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Universal The hunt is perhaps about to reach the Guinness record for the largest number of reports ever made on a film whose marketing campaign was canceled and the release date drawn. I have not seen it, but I presume it's not the specific content of The hunt who put a target on the back (so to speak), but rather the unfortunate timing of the film in the American political cycle and the increasingly frequent epidemic of mass shootings. The purge Franchise, also distributed by Universal and supported by Blumhouse, has recorded four films and counts, as well as a television series, and has nothing to envy to social commentary, political satire or gratuitous violence. So what's the difference with the Hunt?
Talking with Variety, director Craig Zobel commented on the troubled path of the film in recent weeks. That sounds a little brisk, especially since Zobel is using the argument "we just wanted to entertain everyone," while Universal simultaneously defends the film's cancellation and boasts the quality of its welcome by the test audiences. It's weird. But the Hunt is not a high mark for any of the political parties or for the entertainment industry that is creating more and more divisions, it's simply a headline caught between two fires.
Image via Universal Pictures
This is what Zobel had to say:
"If I thought that this film could incite violence, I would not have done it … Our ambition was to strike both sides the same distance, we seek to entertain and unify, not to It's up to viewers to decide what they will buy … I wanted to make a fun action thriller that satirizes this moment of our culture – we jump to assume we know someone's beliefs. one because of what "team" we think they're on … and then start shouting at them.This rush to judgment is one of the most important issues of our time. "
The problem here is that the feeling at the heart of the film, at least as Zobel describes it, was, paradoxically, the real-world problem that torpedoed the film itself. People had an instinctive reaction to something they had not seen in their entirety and not understanding, or even bothering to take the time to try to understand. The confusing marketing campaign of Universal / Blumhouse did not really help to clarify the purpose of the film, and take a page from The purge Playbook seems to have turned against him this time.
Image via Universal Pictures
Zobel however congratulated Universal for taking "the risk of seeing a film not be eco-normed" and confirmed that the scenario had not changed much during production, whether under any pressure, that It is either studio or political. Zobel also supported the postponement of the film's release after the mass shooting in early August:
"I was wiped out by going to sleep in El Paso and getting up in Dayton. These types of moments occur far too often. As a result of these horrific events, we immediately reflected on what that meant for the timing of our film. Once inaccurate assumptions about the content and intent of the film began to take root, I supported the decision to move the film from its release date. "
Strangely, Universal continues to play the game "In fact" with the film, highlighting with a statement that The hunt was "very well received" by the public-test "and got one of the highest scores for an original Blumhouse movie". This public-test did not express "discomfort with a political discussion in the film"; Universal has also confirmed that the job title has never been Red State vs. Blue State.
Zobel's latest thoughts on the state of the film are:
"I hope people will think about why we are right now, where we have no desire to listen to each other. And if I'm lucky, some of us will wonder how we got here. And where do we want to go from here? "
This is a great demand for an American audience that seems to be increasingly divided, be it politically, racially, socially or even, oddly enough, by the entertainment we choose to consume. We have become unable to tell the difference between the reality and the fiction we watch on the screens. These are really strange times.
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