Ep. 072: The Hunt (2020)

9 thoughts on “Ep. 072: The Hunt (2020)”

1. It might surprise Channy and Mr. Watson, but I despised this movie, both from the theme aspect and the movie making one. Jay won’t be surprised, because I told him. And for the record, it’s nothing like the Hunger Games. Not a great comparison right there.
   The first thing that shocked me was how profoundly irresponsible this film is. It paints both sides of the equation in a way that is meant to be satirical, except it really is not. Maybe if they had had two fictional groups of people… except they chose to go with real ideologies -irresponsibly represented, at that. I honestly wish the kind of characters we see in The Hunt didn’t exist. Except this world is a very weird place, and sometimes reality is as strange, or stranger, than fiction. And sometimes, some people might see something like this and find validation for their less than sane ideas. Unfortunately, not all people have the common sense to separate a movie from the real world.
   It’s true that many people who worked on the movie have been affected by it being put off repeatedly, and that’s sad, but this movie is not something I can support. The story itself, even though it does reflect the “if you say something enough, it just may come true” angle, is just poor. The whole movie leads to Hillary Swank’s character being important and interesting, but ultimately it leads to nothing more than a fist fight. Betty Gilpin has the most interesting character, and I’ll agree on that. She’s the one innocent person in a sea of madness. However, her acting doesn’t reflect the seriousness of her plight. The movie may be satirical, but I need to believe her to be interested. Instead, her facial expressions made her look dumb at times.
   Regarding the horror/not horror discussion, I do believe it’s a horror movie. I didn’t find it scary in the least, but the thing was made to produce the scares and shock factor horror movies should produce. Personally, I think it fails miserably, but that’s just me.
   This movie reminds me of Black Christmas only in that they are exactly the kind of movies we do NOT need in a time when we all need to heal and reconcile. My rating is a 3/10, and that’s only because it has some kind of production values behind it.
   End of rant.

   1. Lady Phantom,

      Even though we couldn’t be further apart in our assessment of this movie, I really do see where you’re coming from, and I respect that. Well said, by the way! The Mysterious One rocks, folks! And by the way, you and I had the exact same thoughts on Black Christmas (2019)… just sayin’. 🙂

      As far as the politics go… I believe there are a LOT of people on both sides of the spectrum who have grown sick, tired, & immensely frustrated that the extremists of their own parties are “steering the ship,” as it were, when they don’t represent the values of the saner majority. In that way, it feels to me like the filmmakers were blowing off some steam and having some fun at the expense of these extremists. I love that about this movie because regardless of where I fall on the political spectrum, I don’t identify with the extremists, and that makes me feel good inside. 🙂 🙂 🙂

      The comment of yours that strikes me the hardest is when you say that The Hunt & Black Christmas (2019) are movies we don’t need in a time when we all need to heal and reconcile. It’s funny because I fully believe that about Black Christmas, yet I can’t make that same leap with The Hunt. Still… I think I see why YOU can make that leap, and that’s why I value your thoughts on film, Phantom. I promise to start having some kind of presence over at Movies In 4K because I like talking to you! 🙂

      Much love, and thanks so much for your thoughts.

      1. You’re very welcome. I understand your point, and it’s valid that the filmmakers want to blow some steam, but the problem is that we only get to see the end result, not the intention. And the end result paints a picture that is just not great for people who might feel validated to see. And unfortunately, those extremists are already way too visible. They don’t need more exposure.
         I’m glad you respond to comments, because Jay slacks so much!! 😂

2. Great episode. I love this movie. I think it is a fun horror/comedy/satire with a great cast. Keep up the wonderful work, folks.

   1. Thanks a TON, Pastor Matt! You rock, sir!

3. I haven’t seen The Hunt yet, but on the point of one side seeming to be narrowed to a handful of characteristics while the others are more ‘free to be themselves’ under the ‘traditional’ way of doing things, we used to be able to express ourselves freely as individuals. The other side now tells us we need to conform and be like them in order to be acceptable, so a smaller characterization makes sense to me.

   Mister Watson, you are a gentleman and a scholar.

   1. I am just now seeing this comment because I happened to randomly check to see if there were any new comments, and you have OFFICIALLY made my evening, my friend! Thank you! Cheers, buddy!

4. I stopped listening halfway through the review to watch this movie.
   I loved it. I love hunt movies like First Blood, Predator and even Surviving the Game among many others.

   It’s refreshing to see the hunters as something other than military or hillbilly types. (Hill Williams to be politically correct.)
   I absolutely loved this movie. Just the experience of watching was exciting and interesting and somewhat unpredictable.

   Many elements of Kill Bill were present as well. On future watches I may not like it as much, but I don’t take it too seriously and I really enjoyed it as a first time watch.
   8.5/10

   1. Dee Ranged! YES! YES! YES! You get it, my friend! I, too, am over weak caricatures of right-wing, hillbilly baddies. Give me some STRONGLY characterized right-wing hillbilly baddies, and I’m down with that, but as for now… I dig this exploration into allowing lefties to be the bad guys! Hello… Jordan Peele’s Get Out, anyone????? I won’t reveal my politics because they are nuanced and complex… not neatly on either side, btw… but I’ll tell you what… I know good social satire when I see it, and Dee Ranged… so do YOU! Much love! Hope you’ve been enjoying the show!

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