The Hunt (2020)
The Hunt started to approach its release in September of 2019 seeming like just another horror moving coming from Blumhouse in a year already featuring unmemorable and unfavorable titles such as Ma, Don't Let Go, & Black Christmas from the studio. In the aftermath of the tragic Dayton and El Paso mass shootings, the film went from being just another release to being on the tips of everyone's tongue when many including current United States President Donald Trump criticized the move for its plot which featured a group of liberal elites hunting a group of heavy right-leaning republicans. Due to this public outcry, The Hunt got pulled from its original release date but as tensions cooled the film decided to use this press to double down on its controversy creating an image for itself as a bold and defiant slap at both sides of the political divide.
This deep and relevant side of the film never quite comes to fruition. Where the film is brimming with obvious buzzwords trying to create the appearance of relevance and riskiness within the script, the overwhelming feeling that comes from the political commentary within The Hunt is emptiness. Where there is the dynamic of the left hunting the right, it feels like the film is not making any commentary or revelations in this dynamic that would transfer to actual real-world importance. The Hunt is much more interested in creating the appearance of a relevant conversation rather than the substance of a relevant conversation.
Where The Hunt ultimately fails at finding anything deeper to say, as a basic horror movie it actually impresses quite a bit. Without getting into spoilers, The Hunt successfully plays with audience expectations multiple times especially at the very beginning of the movie before the film finally settles on following one person as the main character. There are multiple fun kills and overall this easily is where the film impresses the most. The other main highlight would be some of the performances. Where most are given such obvious stereotypes that their performances suffer from feeling forced, Betty Gilpin specifically gives a really fun and charismatic performance with well-crafted line delivery and small facial movements that bring it all together.
Where this side of The Hunt is undeniably fun, it constantly is hurt by the unneeded and undeserved political side of the film that adds absolutely nothing to it. The Hunt could have been a surprisingly fun bloody thriller but ends up distracting itself by trying to create a social commentary without any real commentary. If the film had something to say maybe this would have been enough to propel this film into being more than just a good thriller but it just falls apart. Where there are some good moments, overall this catch just isn't worth the hunt.
Where this side of The Hunt is undeniably fun, it constantly is hurt by the unneeded and undeserved political side of the film that adds absolutely nothing to it. The Hunt could have been a surprisingly fun bloody thriller but ends up distracting itself by trying to create a social commentary without any real commentary. If the film had something to say maybe this would have been enough to propel this film into being more than just a good thriller but it just falls apart. Where there are some good moments, overall this catch just isn't worth the hunt.