasingly popular survival-action-horror video game franchise Resident Evil to the silver screen. Even as that series continues to churn out critically acclaimed games with even more on the horizon, perhaps the Resident Evil film franchise -- currently at six films strong in the live action series -- has run its course. Now, Anderson and Jovovich turn their attention to another beloved Capcom video game franchise, Monster Hunter. And good timing, too. Capcom and Nintendo are soon to release the latest installment onto the popular Switch console. Can this new film do as its Resident Evil predecessors collectively accomplished, which is to stand as probably the best overall video game adaptation to the big screen? That is admittedly not a huge hurdle to leap, but in a world of lousy game tie-ins and gaming inspired films, the odds may be better than most would be believe them to be.
The 1080p picture presentation for Monster Hunter is exquisite. The picture was digitally photographed -- what isn't these days? -- and yields an exceptionally sharp Blu-ray image, everything one would expect from a first-rate Hollywood production to current standards. It's tack-sharp and effortlessly intricate. In good light, which is frequent throughout the film in sun-drenched exteriors, there's no shortage of razor-sharp details to enjoy, notably facial pores and other skin details but also caked-on dirt, blood, sweat, hairs, and other elements that give life and depth and textural awareness to the characters. Environments are very well defined, too. Sand is sharp at practically the individual granular level while the more roughhewn environments in the "other world" inside caves or considering rocky structures or fossils remains. It's all tack sharp to the limits that this format can achieve. Color output is exceptional. While much of the film features earthy backgrounds of beige and brown and black, which are perfectly realized on the screen, there are some great examples of fiery reds and oranges, some red blood, and other colors that leap off the screen with vivid vibrancy. Black levels are great and flesh tones are spot-on, even as they are caked in grime, blood, burns, and other flaws and filth. The image does see some spiking noise intensifying in extreme low light or in some shots earlier in the film when dark caves are illuminated by a single red flair. Other source or encode maladies are nonexistent. This is a first-rate Blu-ray transfer from Sony.
Although the Blu-ray is given a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack rather than the Dolby Atmos presentation accompanying the corresponding UHD release, listeners on this format shouldn't feel at all short-changed with the comparatively lacking channel selection. As the film opens a large "ship," as if one which would sail on the seas, powers through the desert and the feel for depth is superb. Bass is fully engaged well beyond where most soundtracks these days venture and the sense of scale and movement are first-rate; it's a wild ride. The depth and intensity are broken up by a few moments of peace as the scene inside the ship is set, allowing for immersive and highly detailed creaks and cracks and structural moans and groans to saturate the stage. The track amplifies again moments later when a monster attacks the ship with the result much the same as that first powerful wave. The track is this aggressive throughout. It barely relents and never fails to bring intense subwoofer engagement or full-on surround intensity to every scene. Powerful monsters, gun blasts, explosions, intense flames, crashing structures, overturning vehicles…nothing it left to the imagination. Even in the sonic maelstrom everything remains impressively detailed and prioritized with perfect location detail and exacting stage traversal of moving sounds. Music soars with authoritative depth and space and detail. Dialogue is clear and center-positioned. Modern audio doesn't get much better, or much more fun, than this.
This Blu-ray release of Monster Hunter includes a few featurettes and two deleted scenes. No DVD copy is included but Sony has bundled in a
Movies Anywhere digital copy code. This release ships with a slipcover.
Anderson certainly does his homework when making his game adaptations, and his love for the material and dedication to both making it right and making a mass appeal popcorn film are evident in Monster Hunter. While the film will not go down in history as anything groundbreaking or memorable, it's quite the entertainer that takes familiar pieces, the expectedly big scale, and the epic digital constructions to make a very agreeable time killer. And only time will tell if he can milk this franchise as he did Resident Evil, but for fans of the game franchise, and anyone looking for a slick modern Action film with fantasy currents, this one's tough to beat. Sony's Blu-ray delivers first-class video and audio. Supplements are on the thin side but serve duty well enough. Recommended.
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