Remember that odd, Hunger Games-meets-2016 election movie that got canceled last summer? Well, it’s back on schedule.
In case you forgot about the controversy, here’s a refresher: Shortly after the trailer for The Hunt was released, the El Paso and Dayton shootings in August prompted Universal to delay the opening of the gory film.
The Hunt’s creators describe it as “a timely and provocative new satirical thriller that has already ignited a national conversation.” The plot is as follows: “In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt ordinary Americans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of The Hunted … knows The Hunters’ game better than they do.”
Hunger Games meet the “elites” and the “deplorables.” As one character summarizes in the trailer, “Every year, these liberal elites kidnap a bunch of normal folks like us and hunt us for sport.”
Part of the controversy surrounding The Hunt‘s original release was fueled by President Trump, who appeared to misunderstand the point of the film.
“The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos,” he tweeted at the time, calling out “Liberal Hollywood” for racism, anger, and hatred. Apparently, he was unaware that the film might attempt to call Hollywood out for the same thing.
….to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2019
The film won’t defer to the outrage, though. A source close to the studio tells me it’s the same as it was before, with no changes to placate the mob on either side of the outrage aisle.
When The Hunt was delayed last summer, I wrote that the film seemed unhelpful in our current political climate, but its creators said the exact opposite.
The Hunt is satire, after all, and screenwriter Damon Lindelof said it’s full of equal-opportunity roasting.
“We set out to tell a story that didn’t take sides, and that meant, yes, being fair and balanced in satirically roasting all sides … to have fun without trying to force a message down anyone’s throat or wagging our fingers … to trust the audience to make up their minds for themselves,” he told Fox News.
Plus, it might even be unifying.
“We think that people who see it are going to enjoy it, and this may be a way to shine a light on a very serious problem in the country, which is that we’re divided,” Lindelof told the Hollywood Reporter, “and we think the movie may actually, ironically, bring people together.”
After Universal pulled the film from its original release date, its creators said they were frustrated that commentators were discussing what they thought they knew of the film, not the real film itself. As Lindelof explained, “We just felt like the movie was being misunderstood.”
As with Joker, the conversation surrounding The Hunt may say more about our society than it does about the film in question. Now, The Hunt will be released on March 13, and we all get to find out what the fuss is about.
Maybe The Hunt is a biting satire of our divisive political climate. Maybe it’s a misguided attempt to capitalize on political turmoil by inflaming it further. Either way, audiences will be able to see for themselves soon enough.
