Sunday 27 February 2011

Pig Hunt (2008).

When John (Travis Aaron Wade) takes a bunch of his mates, and his girlfriend (Tina Huang), to an area that was once owned by his dead uncle the weekend looks like being a typical hunting trip/drunken lark. That all changes thanks to friction with some of the locals and the rumoured presence of a legendarily large boar. The fact that almost everyone has a weapon could end up being just as much of a hindrance as an advantage.
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Pig Hunt is staggeringly average on almost every level and it’s also so derivative that it often drags throughout it’s 99 minute (approx) runtime. There’s a bit of Deliverance here, a bit of Razorback there and many other films referenced or alluded to in between.
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The acting is okay, with the leads barely getting by but a definite highlight being Jason Foster’s presence as one of the local hillbilly boys, but the direction by James Isaac is fairly lifeless and the script (from Zack Anderson and Robert Mailer Anderson) is just a concoction of sleep-inducing bickering and chatter and some ineffectual attempts to build atmosphere and suspense.
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Having failed in these areas, and with no stylish visuals to keep the viewer engaged, it’s up to the big boar itself to win audiences over and the movie at least claws back some ground in this department. Saving it’s monster for a big finale, director Isaac admittedly does well by the big beastie. The effects are really good and a mixture of tight camera shots, editing and great sound work really makes the beast come alive as it comes onscreen to kill or be killed.
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Essentially, Pig Hunt tries to mix some subgenres into something fresh and interesting but it instead just ends up being a bit of a plodding mess with moments that only serve to remind you of the better movies deserving of your attention. 5/10.

  

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