Monsters, big swords; it’s about what you’d expect.

Why is it so gosh dang hard to make a good movie based on a video game? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to cleanse the memory of The Super Mario Bros. Movie from my brain. I know for a fact neither Bob Hoskins nor Dennis Hopper could. Perhaps it’s just that Hollywood always feels compelled to try and reinvent something that already has a compelling plot. The Monster Hunter series is full of all sorts of massive, world-spanning conflicts of man and beast. Y’know what Hollywood thought it needed, though? Soldiers. With guns. Yay.

Sony dropped a new trailer today for the western film adaptation of Monster Hunter. As we’ve learned from previous teaser trailers and promotional materials, the film stars Milla Jovovich as Captain Artemis of a United Nations-affiliated military squad. While driving through the desert, her squad is beset by a massive supernatural storm that sends them to the realm of Monster Hunter, where they team up with a local Hunter, played by Tony Jaa, as they learn to survive and try to find a way home. It’s a big, silly popcorn movie of a premise, but it’s about what anyone was expecting, I’d assume.

Get transported to a different world in the action-packed, monster-filled official trailer for Monster Hunter starring Milla Jovovich. https://t.co/OBtT9y2W65 pic.twitter.com/1DuHVYo911

— IGN (@IGN) October 14, 2020

On the bright side, the film will feature appearances by several of the series’ most prolific beasties, including Diablos, Rathalos, Apceros, and Nerscylla. Additionally, the franchise’s mascots, the the anthropomorphic cat Palicoes, will also play a role in the story, with the Meowscular Chef being a major character. The Admiral, a character voiced by Ron Perlman who debuted in Monster Hunter: World, will also play a currently undisclosed part.

The film is set for an exclusive theatrical release some time in December, though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may complicate that plan somewhat.