Review of the latest releases
MONSTER HUNTER (12A, 103 mins) Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Adventure. Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris, Diego Boneta, Meagan Good, Jin Au-Yeung, Josh Helman. Director: Paul WS Anderson.
When filmmaker couples excitedly say “I do” at the altar, they should also make a vow to say “We don’t” to mediocre genre projects that are simply an excuse to work together.
Director Ben Falcone and actress wife Melissa McCarthy are trapped in a vicious cycle of misfiring romps that squander her bountiful gifts as a physical comedian.
Now director Paul WS Anderson and actress wife Milla Jovovich are seemingly determined to corner the market on bombastic action adventures inspired by video games.
After six chapters of the bloodthirsty Resident Evil franchise, the couple trade flesh-hungry zombies for more ferocious beasts in an otherworldly escapade based on a Capcom video game series.
The language barrier between the two leads, Jovovich and Thai martial arts star Tony Jaa, is played for uncomfortable laughs in Anderson’s script, which takes a disconcertingly laidback approach to coherent storytelling as the action oscillates between parallel realms.
Impressive digital effects bring hulking creatures to life and Anderson orchestrates one exhilarating setpiece: a fire-breathing dragon called a Rathalos taking down a military plane in mid-air.
However, dialogue and characterisation are gossamer thin with a focus on exhausting showdowns between the US Army and gargantuan predators impervious to a blitzkrieg of bullets, grenades and missiles.
Anderson continues to take delight in watching his wife being pummelled and maimed on screen, including bruising hand-to-hand combat with Jaa that serves no dramatic purpose other than to showcase the actors’ acrobatic excellence.
US Army Ranger Natalie Artemis (Jovovich) leads her squad including Axe (Jin Au-Yeung), Dash (Meagan Good), Lincoln (Tip “T.I.” Harris), Marshall (Diego Boneta) and Steeler (Josh Helman) on a mission to locate missing troops in the desert.
Bravo Team’s tyre tracks mysteriously vanish in a stretch of sand lined with stone pillars.
An electrically charged storm engulfs Natalie and her platoon and they are propelled through a portal into the New World where a horned subterranean predator called Diablos sits atop the food chain.
The soldiers’ impressive arsenal is no match for Diablos’ scaly armour and the terrified military unit seeks shelter in a cave where spider-like Nerscyllas are waiting to pounce.
Meanwhile, a skilled hunter (Jaa) of these hideous beasts surveys the carnage from a safe distance using his collapsible telescope.
Monster Hunter hacks and slashes at a wearying pace accompanied by the steady growl of composer Paul Haslinger’s score.
Jovovich and Jaa catalyse inert screen chemistry and whenever Anderson runs out of expendable human cast, he casually introduces nameless fresh faces to sacrifice to the towering denizens of the New World.
Considering that Rathalos, Diablos and other creatures can apparently cross over into our world, the stakes should be perilously high.
Instead, Anderson treats his lumbering creature feature as a walk in the post-Jurassic park.
IN THE EARTH (15, 108 mins)
Essex-born writer-director Ben Wheatley pits mankind against Mother Nature in a timely horror thriller, which was written during lockdown.
In the aftermath of a deadly virus, Martin Lowery (Joel Fry) is part of a scientific community, which hopes to find new ways to live side-by-side with contagions.
He travels to Bristol to assist with a governmentcontrolled study run by his old flame, Dr Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires).
She is operating in woodland steeped in myth and superstition.
Park guide Alma (Ellora Torchai) leads the two-day hike to Dr Wendle’s camp and excitedly relays the legend of a forest spirit called Parnag Fegg.
During their trek, Martin and Alma experience strange phenomena, which suggest they might not be alone in the wilderness.
THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD (15, 100 mins)
In 2017, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson headlined the high-stakes action comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard directed by Patrick Hughes, playing one of the best protection agents in the business and a top assassin respectively.
The Hollywood stars reprise their roles in a turbocharged sequel with Hughes back at the helm.
Fresh from their last life-threatening mission, bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) and hit man Darius Kincaid (Jackson) are propelled back into each other’s orbits when Darius’s volatile wife, international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek), gets into a spot of bother.
Caught between the deranged Kincaid spouses, Bryce is driven to the brink of madness trying to keep the couple alive as he navigates a global plot masterminded by megalomaniac Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas).
THE REASON I JUMP (12A, 82 mins)
In 2007, author Naoki Higashida opened eyes to the inner workings of his autistic mind with the bestselling book, The Reason I Jump, written when he was just 13.
An English language translation by KA Yoshida and David Mitchell provides the inspiration for this multiaward-winning documentary directed by Jerry Rothwell.
His film paints vibrant and intimate portraits of five nonspeaking autistic young people from around the world and shepherd audiences on an immersive exploration of neurodiversity. Enriched with Higashida’s words, The Reason I
employs a sensually rich cinematic language to shatter preconceptions about autism and affirm a core message of understanding that not being able to speak doesn’t necessarily mean there is nothing to say.
IT MUST BE HEAVEN (15, 102 mins)
Award-winning Palestinian film director and actor Elia Suleiman plays himself in a comical road movie which blurs reality and fantasy as the lead character ventures to Paris and New York in search of creative enlightenment.
A filmmaker (Suleiman) travels from Nazareth to the French capital to secure backing for a project about Palestine.
A French producer (Vincent Maraval) is unimpressed with the pitch and passes on making a financial commitment.
Unperturbed, the filmmaker moves onto New York where a professor of film (Guy Sprung) and actor Gael Garcia Bernal (playing himself) show little interest in realistically depicting the Palestinian experience on film.
PHIL LIGGETT: THE VOICE OF CYCLING (Certificate TBC, 114 mins)
Born and raised in Cheshire, Phil Liggett MBE has been inextricably entwined with the tumultuous history of professional cycling for five decades, witnessing jawdropping triumphs, controversies and shattering tragedies.
Over the course of 15 Olympic games and 47 Tours de France, the television commentator has brought his trademark wit and insight to his coverage of the fastpaced sport, shaping the way we see and appreciate cycling.
Directors Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe pay tribute to Liggett, who has been a witness to key moments in cycling over the last half century.
Their documentary addresses Liggett’s long-time support of Lance Armstrong during a particularly dark period for the sport and his feelings about returning to the commentary box after the death of colleague and close friend Paul Sherwen.