Blu-ray Review: THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

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Nov 13, 2022 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

It’s the late 1940s/early 1950s, and renowned big-game hunter Marcus Rainsford (Judd Nelson) has set out on a trip to the Kodiak Island to hunt bears with his son Sanger (Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, MTV’s The Challenge) and colleagues Rex Alan (Randy Charach) and Whitney Tyler (Bruce Dern). However, they end up shipwrecked on a mysterious island, and make their way to a hunting lodge belonging to Baron Carl Von Wolf (Casper Van Dien, Starship Troopers). At first the Baron appears to be welcoming, a fellow hunter who is familiar with Mr. Rainsford’s exploits. Though his mute brute of a servant, Ivan (Kevin Porter), is a bit intimidating. The men soon discover that the island is the Baron’s personal elite preserve, where he hunts “the most dangerous game” of all…humans. And former solider/sharpshooter Sanger, along with two other people the Baron captured earlier—siblings Mary (Elissa Dowling, Girl on the Third Floor) and Quin (Edward Finlay)—are to be his next challenging prey. They are given some supplies and a three-hour head start before the Baron begins to hunt them. They are told that if they manage to stay alive for three days, they will be free to go, but it’s kind of tough to believe the word of a madman who hunts other humans for sport. And so now they are on a run through the woods for their lives, trying to figure out how to stay alive and turn the tables on the Baron.

Sanger: “War is war. It didn’t make me a murderer.”
Baron: “No, boy. It made you a hunter.”

Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game” has been adapted dozens of times for TV, film and radio—the first film adaptation in 1932 remained quite faithful to the source material. In 2020, the story entered the public domain, making it ripe for filmmakers once again. Quibi (remember them?) released an excellent more-modernized version of the tale in 2020, while Mill Creek’s 2022 version follows the original source material far more closely, feeling more like a direct remake of the 1932 film. Though this time around, our central hero is a war veteran dealing with PTSD and the horrors he faced in the trenches, while the evil villain is a former member of the Third Reich, who feels no guilt for the atrocities he was a part of.

This is a story that has been done over and over again, and unfortunately this 2022 film is a low budget adaptation. The acting and writing are certainly not up to par with some of the other big budget versions of this story. The cast does include some well-known actors like Bruce Dern & Judd Nelson, but they just have bit parts, and their scenes often feel improvised. Tom Berenger probably gives the best performance, but I don’t want to delve into his character as it would be a spoiler. Our hero is played by a reality TV star with no real acting credits. The writers have tried to give him this motivation of being a war hero with PTSD, but it never feels genuine, and the character just comes off a bit one-dimensional—as much as he tries, Rambo he is not!. There are several times during the movie when other characters ask Sanger “are you some kind of soldier?” just in case you may have missed that fact. Casper Van Dien is definitely committed to his character, giving a somewhat menacing but slightly campy and over-the-top performance as the moustache-twirling German villain.

The overall concept of the film is a compelling one, and there’s some interesting dialogue when the Baron first explains his motivations to Rainsford and the others, but the movie fails to keep the audience captivated and on the edge of their seats. As much as the film tries, it can’t escape its low budget.

The film’s technical presentation is a bit lacking, though sufficient. The picture is generally good looking, but always comes off a bit hazy, with slight but ever-present noise in the exterior shots. Colors also fail to really pop, whether it’s the greenery in the forest, or splatters of blood. For some reason, this 2022 release only contains a stereo soundtrack, which means it doesn’t have that immersive feel of other modern movies. Dialogue is restricted to the center channel, where it comes off a bit muddled. There is also this ever-present white noise which felt like it was meant to be ambiance.

Mill Creek’s Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, without a digital copy or slipcover. The disc contains two short bonus features. The first is a montage juxtaposing clips from the 1932 and 2022 films, and the second is a slideshow of behind-the-scenes photographs.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:34:30)

1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

History of the Hunt (5:22)
Alternating clips of similar scenes from the 1932 RKO Pictures film starring Joel McCrea, Leslie Banks & Fay Wray, and this new remake.
Surviving the Game (2:15)
A slideshow of behind-the-scenes photos from the production set to the film’s tense score.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

For Fans

The Most Dangerous Game is a story that has been adaptped so many times, and yet, I’m always interested in checking out each new version. Had I not just watched the 2020 Quibi version a couple months ago, I may have enjoyed this version more. However, its low budget and cast/script resulted in something less than memorable. Though I did appreciate that it at least attempted to be more faithful to the original source material. For those curious to see this latest version of the tale, a rental may be sufficient, but the disc may be worth picking up on sale.