The Hunt (2020) Review

"Don't First Amendment me, please."
-Paul



A group of people wake up in the woods and quickly find themselves being hunted by the wealthy elite, but one among them isn't so easily hunted.


Spoiler Alert for The Hunt ahead.  I don't recommend this movie and I would even say it's bad, but there will be spoilers ahead.  Do with that what you will.


What Works:

The best part of this movie is how unpredictable the first act is.  Three times, we are introduced to a character who is played by a recognizable actor.  We assume they are the main character only for them to be quickly killed.  Finally, the 4th time, we get out main character, but it shows us that no one is safe in this film and I wasn't sure what was going to happen next.

Betty Gilpin plays our protagonist, Crystal, and I really like her performance.  She's a weirdo and a bit on the psycho side, but she is John Wick-levels of competent and it's easy to root for her.

The final fight between Crystal and Athena (Hilary Swank) is pretty badass and very well shot.  At one point the fight goes outside into the yard, but the camera stays inside the house.  It's creative and visually interesting.

Finally, while most of the humor falls flat, especially with the satirical content, there are a few jokes that are pretty funny.


What Sucks:

The biggest problem with this movie are the characters.  Obviously the villains are not likable, but they aren't even fun to watch.  They are mostly just annoying and obnoxious.  As for the hunted characters, they straight up suck.  They are all extreme right-wing conspiracy theorists and they are miserable to watch.  I get that is the point of the movie, but that doesn't make it enjoyable to watch.

This movie is supposed to be a satire of the divide between the right and the left.  As a satire, it falls completely flat.  It has all the subtly of a Home Alone booby trap and little of the creativity.  The script is obnoxious the vast majority of the time.

For a movie called The Hunt, there isn't a ton of hunting going on.  All of it is pretty much in the first act.  Then we go on a detour to a refugee detainment camp and it's jarring.  I was hoping to see a group of characters out-manned and outgunned trying to find a way to survive.  That isn't really the case.  Subverting expectations is one thing, but if the result isn't entertaining, why bother?


Verdict:

The Hunt is an obnoxious and sloppy film.  Betty Gilpin is good, the 3rd act fight is solid, and I like how unpredictable the first act is, but the characters suck, the script is terrible, and the end result is disappointing.

 4/10: Bad 

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