Monster Hunter: Legends of The Guild Review

Capcom continues its animated streaming endeavor with a new and original story told in the universe of Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter: Legends of The Guild tells the story of a young man named Aiden and his first encounter with one of the fabled Elder Dragons of the land in this 58-minute animated movie marking the directorial debut of Steve Yamamoto (Transformers) and written by Joshua Fine.

We’re first introduced to Aiden in a setting that is all-too-familiar to anybody who may have played 2018’s Monster Hunter World — he’s aboard a ship heading to the New World. In this opening, we see Aiden as a seasoned hunter who has joined the 5^th Fleet (the fifth wave of Hunters heading to an uncharted land) as it tracks down a “walking volcano monster” better known as Zorah Magdaros. As he recounts his story on how he was introduced to the world of the Hunters to three other passengers onboard, the movie truly begins.

The movie follows Aiden, a teenage, happy-go-lucky kid living in a small village in the Old World. Eventually, our upstart will cross paths with Julius, an Ace Hunter of the Hunter’s Guild along with some other experienced Hunters as they attempt to take on a threat that will most likely wipe out Aiden’s boyhood village–a fabled Elder Dragon.

Aiden’s very first encounter with the fearsome Elder Dragon is one he’ll never forget. The Hunters adventure is filled with danger, tragedy, and an overall lesson about the Great Balance between the world’s Humans and Monsters.

Legends of The Guild is quite possibly the Monster Hunter movie that fans of the franchise have been waiting for. On its surface, it shows exactly what Monster Hunter the game is all about. From the people living their lives in a land filled with terrifying and powerful creatures, to the spirit of the hunt that is the core feature of the gaming series Legends of The Guild is lifted from, this is a video game movie that is quite possibly done right.

The movie looks gorgeous and the creature designs are true to their depictions from the game. Most notable of all (a true high note of Legends of The Guild) is how the monsters of Monster Hunter are brought to life here in the film. Almost every monster featured in combat against the Hunters uses an attack that is signature to any of the various games from the Monster Hunter franchise they are pulled from. Fans are treated to some true fan service for their viewing pleasure.

Legends of The Guild stars a cast of very skilled voice actors with Star Wars Rebels actor Dante Basco voicing the role of Aiden, Brando Eaton as Julius, G.K. Bowes as Nadia, Karen Strassman as Genovan/Ebbi, and Big Time Rush actor Stephen Kramer Glickman as Nox.

The movie itself does carry some flaws.

The animation can be weirdly disjointed at times. Characters come off way too animated, yet the facial animations of almost every character featured in the film seems to be lackluster. The editing of the film can give viewers whiplash with the rapid camera shifts and cuts.

The pacing of Legends of The Guild is also another problem. Action sequences come continuously while the movie also tries to deliver as much story as it can to get the audience as familiar with the lore of the franchise as possible. Before viewers have had a chance to cool off from the last scene or digest the knowledge that Legends of The Guild is trying to give, the movie has already moved into the next informative lesson or high-octane action beat.

FINAL WORD:
As a fan of the Monster Hunter franchise, I can say that this is a highly entertaining movie, particularly for the millions of players who have experienced Monster Hunter. It is a first step in giving gamers an actual video game movie that doesn’t waste all of the original content it borrows from while at the same time spinning a completely original story that could (and does in this case) fit with the overall canon of the franchise.

While flawed, Monster Hunter: Legends of The Fall is a wonderful (if not short) movie that is full of entertainment. Fans of the games will appreciate seeing a new story that bridges events from across Monster Hunter 4 and Monster Hunter World into a new and original narrative. Fans are also treated to seeing up to eleven different monsters from across the franchise on their televisions. Audiences that are not as familiar with this game series will be treated to a funny and heartfelt fantasy story that has some fantastic CG visuals.

By the way, Aiden is the Ace Cadet from Monster Hunter 4, but most players truly know him as the Exciteable A-Lister from Monster Hunter World and Iceborne.

Monster Hunter: Legend of The Guild is now streaming on Netflix.

^{LeRon is a content creator and contributor at Boss Rush Games. He’s a big fan of Monster Hunter, Mass Effect, Star Trek, Marvel, and various other nerdy media. When he’s not hunting monsters or trying to travel at warp speed, you can find LeRon writing fiction, watching more Star Trek, and creating more content on Twitch and YouTube.}