Parents' Guide to

Monster Hunt

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Chinese fantasy mega-hit has lots of martial-arts action.

Movie NR 2016 117 minutes
Monster Hunt Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 14+

Sexually suggestive scene the review completely omitted!!

There is a totally inappropriate scene between the male lead (who runs something akin to a Chinese version of a bed & breakfast) and the monster-hunter warrior lady. After fighting some monsters, one of whom escapes, she demands dinner. About 18 minutes into the movie, as she is eating, he gets up to leave and she asks where he is going. He replies, "I'll sleep in my Grandma's room." She turns from angry warrior into eyelash-batting, coquettish flirt and says, "Sleep with me. I stay here so that I can sleep with you." He replies, "You?" and she grins & nods and he finishes with a humble yet excited, "I'll go prepare." [Thanks for the heads up, Common Sense Media, my kids saw that!! >:-( ] Then in the bedroom, he reaches for her chest and she slaps his hand away. Then she throws him down on the wooden bed and he starts unbuttoning his shirt. She grasps his hands and starts tying them up. He murmurs, "You like it this way?" She smiles enticingly at him and he grins with excitement. Then she pats his midsection (the camera doesn't show where -- it could be stomach, junk, thighs, who knows -- but it was enough to make his eyes roll, so you tell me), ties up his legs, and crawls back up to the head of the bed. He asks, "Will it hurt?" The sexual innuendos end here when she turns back into angry warrior lady and you find out that this was all a ruse as she intends to use him as bait to lure back the escaped monster. But that is way more than any child should be exposed to, in my humble opinion. The whole offering to sleep with him thing, coupled with the simulated bondage thing was way too over the top for what it's currently rated as. It may be funny for adults, but for kids, it's just gross! And the grandma calls him a loser at least twice; it's either too harsh a translation or just too harsh a movie.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
age 14+

Common Sense didn't get their review right.

I was appalled by some of the adult material in this film. If I had been watching with my husband I may have been more relaxed but there were things that come up I was not expecting at all. Why does Common Sense Media not include the sexual content? Nothing really happened but there was a lot that alluded to it and I was very surprised. There was also just some really weird stuff. It was an interesting story, was filmed well, had great CGI, and I loved the Monster King, but other than that it wasn't really worth the time, especially because of the questionable content. There were also some swear words not mentioned in the main review here.

This title has:

Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (5):

Don't think too much about the twists and turns in this movie; if you don't try to make sense of everything, the film can hold its own (sort of) as a silly, entertaining spectacle. The fight scenes are acrobatic showcases that have the actors doing flips, twists, leaps, and other amazing feats, and the love-hate chemistry between Jing and Bai gets more interesting as the film goes on. Bai especially adds some zest to the film, with a mischievous look that belies her inner steel.

The other stars of Monster Hunt are the monsters, CGI creations that blend seamlessly within the live-action movie. Each one is different, and they're all equally expressive -- but the cutest of the lot is the baby, named Wuba, who's adorable in every way. It's no wonder that Xiaolan and Tianyin end up wrapped around Wuba's tentacles, and so will the audience. Kids won't even need to be able to read all the subtitles to enjoy the on-screen action.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate