MOVIE NEWS – The Monster Hunter film, that hasn’t even launched in the West yet, got a backlash in China.

We recently discussed how Monster Hunter: World, the newest game in the series, which is also the most successful Capcom title, got negative reviews on Steam by the Chinese players, all referencing the word knee in their reviews.

„Monster Hunter’s cinematic adaptation was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and it debuted on December 3 in China. Early in the film, there is a joke that the players in the country did not tolerate well, expressing their dissatisfaction on Chinese social media (not Facebook or Twitter, as those are banned in the country…). They are angry because of a rhyme that referred to a pun. (Look at my knees. What kind of knees? Chi-nese – this is the joke in the film.)

„It’s being linked to the rhyme/phrase ‘Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees – look at these?’ which is considered offensive,” Daniel Ahmad, Niko Partners’ senior analyst, said on Twitter.

This rhyme has been present for several decades, and a quick search can bring up results that showcase how many writers talk about how it is still a racist jeer. We don’t know if it was an intentional reference in the cinematic adaptation or not, but it has backfired, we can say that much,” we wrote a few days ago.

Deadline reports that Constantin Film has responded. It „sincerely apologizes to Chinese audiences” for the dialogue, stating there was „absolutely no intent to discriminate, insult or otherwise offend anyone of Chinese heritage.” „Constantin Film has listened to the concerns expressed by Chinese audiences and removed the line that has led to this inadvertent misunderstanding,” the company added. Deadline says the film raked around 5.3 million dollars in China before it was pulled from the cinemas on Friday, including late Thursday airings.

Tencent, a Chinese tech company with presence in the gaming industry, is distributing the film in China, and it already works together with the Chinese Communist Party to restore the film to the cinemas without the scene in question.

The film will launch in the US on December 18, also in an IMAX version. Will the questionable scene be included in the Western version?

Source: VG247

Please support our page theGeek.games on Patreon, so we can continue to write you the latest gaming, movie and tech news and reviews as an independent magazine.
Become a Patron!