Tár and its weird Monster Hunter cameo are officially Oscar nominees

Update: Tár is officially an Oscar-nominated movie, and perhaps the first such movie to feature Monster Hunter in a pretty prolific role.

Earlier today on January 24, the Oscar 2023 nominations were revealed, and Tár was honored with several nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Todd Field, and Best Actress for Cate Blanchett. As such, Tár and its wonderfully weird Monster Hunter cameo have both been bestowed with Oscar glory, a first for the Capcom franchise. 

Original: Tár, a psychological drama starring Cate Blanchett, has one of the most unexpected endings to a movie you're ever likely to see, and it involves Capcom's popular beast-slaying series, Monster Hunter.

Game references in movies are pretty rare, but we do see the virtual world pop up in big screen productions from time to time. This is usually quite subtle, with a group gathered around a screen playing a familiar FPS or, in the case of Knives Out follow-up Glass Onion, suave detective Benoit Blanc indulging in a spot of Among Us and hating it. Tár, though takes things to a whole new level. 

The below contains major spoilers for Tár, so if you'd rather see the ending and what it's got to do with Monster Hunter for yourself, then look away now.

The movie, which launched in the US in October and arrived in UK cinemas last week, follows the story of a hugely famous classical music conductor, Lydia Tár (played by Blanchett), who spectacularly falls from grace. As spotted by ResetEra user Fevaweva, in the movie's finale, Tár, now blacklisted and having left her life of prestige behind, ends up conducting a Monster Hunter orchestra concert for an audience full of cosplayers. 

Given the movie's heavy themes and solemn tone, it's an odd and rather funny conclusion and one that's certainly taken viewers by surprise. One ResetEra user revealed they "watched it four times in disbelief." Another said, "I died at that ending. The movie has such a serious tone and then that scene comes out of nowhere." Others thought it a perfect end to Tár, including user Megha, who described it as "an absolutely masterful punchline where you fully understand the way her status has permanently been altered - and you're left to contemplate if this is too light a fate, or somehow too cruel."

Monster Hunter Rise joins Xbox Game Pass this month and it's well worth checking out if you're a subscriber. In our review, we said, "Monster Hunter Rise is a great adventure, providing fascinating new tools like the Wirebug and walking a fine line between arcade and fast-paced HD gameplay."

Check out our new games 2023 guide for all the biggest and best games set to launch this year.