the reviews are in — but they're not great, with many critics panning the movie.
The film is The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. A group of elites kidnap a small number of people, whom they deem "deplorables." The elite drop these people in a remote field and begin hunting them for sport, but one of the hunted decides to fight back.
As the movie was temporarily cancelled due to the controversy it created ahead of its initial 2019 release, the film built up a lot of hype. Eventually, word got out that it would see the light of day with an early 2020 release, which was a surprise to those who thought it might never emerge. The Hunt did not fare well among critics, prompting many to wonder if the film should have just remained buried. Here's what some reviewers had to say.
The Hunt: A Piece of Lazy Satire
Putting a political twist on The Most Dangerous Game is definitely interesting, but needs to be done right. A smart and sharp take on the story would be required here. The Hunt, however, did not deliver. The story isn't focused enough to have one clear satirical point. Calling itself a satire but largely focusing on the gore and just settling for blunt political references is simply lazy.
An overwhelming amount of critics believe the hype surrounding the film is better than the film itself. The Hunt cares more about having something to say instead of actually saying it. By adamantly mocking both sides of the political spectrum, The Hunt fails to actually take a stance. Because of that, the film fails when it tries to focus on its message, since there really isn’t much of one. It’s simply a load of meaningless exposition.
Alex Flood, NME
Later, a lazy explanation is given for the stereotypes, but it feels like an afterthought. It’s fine to ridicule people, that’s what satire is for. But when your whole movie is set up as rich vs poor (most of the victims have a southern accent, commonly linked to less-privileged states in the Bible Belt) – and worse still, when you come at the story from the privileged viewpoint of a Hollywood producer or scriptwriter – it starts to look like you’re punching down, rather than up.
Katie Rife, AV Club
As for the film’s much-ballyhooed political content, calling it a “satire” is perhaps overly generous. Calling it a Jordan Peele-style “social thriller” definitely is. Instead, it’s a parade of insufferable, on-the-nose references whose targets vary by the scene, with a quick trip to a refugee camp at one point just to underline the film’s self-satisfied belief in its own edginess.
David Fear, Rolling Stone
It’s simply a movie that saw an opportunity, accidentally got caught up in bigger circumstances because someone needed to distract his constituency, had unrealistic expectations foisted on it, and then milked its violent sensationalism for all it was worth.
The Hunt Has Some Surprisingly Fun Action Sequences
Critics overwhelmingly panned the movie, but a number agreed that The Hunt’s action sequences added a little color to the story. These leading ladies Betty Gilpin and Hilary Swank go head-to-head in a thrilling final act battle.
Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com
There are a handful of thrilling, suspenseful sequences like the first shootout in the field and some hand-to-hand combat. [Craig] Zobel leans into the exploitative possibilities of recreating Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game for a new audience, including bloody boobytraps, a grenade thrown down a guy’s pants and many, many painful-looking splattery wounds from arrows, knives and bullets.
If The Hunt had leaned into this element of the story, instead of focusing on being edgy for the sake of being edgy, the movie would’ve been an absolute blast.
