The cast of action-fantasy flick Monster Hunter had to train hard to be in shape for the film, which is based on a Japanese video game series of the same name. It opens in cinemas today.
In interviews with The Straits Times via Zoom, leading actress Milla Jovovich, Thai actor Tony Jaa as well as British director and screenwriter Paul W.S. Anderson share five things about their latest project.
• Monster Hunter opens in cinemas today.
1 EARLY-MORNING WORKOUTS
Jovovich, known for her science-fiction and action movies such as The Fifth Element (1997) and the Resident Evil series (2002 to 2016), woke up at 4am every day while on set to train for an hour.
She plays an American army ranger who stumbles upon a world of gigantic monsters.
The 45-year-old American actress, who is married to Anderson and has three daughters with him, says she met a female army ranger to prepare for her role. The regimented military lifestyle of waking up, working out and going on missions influenced her.
"Paul would come with me every morning at 4am to work out for an hour before hair and make-up, and it made me feel in control," says Jovovich, who gave birth to her youngest child this year.
2 IT WAS TOUGH FOR FIGHTER TONY JAA
In a separate interview, Jaa, 44, reveals that even with his martial arts background, the filming, especially in the desert, was gruelling. The film was shot in countries such as South Africa and Namibia.
Jaa (Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, 2003) plays a monster hunter seeking revenge who teams up with Jovovich's character.
He says in Thai via a translator: "I was carrying very heavy gear. The armour is 7kg, but I was also carrying seven other props including a long sword, a dagger, a bow and a crossbow.
"That made it very difficult to run on the sand. Moreover, I had to pretend to be running away from the gigantic monsters. My legs must have sunk halfway into the sand at one point, and sometimes, I had do up to 20 takes with 30kg on me."
3 STAYING CLOSE TO VIDEO-GAME ROOTS
Anderson took care to ensure the weapons, monsters and the overall aesthetic of the movie did not stray far from the video-game franchise.
He has already carved a niche making video-game adaptations such as the Resident Evil films.
For Monster Hunter, the 55-year-old director says the game's developers approved the look of the film.
"Ninety per cent of the movie is set in the Monster Hunter world and fans of the game will recognise so much of it. It could not be closer to the game."
His response to fans who got upset after they saw the movie's trailer - for seemingly focusing on Jovovich's character, who is not in the original video games?
"Well, that's the frustrating thing about trailers. They're only two minutes long," he says.
4 SHOT ON LOCATION
While computer-generated imagery was used for the monsters, Anderson says he did not want to do the same for the film's landscape. So the team headed to South Africa and Namibia.
He says: "I think (shooting on location) gives the film a pretty unique look. I wanted to avoid creating a world that would look synthetic because when I first played the games, there was a real sense of wonder to it."
Jovovich adds that this gives the film a theatrical quality best enjoyed in cinemas: "It's made for the big screen - it's a roller-coaster ride. We went to the ends of the earth to shoot some of these landscapes."
5 CHEMISTRY ON AND OFF-SET
While it is no surprise that Jovovich and Anderson, who have been married since 2009, would be comfortable working with each other, they say they developed a natural chemistry with Jaa too.
Anderson adds: "I was pleasantly surprised by the quieter moments between Milla and Tony. They have great chemistry together.
"He's a very underrated comedian. He has a lot of soul and humour and is wonderful to work with on quieter moments too."
Jovovich jokes: "I keep telling him to call me if he needs an American in his Thai movies."
Jaa also felt at ease working with the couple and was not hesitant about sharing his ideas for stunts.
"I adapted Thai styles of fighting, with swords and sticks. There was a fight scene with Milla and I showed Paul a few moves and we sort of went from there."
