Initially slated for release in September 2019, The Hunt was pulled from the schedule when the trailer caused a political uproar. Based on marketing that seemed to indicate a plot that liberals were gleefully hunting conservatives for sport, hot on the heels of two mass shootings, well, it struck a major nerve. So much so that the updated marketing for the new release date took full advantage, plastering the scorn all over the poster. It turns out that the tried and true idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” applies to movie marketing, too. The Hunt may intend to be an incendiary satire, but it isn’t quite what people surmised. The reality of what the film is trying to say isn’t worth getting worked up over; it’s something far more rote and predictable.

The plot is barebones. Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing with no idea where they are or how they got there. They barely have enough time to unlock their mouth gags when weapons are unveiled, and the slayings begin. These twelve strangers have been chosen as the prey for an elite-driven hunt. Most of them drop in quick, bloody succession. Betty Gilpin‘s Crystal, however, knows what she’s doing and intends to give the elite a run for their money.

In other words, the narrative is yet another version of Richard Connell’s classic 1924 short story, “The Most Dangerous Game.” The only added new layer that screenwriters Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof provide is a half-baked political satire that skewers both sides. At a superficial glance, at least. The twelve strangers, though we never get to know them, are an eclectic bunch spanning all political stereotypes, but it’s the liberal elite that the film spends the most energy poking fun at. It’s enough to ruffle feathers at every corner, but Cuse and Lindelof are actually making a scathing critique on online culture; namely, how it reduces people to extreme caricatures, and the ramifications of that.

That every single character on screen is representative of that might be the point, but it means a lack of rooting interest as a result. The only character at all that we’re meant to root for is Crystal, a stone-cold killer with smarts. While Gilpin is fantastic in the role and makes the action and fight sequences look effortless, it becomes far too easy to empathize with her character’s severe apathy. It doesn’t help that there’s no humor in this satire; not many of the jokes manage to stick their landing.

On a technical level, director Craig Zobel (Compliance) brings it, especially when it comes to the gory moments and action sequences. Bodies explode into red mist, eyeballs are gouged and entrails spill. All of which make for lively moments that expose the film’s potential. The climactic showdown is satisfying, and Hilary Swank makes for a perfect foil for Gilpin’s character in terms of personality and commitment.

For genre fans, much of The Hunt is stuff we’ve seen many times over. It’s predictable with zero surprises. The irony drowns everything else out, yet is too heavy-handed and simultaneously too shallow to offer much in the way of substantial commentary that would offset the familiarity. The cast is excellent – Gilpin is a definite star on the rise – and well-executed sequences of violence make for the promise of something more. As it stands, though, The Hunt isn’t exciting, funny, complex, or biting enough to warrant the controversy. It may annoy some that take the caricatures and stereotypes at surface value, but mostly it’s just too tame to actually be divisive. In the end, it’s fine. Merely fine.