MORTAL GAME (2024)

Streaming on Tubi!
Directed by John Lechago.
Written by Paco Alvarez, John Patrick Lechago.
Check out the trailer here!!

A group of big game hunters are helicoptered to a secluded island where they have a chance to track down an elusive monster that they don’t necessarily call Bigfoot, but basically, is Bigfoot.

Now, the word Bigfoot or Sasquatch is never mentioned. It’s just called the creature or the monster or the thing. But it’s big, hairy, bipedal, and mean as all get out, fiercely attacking these hunters in a flurry of claws, teeth, and sheer brutality. Filmmaker John Lechango only shows the beasty in quick edits and skewed angles, making it difficult to really see what it is we are looking at. Most likely this is due to the fact that a clear view of the beast would kill the mystique and show how low budget this film really is. That said, because this movie is basically one big action sequence and the monster attacks pretty much right as the hunters set foot on the island, the choppy editing and tight shots of the beast’s attacks do amp the level of tension up and keeps the pace of this film moving at a rapid clip. MORTAL GAME is no boring movie. It moves quick and plenty of people are torn apart by this cryptid.

Which is a good thing since MORTAL GAME’s biggest problem is the acting. Taking up the dual lead are Deniella Alexis and Madison Caan, both stunners, but not so great in terms of thespian skills. Alexis plays a spunky gal with a grudge against the beast, but though they try their damnedest to make her seem tough, her delivery of these hard-edged lines are one-note and unconvincing. Caan does a better job as her character actually seems to have some depth, which is weird, because Alexis is given the flashback sequences to flesh her character out. Neither of them are given much to do other than swear like they’ve just learned curse words and talk tough.

The monster design is ok. I like the long, gnarly claws. There are two designs, suggesting that maybe this is a dogman and a Bigfoot the hunters are dealing with. The Bigfoot one is more interesting with an articulated jaw and face, though it is hard to make out from the quick edits. The other simply looks like a guy in a werewolf mask as he just hunches over and seems to be wearing some kind of camouflage clothing.

I’ll be kind and give MORTAL GAME 1 foot and 3 toes.

MORTAL GAME is not a necessarily bad movie. It’s just a bunch of folks getting picked off one by one in the woods. While what I could see of the monster designs were interesting, the fast edits and blurry or distant angles made it hard to discern. This one’s a mindless little joint. Nothing earth-shattering, but it evokes a lot of what the original PREDATOR did best and on the budget it has, occasionally it succeeds in aping that classic monster in the woods movie.