The Hunt: Controversial But Fun!

No matter the controversy, though, the premise of this movie isn’t a new concept. The story of rich people hunting humans for sport originally appeared in the 1924 short story The Hounds of Zaroff. Later, that story was turned into the movie The Most Dangerous Game in 1932. Jean-Claude Van Damme got in on the action in 1993’s Hard Target, and Ice T did so with 1994’s Surviving the Game.

However, none of those previous incarnations saw anywhere near the level of controversy faced by The Hunt, if any at all. So, why did The Hunt get hit and almost go unseen? Two reasons, mass shootings weren’t really a topic back when those other movies were released, and the movie that some suggest was originally titled Red State vs Blue State (which has been debunked) picks fun at both Republicans and Democrats. I can’t imagine either political party would welcome their depiction in the film.

Get past the politics, though, and you’ll see that familiar “rich people hunting humans” plot and see it done well. The movie is action packed and constantly edge of your seat fun. Guns, arrows, explosions abound, and no one in the movie seems safe.

The Hunt stars plenty of people you’ll recognize. Betty Gilpin from GLOW. Hilary Swank from Million Dollar Baby. Emma Roberts from American Horror Story. Glenn Howerton from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Ethan Suplee from My Name is Earl. Amy Madigan from Field of Dreams. Justin Hartley from This is Us. Only, don’t get hooked on any one character, most comically do not last very long.

That’s what makes the movie so much fun. As the action unfolds, there are a few characters that jump to the forefront and make you think, “this must be the star of the movie.” Then, nope. They’re gone in the blink of an eye. Also, audiences watching the movie are given no lead in as to what’s going on or why people are being hunted.

So, for quite a bit of the movie, early on, the viewer is intentionally left questioning who to root for and what’s even going on. None of the kidnappees know why they are there and are as confused as the audience. Eventually, the backstory unfolds showing you the motives and planning of the killers.

After that, though, the film simply delivers non-stop popcorn flick action. No Oscar contenders here and very little characterization, but it sure is fun to watch. Sometimes, that’s all a movie needs to be!