A new English language trailer for the Chinese box office sensation Monster Hunt has hit the web, and it's an odd one! Directed by Shrek animator Raman Hui in his feature debut, Monster Hunt is set in a fantasy world where monsters and humans co-exist in a state of turmoil until a squishy little creature named Wuba is born, who's basically a lil' monster "the one" that holds the fate of man and monster-kind in his wiggly little tentacles. Hui previously co-directed Shrek the Third and the short film Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five.
The trailer looks like the movie could be a lot of fun or complete mess. It's full of goofy little CGI creatures, gravity-defying fight scenes, and generally just some all around weird shit. Like a dude giving birth to and breast feeding a little smush-faced monster type weird shit. Check it all out in the trailer below.
Monster Hunt debuted in China on July 16th 2015, quickly breaking a number of box office records including setting a new opening-day and single-day record for a Chinese film, and becoming the highest grossing Chinese movie of all time within two weeks of it release. To date, it has earned more than $383 million internationally, and looks to increase that sum when the film arrives in American theaters on January 22nd 2016.
Here's the novella-length Monster Hunt synopsis to help you understand what the hell is going on in that trailer. It's pretty much the whole story though, so read with caution.
In a fantasy world far, far away, monsters ruled the land. Then came human’s all-out war in an attempt to seize the land. In its final days, they outwitted the monsters and succeeded in driving them into the dark mountains. Ever since, monsters were forbidden to step into the land again. If they were found, they would be captured and exterminated. For all these years, the two races have lived in their separate worlds, until the birth of a new monster king who would reshape the balance of power and bring in the new world order. Somewhere in the human world lies a small peaceful place called Serenity Village.
Average young guy Tianyin (Jing Boran) is a security chief who dreams of making it big but is hold back by his diffidence and his elder grandma. Meanwhile, the monster world writhes in chaos as the dark lord is plotting to overthrow the current reign. In order to end the royal bloodline, he orders the assassination of the pregnant monster queen. This is exciting news to monster hunters! Getting wind of the monster queen’s whereabouts, monster hunters from all over the land, including the high-ranked Luo Gan (Jiang Wu) and female rookie Xiaonan (Bai Baihe), are all desperate to get a piece of the action to capture the newborn monster king. Just when Tianyin seems to be stuck in Serenity Village forever, he is accidentally caught up in the middle of a massive pursuit of the pregnant monster queen. Knowing the death is near, the severely wounded monster queen spills her egg into Tianyin’s mouth in a hopeless attempt to save her baby. Who would have thought an average guy like Tianyin could be the bearer of the most wanted monster!
With both worlds wanting to capture him alive, the fates of both Tianyin and the newborn monster seem to be doomed from the start since he can’t protect himself. As luck would have it, Xiaonan appears and saves the day. She offers to protect the “pregnant” Tianyin under the condition that they sell the newborn monster for a good profit. Being hunted by both sides, Tianyin finally gives birth to the future king in the worst possible situation. They name him Wuba since he keeps hollering this word. Although they both love Wuba like their own son, Xiaonan tries to hold back her love in order to focus on her mission.
Unable to defy Xiaonan, Tianyin eventually lets her sell Wuba. However, after a change of heart, they determine to save him, only to discover that Wuba is sold to a 5-star restaurant owned by the cunning Ge Qianhu (Wallace Chung). The restaurant is renowned for making monsters into luxurious dishes. Being protected by a band of sinister monster hunters, breaking into Ge Qianhu’s place sounds like an impossible mission, let alone saving Wuba. Xiaonan is outnumbered and badly hurt during a battle showdown. Just when all hope seems lost, Tianyin discovers a shocking secret that he descends from a family of monster hunters. All of a sudden his hidden power is unlocked, making him fight side-by-side with Xiaonan. Both the fate of Wuba and the future of the monster empire now lie in their hands. But little do they know, it’s only the beginning of their epic adventure!
