Universal Pictures originally shelved The Hunt after receiving massive backlash from the Right. The movie was billed as an anti-Conservative piece of propaganda about Liberals hunting down and killing Conservatives. The outrage was that it was glorifying Liberals killing Conservatives. Well, Blumhouse and Universal decided to repackage the way The Hunt was marketed, and instead of trying to play it down the middle they decided to just go all-in and call a spade a spade.

The new trailer reveals the entire plot of the movie, giving away the twists that weren’t present in the original trailer, and revealing everything you need to know about the film without having to watch it.

They give away character deaths, fight scenes, and the big surprise… that none of it is real.

However, the trailer also reveals something else: that it’s clearly anti-Liberal.

The film openly mocks Social Justice Warriors and the Liberal idioms that have dominated social media over the last eight years.

In the trailer, one of the survivors states how the Liberal elite are hunting down middle-Americans.

The trailer juxtaposes some of the prey being killed off with what is supposed to be actors playing the hunters.

The thing is, this movie could have been something of a hidden gem if they didn’t think it was necessary to make it blatantly obvious that they had to stand on a side of a political line drawn in the sand.

You can be an anti-SJW film without conspicuously flashing a giant red sign saying you’re an anti-SJW film.

Then again maybe they wanted the Conservative base to know full well that they were making a film about Liberal elites hunting down middle-American Conservatives and that the Liberal elite are the real bad guys?

Then again, the trailer kind of dumps itself on the head by trying to subvert the obvious political slant by pulling a “it’s all fake, guys!” routine.

It feels like a lot of cold feet and pussy-footing around to avoid stepping on toes.

It’s all a waste anyway. Had Universal stuck to their guns originally and released the film it would have been controversial but anyone who saw it would have recognized it for what it was. It either would have become a cult classic or end up being dragged through the mud by the media for one thing or another. Trying to play up the anti-Liberal stance while also trying to deflate the seriousness of the film by saying it’s all just a ruse makes it feel like a half-hearted attempt at trying to stir the pot.

Anyway, The Hunt is now set to release on March 13th, 2020 in theaters.