As with all video game movies, Monster Hunter has to have homages. They owe that much to the fans of the franchise who will readily watch the film no matter the stigma regarding video game movies. The Monster Hunter movie was sadly not an exception from such controversies and it came out piping hot— hot enough to get pulled out of cinemas due to bad reception from the Chinese audience.
Racial offenses notwithstanding and generic protagonists aside, Monster Hunter 2020 still keeps in tune with the franchise especially in the form of nods to the games. These can be anything from character details to some prop additions that can make some of the fans go wild making their non-fan friends raise their eyebrows or scratch their heads in confusion for why their companion is foaming at the mouth at the mere sight of a humanoid cat.
10 Meowscular Chef
It’s a crime to make a Monster Hunter film without including some of the cutest (but also deadliest) digital companions in the game: palicos. Among these palicos is an alpha cat named Meowscular Chef who takes care of all the cooking.
He was at his grandest display of culinary class in Monster Hunter World and thankfully, the Monster Hunter movie included a scene of him cooking. Not only that, but the film also shows just how tough when it comes to combat. That alone should be enough to offset all the poor taste.
9 Elemental Weapons
In addition to having some mean-looking big sticks, particularly the one that The Hunter (Tony Jaa) brandishes, Monster Hunter 2020 also features some of the smaller weapons such as the Dual Blades which is the protagonist’s weapon of choice.
In order to make these bread knives look as cool as the bone Greatsword or the Bow, they had to make it an elemental weapon. Hence, Milla Jovovich’s Dual Blades appear to deal lightning or flame damage which is a good choice since it’s one of the least resisted damage types in Monster Hunter World.
8 Small Monsters
It’s not just big monsters that get the spotlight in the movie but also the local wildlife or the small monsters that mostly serve as prey for the main ones. The most notable of them shown in the Monster Hunter movie is the Apceros.
It’s a four-legged dinosaur-like herbivore that travels in herds and often can cause stampedes for hapless hunters. The film gladly showcases just how this universe’s version of the wildebeest can also be as menacing or as dangerous as the bigger monsters.
7 Diablos’ Horns
One of the earliest big monsters to assault the US military protagonists in Monster Hunter 2020 is the Diablos who was prominently featured in the trailers and serves as a poster boy of the film. Amidst the action, it’s easy to miss the details and see Diablos as nothing more than a generic horned desert troublemaker.
However, fans of the games will surely appreciate the fact that Diablos has some notable progressively appearing battle scars, namely one of his horns which gradually appear to be badly damaged. It’s safe to say that that Diablos isn’t in full health anymore.
6 The Handler
The Handler is one of the most persistent characters in Monster Hunter World and oftentimes, she serves as a vocal representative of the players. While some might find her annoying and overbearing at times, her absence is something that players will likely notice due to her loudness and audacity.
That’s why most viewers who have played Monster Hunter World beforehand will likely be looking for The Handler in the movie. Thankfully, she’s there though not as maddening and she still has her expedition goggles with her.
5 Slingers
Apart from ridiculous weapons made out of monster parts, hunters usually have to rely on something else for utility, such as the underrated Slinger. It’s a compact projectile weapon that catapults specialized ammunition at monsters like flash bombs/pods or rocks for distraction.
Other times, a grappling hook and line can also be attached to these Slingers. The Monster Hunter movie gladly took this opportunity to make the film’s combat more acrobatic. After all, hunting monsters that big is like the equivalent of a mouse fighting a lion.
4 Monoculars
At every tutorial of a Monster Hunter game, they usually show players how to scout an area and look for the threats they’re hunting— as if a flying beast the size of a building needs seeing aids to detect.
Anyway, that seeing aid comes in the form of binoculars which actually look more like a mini telescope since it’s only for one eye. The Hunter takes out one of these standard hunter tools and it’s exactly like the one used in Monster Hunter World.
3 Hunter Handbook
Monster Hunter games’ artistic style is not only displayed in its monster and environmental design but also in the user interface. Most noticeably in Monster Hunter World, the archive and most of the menus are actually old hand-made books, giving off a special expeditionary vibe.
Such books are also present in the film where each and every monster is drawn and their weaknesses or qualities jotted down. The film also went the extra mile and made the books worn out and made crudely out of the most common raw materials available.
2 Cooking Spit
Among the tools that many hunters use for utility is a portable spitroast that pops out at the press of a button. Such was the case in most Monster Hunter games, allowing the players to make an improvised camp and replenish their health.
Obviously, the portable spit has the same purpose in the Monster Hunter movie. The Hunter takes it out in the middle of a respite after a grueling hunt and rescue mission. It makes up for a lack of film palico to cook for you.
1 Ship Voyage
Anyone who has played Monster Hunter World will surely remember just how epic the start of the game can be. It starts off with a naval expedition that’s interrupted by a Godzilla-sized monster named Zorah Magdaros.
While the film doesn’t have that same kind of epic moment, it still manages to take the Commission’s ship out for a wavy ride not on the sea but on dunes because that’s cooler. Admiral’s also there so that explains much of the craziness.
