Monster Hunt

Director - Raman Hui (Shrek the Third, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five)
Starring - Baihe Bai (Go Away Mr. Tumour, Personal Tailor), Boarn Jing (The Guillotines, Rise of the Legend), and Wu Jiang (1911, Let the Bullets Fly)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Comedy/Adventure
Tagline - "The monsters just got bigger)
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've seen some of the most vile, disgusting, and depraved horror films that the indie scene has to offer. Some are controversial while others are just gore ridden.  Some cause people to become sick while others are accused of being real.  I've seen some pretty outlandish stuff some of these movies I've reviewed.  I love horror but I still remember the films I watched growing up.  Movies like Air Bud, Space Jam, Heavyweights, The Big Green, and so on.  These were staples in my home until the horror obsession.  Now that I have kids I try to track down these flicks to show them and I recently completed my Prehysteria collection for them (and for myself).  When MVD announced their acquisition of the live action/animated hybrid Monster Hunt I was excited.  It was a monster movie that I could share with my kids.  I requested a copy and they were kind enough to send over a review copy.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows a cook who is impregnated with the egg of a monster queen who is fleeing for her life from the merciless monster hunters.  The cook befriends a female monster hunter who plants on selling the egg and gaining rank among the other monster hunters until it hatches.  Once the baby is born the two become protective of the baby and protect it at all costs.

     
     Monster Hunt was not the type of film I was expecting.  The film is proud of the fact that this was handled by the same team that produced Shrek so I was expecting to see a mostly animated film.  Instead, the film is 90% live action with animated creatures.  Sadly, my kids didn't give a damn about the film but I actually liked it.  Probably more than most men my age!  The acting in this one is fun.  The cast has a great wit about themselves and really sold me on their characters.  The characters are very quirky but that adds some charm to the film.  I really enjoyed the cast and can't wait to see them in the sequel.  The story for this one is overwhelming.  Every scene has something going on to hold the viewer's attention.  The scenes have a great mix of humor and action.  The comedic timing is perfect and the action is flawless.  The story works well for a children's film but could use a little more animation to drown out some of the live action to make it more appealing to children.  Finally, this isn't a bloody monster movie like most of us are accustomed to.  Instead, it is a cute action packed film full of visual effects.  I really liked how the monsters looked but when you put it next to a live action actor they do look rather absurd.  Overall, Monster Hunt was a fun film that can be emotional at times.  I recommend this one for any movie lover.  Check it out.