Hey, Here's Another Reason To Skip 'Monster Hunter'

This weekend sees the release of Monster Hunter -- which isn't about some abstract, emotional trauma like so many other movies with "monster" in the title; it's literally about human beings gunning down killing big-ass creatures. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, Monster Hunter was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the Scorsese of turning popular games into cinematic drek.

The movie has been the subject of some controversy after it was pulled from Chinese theatres due to a hacky racist joke that plays like a Bazooka Joe comic written by that guy who was fired from SNL. But here's another reason to not go see Monster Hunter; we shouldn't be supporting big-budget action movies directed by Anderson. 

Why? Well, Anderson has a troublesome history of injuries on the sets of his Resident Evil movies. While making Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, stuntwoman Olivia Jackson suffered an injury during a motorcycle stunt gone wrong that resulted in "severe nerve damage" and the amputation of her left arm after a collision with the camera. This was because the crew allegedly "changed the timing of the stunt without her knowledge." Worse, she was given no protective gear and had to perform the stunt at the "last minute" in the rain.

Jackson also claimed that she was screwed over by the producers who didn't even cover her medical bills, despite the fact that the movie went on to make over $300 million at the box office. Even sketchier, her lawyers discovered that the production company that contracted her was a shell company with "no assets." And amazingly, this wasn't even the worst story to come out of the making of the last Resident Evil movie ...

Later during that same shoot, crewmember Ricardo Cornelius was killed after being crushed by a parked humvee that slid off of a rotating platform. Plus, during the making of Resident Evil: Retribution, 16 zombified extras were hospitalized after they fell through a gap in the set. And this isn't just a thing that happens from time to time on film shoots, according to one stunt expert: "That's an extremely high rate of injury for one movie or franchise." So maybe continuing to put Paul W.S. Anderson in charge of big-budget action movies is a little like hiring Kevin Spacey to look after the health and safety of Kevin Spacey accusers.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter! And check out the podcast Rewatchability.

Top Image: Sony Pictures