Cast against the blackness of night, a bleached, sandpapery-complexioned New World pirate known as The Admiral (Ron Perlman) pilots his ship across sand dune seas in pursuit of the subterranean creature his trackers have dubbed Diablos. Though budgeted at a mere $60 million, there was no scrimping on the special effects; the film looks better than many others three times as expensive. In this, the sixth professional collaboration between the actress and director best known for the Resident Evil franchise, Milla Jovovich stars as Captain Natalie Artemis, or as her team fondly calls her, “Boss.” (Or “Ma’am,” a term of respect used in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Our World army as a nod to the old west.) Atop the majestically observed vantage point of an arched rock formation stands Hunter (Tony Jaa), a warrior named after his profession. Schooled in the art of monster demolition, Hunter has been dislocated in time from Admiral and his mates, and before Hunter’s warning arrow has a chance to register, Artemis’ platoon has been monster mashed. That leaves ample room for Artemis and Hunter to scrapple before an inevitable reconciliation is reached. Anderson is the last great director currently dedicating his life exclusively to making genre films. The monsters are virtually invisible until the time comes for them to resurface. Artemis works hard, piecing together Rube Goldberg contraptions aimed at distracting the monster and throwing it off its game. It’s moments like this that recall the childhood thrill that first drew me to quality action/adventure fantasies. Milla Jovovich may not have the household name recognition of a Willis or Schwarzenegger, but damn if she isn’t the last great action hero. (2020) — Scott Marks
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