‘Monster Hunt’ Trailer: China’s Biggest Movie Ever Looks Nuts

Monster Hunt isn’t just a huge blockbuster in China — it’s the hugest blockbuster in China; as in, this is their highest-grossing film of all time. And while it may look mighty wacky to you, take a moment to reflect on the fact that the highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. is James Cameron’s Avatar, which is also kind of silly when you really think about it.

Monster Hunt has already grossed $381 million worldwide and broke the single-day and opening day records in China, immediately becoming the highest-grossing film ever released in the country. So it’s sort of like China’s Avatar, but it looks far more entertaining.

Here’s the premise of Monster Hunt, in case you’re confused: a man gets caught up in a centuries-old war between man and monster when a pregnant monster queen spills her monster baby into his mouth to protect her legacy. A human man giving birth to an raising a royal monster baby sounds like it could lead to some sort of peace between the two species, right? Okay, so maybe that description wasn’t less confusing than the trailer.

Lucky for you, there’s a very long, very detailed plot synopsis for Monster Hunt, which is the directorial debut of Shrek the Third co-director Raman Hui:

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!

Soon you’ll be able to see why Monster Hunt is such a big deal in China when it hits theaters in the U.S. on January 22, 2016.

Filed Under: Monster Hunt