Los Angeles Times by Charles Solomon
While individual sequences are genuinely entertaining, Monster Hunt remains considerably less than the sum of its many parts.
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
China, Hong Kong · 2015
Rated PG · 1h 58m
Director Raman Hui
Starring Bai Baihe, Jing Boran, Jiang Wu, Elaine Jin
Genre Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
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In fictional ancient China, humans live among monsters. Once living in harmony, the two groups are now at odds, seeking total domination over the earth's land. When a human becomes pregnant with a monster's baby, the two groups must decide whether to join together or fight to the death.
Los Angeles Times by Charles Solomon
While individual sequences are genuinely entertaining, Monster Hunt remains considerably less than the sum of its many parts.
Wall Street Journal by Joe Morgenstern
The film is far from perfect, but it’s certainly ambitious, often entertaining and, compared to the feeble competition from new American films of the moment, a singing, dancing, stomping and chomping “Citizen Kane.”
The New York Times by Nicolas Rapold
Some of this recalls Stephen Chow’s “Journey to the West,” minus the brilliance.
Monster Hunt combines a lot of qualities from the other items on the all-timer’s list: epic action, elaborate special effects, broad comedy, and a style that could best be described as “exhausting.”
He (Hui) does not achieve the surreal grandeur of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, but he has enough imagination and talent to engage his audience on its own level.
Take it as a transitional comedy for kids about to outgrow “Kung Fu Panda” and keep your expectations low — very low — and you won’t mind it.
If you’re willing to overlook some monstrously big plot holes and logic gaps, this half-animated Chinese blockbuster is an agreeably bonkers, occasionally disturbing cinematic ride.
Village Voice by Sherilyn Connelly
There are some scary moments among the slapstick, and the picture surprisingly doesn't pull its punches during its Harry and the Hendersons–style denouement, but Monster Hunt is hindered by its overlong running time and often mawkish sentimentality.
RogerEbert.com by Simon Abrams
Chinese blockbuster Monster Hunt is a sappy, crowd-pleasing, tonally wonky fantasy-adventure/comedy that pits dorky-looking monsters against over-acting cornball comedians/monster-hunters.
Washington Post by Stephanie Merry
Monster Hunt has visual appeal to spare, but the allure ends there.
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