The Monster Hunter live-action film is set to debut next month, and a new Chinese trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson’s adaptation has provided a first look at the movie’s version of the Palico monsters from the games. While the film’s storyline might be a hard sell for fans of Capcom’s video game franchise, the monsters themselves seem very faithful to the source material! The Palico shown in the new trailer is no exception; while the scene is clearly played for laughs, the Palico design perfectly channels the adorable nature of the cat-like creatures from the Monster Hunter video game franchise.
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The full trailer can be found embedded below.
In addition to the Calicoes, the trailer features a number of previously-revealed monsters from the film, including its take on Rathalos. Rathalos is one of the most recognizable creatures from the franchise, and the theatrical take captures that quite well. It’s clear from the trailer that creatures like Rathalos and Diablos will be a thorn in the side of the movie’s heroes, as they try to enlist more helpful creatures.
Monster Hunter is a massive franchise for Capcom, and Monster Hunter World is actually the best-selling game in the publisher’s history. As such, there is a lot of pressure on the film to deliver an experience that lives up to the expectations of fans, while also offering a movie that appeals to those unfamiliar with the series. Monster Hunter isn’t the only Capcom franchise getting the theatrical treatment, either; a Resident Evil reboot is currently in the works, and it seems that it will adhere far closer to the source material than the previous films did.
Movies based on video games have long struggled to faithfully adapt the source material, but recent successes like Pokemon: Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog have shown that there is a real desire from fans to see beloved games faithfully adapted to the big screen. It remains to be seen whether or not Monster Hunter will follow in that trend, but the film’s faithful take on a Palico proves that even the less intimidating monsters will be conveyed faithfully in the film. For fans, that’s a very positive sign.
Are you looking forward to the Monster Hunter movie? Are you happy to see the Palico adhering close to the source material? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
