Welcome to a new era of movie reviews, reviews for “Movies in Chapters!” The new mobile-first streaming service Quibi is here and it’s brought us a handful of these original Movies in Chapters including Most Dangerous Game starring Liam Hemsworth. Together, all of the sub-10-minute chapters of Most Dangerous Game will equal one feature length film, but this review is being written having screened the first four, essentially the first act of the movie.
Most Dangerous Game takes place in Detroit and opens with Hemsworth’s character, Dodge, visiting a man named Miles Sellers (Christoph Waltz), the president of a company called the Tiro Fund. Dodge is struggling financially and thinks Miles might be able to help him out with a loan, but Miles has something else in mind. It turns out, he represents an extremely wealthy clientele that pays the big bucks to participate in a highly intense sport - the sport of hunting people. If Dodge agrees to be hunted and does well, he could make millions, ensuring a good life for his wife (Sarah Gadon) and unborn son, even after he’s gone.
The first chapter of Most Dangerous Game is essentially one long dialogue-driven scene that rests solely on the shoulders of Hemsworth and Waltz. Waltz shines in that kind of scenario, as he always does, but Hemsworth is a bit flat in comparison. Dodge’s stoic and serious demeanor makes some sense at the start of the scene as he’s essentially trying to seem composed and earn Miles’ trust to score a loan from him. But, his muted response to Miles’ real offer weakens what should have been an explosive story beat.
From there, Most Dangerous Game spends some time “days earlier” to offer additional background as to why Dodge wound up in Miles’ office in the first place. Dodge has poured everything he has into a work-in-progress building called The Carrington and now he’s desperate for more financing to finish it. Trouble is, none of his pitches pan out. Then the situation gets even more dire for Dodge when he comes to learn that he has a limited amount of time to secure his family’s financial well-being; Dodge is diagnosed with an inoperable, aggressive brain tumor. This is what compels Dodge to visit Miles, and that’s when the intensity of Most Dangerous Game starts to take hold.
The fourth chapter is the best of the bunch screened by far. Not only does the ticking clock really pick up, but it hits an “edge of your seat” level of intensity to it by the end. The second half of the episode is another one-on-one dialogue between Dodge and Miles and it’s another big winner for Waltz who very effectively transitions Miles from charming salesman to someone with great respect for the extreme gravity of the game. But this is also where Hemsworth finally starts to shine a little. Perhaps it’s because Dodge has been so serious and composed all along, but when we see his nerves peak as the start of the game nears, the intensity of the situation ramps up big time. And this is where the disappointment of only having four chapters to screen hit hard because just as the game begins, chapter four cuts off.
Would I have given anything to click “next” and move on to chapter five immediately? Absolutely! And is that a good thing for a service dishing out binge-able short-form content? Yup! But is that enough to give the whole movie a good review? It can’t be. In a traditional movie review, a plot synopsis is limited to the set-up, but the final assessment still reflects the entirety of the film. I can’t give that to you here though.
Based on what I’ve seen thus far, which included no action sequences minus Dodge casually running through the city, the visuals are uninspiring. They get the job done as far as coverage goes, but there isn’t much style to the feature. And I’m also not fully convinced that Dodge will be a compelling anchor all the way through. Will Most Dangerous Game require more from Hemsworth on an emotional level, will it call on him to sell Dodge as a believable action hero, or will it be a little bit of both? Who knows?
The most I can offer four episodes in is that I suspect the film’s high concept works. (Which of course we already knew from the multitude of other The Most Dangerous Game adaptations out there.) I certainly want to watch more, but where do you think one would be most likely to desperately want more of this particular story? Right where the screeners stop; right when the game starts.
Rating: ★★★