It’s important to remember that The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D was an essential step to returning 3D to the mainstream movie-going experience. Why is it important to remember this? Because one day Hong Kong may just be making films like Frozen, all spawning from a film like this which appears to have little going for it besides “the animator from Shrek.”
Wait. We love Shrek because of the animation, really? Oh.
Monster Hunt is one of those hideous hybrid live action/goofy animation films like Mary Poppins. Can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of these, but technically this is most film these days, isn’t it? Name any big budget film today that hasn’t been CGI enhanced. Monster Hunt is relatively unique these days in that it is obvious which image is fake and which isn’t … but I’m still not a fan.
It is a time of monster and human coexistence in China and monster hunters exist to do away with all that. Huo Xiaolan (Baihe Bai) is a level two huntress who has tracked some blobby 3D guys to a restaurant run by Song Tianyin (Boran Jing). Tianyin is the “village mayor,” which seems a title bestowed by a mocking public. He is constantly behind whatever curve there is and often caught in his senile grandmother’s monster traps. While accidentally hosting a monster/hunter battle in his -for lack of a better word- café, Tianyin gets “marked,” which allows the 3D blob in question to return, collect the restauranteur surreptitiously, and then impregnate him with the future monster queen.
Did that sound like Alien? It did, didn’t it? I’d say the only true different is this alien doesn’t naturally destroy its host – but still, that’s freaking invasive. Invasive or no, it allows for some ill-considered “pregnant man” jokes (yes, he looks like a pregnant woman, only he’s a man), and then baby blob comes out to play with reluctant parents Tianyin and Xiaolan.
This film did remind me of Shrek – but not any of the Shrek movies; it reminded me a lot of that Shrek Christmas special where the baby ogres get up to shenanigans. One of the big issues here is feeding the demon spawn, but the baby only drinks blood. Yeah, good luck with that one – and way to market it to the kids, folks. So Tianyin stuffs the thing with olives in an effort to teach him omnivorous ways. The next scene, of course, is the baby spitting olives like machine gun bullets at what remains of a country rest stop.
Monster Hunt was a big hit in China; I’m guessing that stems from the novelty more than the quality of film. Even in China, you’re 
still going to get most of your 3D animation from American companies like Disney and DreamWorks. But this film had seeds – the 3D effects weren’t bad; there was good interaction between live and animated and Monster Hunt boasted at least two unmemorable original songs. The day when commonplace movie-going Americans are excited to see a 3D animated film from China? They’re not far off. Question: how does China deal with its own ridiculously lax standards on copyright infringement? The more successful Chinese films are, the more it will have to deal with said problem.
Now, that all said, this film really wasn’t very good; its best moments were schmaltzy while the thematic and action moments were probably too mature for the schmaltzy crowd (for one thing, the humans actually sell the crying baby monster as food in Act II). Monster Hunt strikes me as the kind of film that gets watched over and over and over again by an indulged child only to realize later on, “that kinda sucked, huh.” Chinese children, too, have every right to be just as embarrassed with their younger selves as we do. Long live Short Circuit.
I’m taking my monster for a walk
He doesn’t know how to talk
Villainous creatures will stalk
I’m taking my monster for a walk
I’m teaching my monster to eat
Blood, it seems, is a treat
His nutrition will be incomplete
I’m teaching my monster to eat
I’m selling my monster to cooks
Hey! I know how this looks
Better to leave him to crooks?
I’m selling my monster to cooks
Not Rated, 111 Minutes
D: Raman Hui
W: Alan Yuen
Genre: Mandarin Nanny
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Undiscerning children
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: People who hate live action/animation mixes
