The Hunt (2020) Review
The Hunt (2020) Review
THE HUNT follows twelve strangers who wake up in an open space in a forest, unknowing of where, how they got there or why. These strangers soon discover they are a part of an extravagant hunting trip conducted by globalists that have gathered at an isolated Manor House for the sport. But there’s one catch: they are the targets. Through twists, conspiracy, and all out mayhem, they begrudgingly must band together to thwart the hunters, escape the forest, and survive.
The film’s tagline proclaims that it’s ‘The Most Talked About Movie of the Year That No One’s Actually Seen.’ In part that’s probably true as the movie was unfortunate enough to be released theatrically when the global COVID-19 pandemic had kicked in meaning that cinemas were forced to close thus ending its chances to make a few bucks at the box-office. Consequently Universal rushed the title to rent for 48 hours online for $19.99 on Friday March 20th along with other titles such as Leigh Whannell’s THE INVISIBLE MAN.
This wasn’t the first time that Blumhouse’s THE HUNT had its release date impacted. Originally director Craig (Z FOR ZACHARIAH) Zobel’s film was slated for release last year but pulled from the scheduled date following two mass shootings in the States. The film was criticized in the media by the likes of US President Donald Trump who tweeted citing “The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos”, adding “They create their own violence, and then try to blame others”. This partly explains the above tagline as it being the most talked about movie of the year that no one has actually seen.
THE HUNT is a twisted update on Richard Connell’s 1924 short story THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, replacing the concept of the rich hunting humans for sport with a political bent instead. The film was viewed by factions of the American press to have a right-wing, anti-liberal tone. From where I am the media has made the film more of a talking point than it needed to be. It’s fun but when it comes to a political stance I felt that the script may have aimed for being satirical but instead ended up instead as being an amusing, gory spin on an oft-told tale that’s perfect for a Saturday night’s viewing.
It’s essentially trashy fun that delivers mixed messages but plenty of welcome narrative surprises. Betty Gilpin is a tour de force as lead character Crystal. Unpredictable and quirky she’s THE HUNT’s version of Ripley, switched on, focused and more than a match for the mostly unseen hunters. The climatic face-off goes on a little longer than needed but otherwise this is an unexpected delight that hits the mark entertainment-wise if not as it intended to politically.
