The film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson was removed from Chinese cinemas due to a dialogue that was deemed racist by the authorities.
Hunting the monster and the joke. Monster Hunter, the film based on the popular Capcom saga, has been embroiled in bitter controversy. A joke in one of the dialogues has led to a review bombing campaign against Monster Hunter World on Steam, but it has also caused a reaction in the Chinese authorities. The Paul W.S. Anderson has been pulled from theaters. Given this situation, the producers have sung the mea culpa and have apologized for the joke.
Constantin Film has offered its “sincerest apologies to the Chinese audience”, all due to “a dialogue that appears in a preliminary scene of Monster Hunter”. According to the producer, there was no intention to discriminate, insult or offend the Chinese people. “Constantin Film has listened to the concerns expressed by the Chinese audience and has decided to remove the line of dialogue that has caused the misunderstanding.”
Why do you consider the joke racist?
The film makes a pun between the term ‘knees’ and ‘Chinese’. “What kind of knees are they?” Asks one of the characters. “Chi-knees”. This joke has been directly linked to a joke that had traditionally been used by English-speaking countries to harass people who came from an eastern country. “Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, have you seen this?”
Monster Hunter, produced by Constantin Film and Sony Pictures, is an adaptation starring Milla Jovovich. Its premiere is scheduled for next January 1, after several changes in the calendar produced by the current coronavirus epidemic. In this production, Artemis, the main character, will travel to a new dimension in which she will have to fight against gigantic creatures taken directly from video games.
Director Paul W.S. Anderson already has experience with Capcom video games. He has been the head of the live action Resident Evil movies.
