Synopsis: A man (Liam Hemsworth) is desperate and in debt. In this dystopian thriller, the hunter turns out to be the hunted. Game on.
Format: All episodes streaming now on Quibi.

Cast: Liam Hemsworth, Christoph Waltz, Sarah Gadon, Chris Webster, Zach Cherry, Aaron Poole, Jimmy Akingbola, Billy Burke

Director: Phil Abraham
Writers: Scott Elder, Josh Harmon, Richard Connell, Nick Santora

I’ll admit, I didn’t have as negative an impression of Quibi as a service as most did when I learnt about it. The trailer for Most Dangerous Game, a ‘film-in-parts’, had me gripped from the outset.

Most Dangerous Game is the newest of a long, long list of adaptations based on Richard Connell’s 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game.”

A terminally ill Dodge (Liam Hemsworth) has a short time left to live. With a mountain of debt and nothing to leave his pregnant wife Val (Sarah Gadon), he is tempted to contact a mysterious agency he’s told helps people in dire situations.

There he meets Miles Sellers (Christoph Waltz), who seemingly knows everything about him and offers a substantial amount of money for every hour he participates in the Hunt. However, Dodge is the target, and it’s a hunt to the death. The Hunt lasts 24 hours, and the only rule is that it’s melee-only.

One of the major negatives I took away from this is that the plot isn’t exactly original — which, being an adaptation, can’t be helped. That said, seeing the same tropes play out is a bit tiresome, and the ending comes rather abruptly without much resolution.

Being on Quibi, it had a tough design brief: no episode could run longer than 10 minutes. I believe it hits the mark; each of the 15 episodes has terrific pacing, and not a single one feels like filler. They all progress the story in meaningful ways and constantly leave you wanting more.

Could it have worked if cut as a full 120-minute (or so) feature? I’m not so sure — it likely would have made the pacing feel too rushed — but it definitely takes full advantage of the Quibi platform for this type of content.

Is this film/series worth subscribing to Quibi for? With a 90-day free trial, I can’t see any reason not to. It ticks the boxes I want from something on the platform: a stellar cast, strong performances, and direction that’s well shot for the format. But go in knowing that, from the select other shows I’ve watched on the platform, this stands head and shoulders above the rest.