I admit, I can be a little bit of a snob. When I hear of a micro-budgeted movie, I tend to expect the worst. Considering my mad love for Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and his other cheapie classics, maybe I should be more open-minded. More often than not, though, what I get when I settle in to watch a micro is an effort with all the amateurishness but none of the style. Then hearing the term “web series,” that makes it even worse. Web series bore me. Simple as that. The cherry on top of the sundae, though, is that THE HUNTED film (not to be confused with the 2003 Benecio Del Toro/Tommy Lee Jones flick of the same title) was not only funded by fans of the aforementioned series, but that those fans can contribute installments to it. No WAY can this be good, I figured. Still, it’s my job to check it out, I reminded myself, so I did.
I am pleased to announce that I was pleasantly surprised. THE HUNTED had me laughing within the first minute or so. While the acting won’t win anybody any Oscars, the cinematography and effects are spiffy enough, considering the budget, and the script is witty enough get the viewer over any of the rough spots. Despite its built-in shortcomings as a cheapie production, it manages something that few such endeavors achieve: It entertains. Check it out at the link below. It’s earned my recommendation.
