Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt debuts with a lukewarm 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Luca Guadagnino’s new psychological thriller, After the Hunt, is off to a rocky start, as it has debuted with a 43% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews.

The film marks the Italian director's return after Daniel Craig's Queer and Zendaya's Challengers, released in 2024 to a mainly positive critical reception. The former project earned a 77% score based on 242 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, while the latter earned an 88% score based on 380 reviews from film critics and journalists.

Unfortunately, After the Hunt has not hit the same highs with its early reviews upon the film's world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. The film was screened in the Out of Competition section at the Italian Film Festival, and it will soon head to the New York Film Festival, where it will celebrate its North American premiere.

Let's see what the critics are saying so far about this Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri-starrer thriller film, written by Nora Garrett, shortly after its debut.

What are critics saying about Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt?

After the Hunt is Luca Guadagnino's latest thriller film that aims to explore the intricacies of the #MeToo movement while analyzing the power dynamics at play at an Ivy League university. Its official plot synopsis, per IMDb, reads:

"A college professor finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light."

Guadagnino's film stars Ayo Edebiri as the Yale University student, Maggie Price; Andrew Garfield as the accused professor, Hank Gibson; and Julia Roberts as his colleague and well-liked professor, Alma Olsson. The rest of its cast includes Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name) as Alma's husband, Frederik, and Chloë Sevigny (Bones and All) as her friend, Dr. Kim Sayers.

Considering the cast and crew behind the project, there was hope for the film to live up to its premise. Unfortunately, it has received a lukewarm early response with mixed reviews from critics.

'After The Hunt' Red Carpet - The 82nd Venice International Film Festival - Source: Getty

Robbie Collin from The Daily Telegraph (UK) gave it a 5-star rating and a glowing review, where he said,

"It’s a film that prowls around with blood in its nostrils, watching us as intently as we watch it, and waiting for just the right moment to strike."

Kevin Maher from The Times (UK) gave the same rating and said,

"This will be, no question, [Julia] Roberts’s fifth Oscar nomination, and likely second win."

However, David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter was not pleased with the film. His quote read,

"It seems almost implausible that the gifted filmmaker who just gave us the sizzling buoyancy of Challengers and the heady intoxication of Queer could deliver something so dour and airless."

Owen Gleiberman from Variety was underwhelmed by the film, as his quote read,

"After the Hunt has been made with a fair amount of craft and intrigue, but it’s also a weirdly muddled experience -- a tale that’s tense and compelling at times, but dotted with contrivances and too many vague unanswered questions."

Amazon MGM Studios plans to release After the Hunt on October 10, 2025, in the US theaters.