Director – Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel)
Starring – Lorenza Izzo (Aftershock, Holidays), Ariel Levy (The Stranger, Blood Sugar Baby), and Aaron Burns (Knock Knock, Best Worst Friends)
Release Date – 2013 (2015)
Rating – 4/5
Blu Release – 4/5
When I was in high school the 2002 Eli Roth film Cabin Fever was released. I was very interested in the flick but most of my horror friends immediately shunned the film without knowing anything about the movie itself or the director. When the film was finally released on DVD and VHS we hit the video store up and rented a copy. My friends bitched and moaned all the way home and when we tossed it in they shut the fuck up and enjoyed themselves.
A few years later when he was releasing Hostel they all bitched and moaned the same damn way but when they finally saw the film they went on about how fucking awesome it was. Jump to a few years ago and the horror community is at arms with the release of Roth’s new film The Green Inferno. People instantly started shit talking the film calling it a ripoff of Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. Unlike most horror fans, I don’t condemn a film without seeing it. So I went to the theater when it was released with a friend and checked it out. I liked it. Sure, it wasn’t like the Italian cannibal flicks of the 70s and 80s but I could see what he was going for. The film received a physical release in 2015 and recently Scream Factory announced their blu release of the film with new special features and artwork. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send one my way. Thanks guys!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a young college girl who takes interest in an activist group at her college and attempts to join. When she does an opportunity presents itself and the group is sent to the jungles of Peru to stop a corporation from bulldozing and killing the indigenous people that call the jungle their home. The group plans on using satellites to stream videos of themselves protesting to bring global awareness to the problem and stop the hired mercenaries from killing them. Their plan works and the corporation withdraws their hired guns. The police arrest them and put them back on a plan bound for America when they encounter engine trouble and crash. The natives soon find them and take them back to their village where they kill them one by one and eat them.**Spoiler Alert**
I find it funny how people can condemn a film before seeing it. I have noticed that a lot of so called horror fans will bash any film released regardless of who is behind the film and then bitch how the horror genre is lacking originality. That same mother fucker will then go to theaters and watch remake after remake instead of checking out other films. Roth is a filmmaker that often draws a lot of hate by people who had never seen his films and are only going by what main stream critics say about his work.
Most critics are everyday movie goers that have no dedication to a specific genre so when they review a horror flick they may not like the things these filmmakers are trying to do to appeal to dedicated horror fans. People started bashing this film years before it was released for no reason just because a few highly paid critics didn’t like it. Most of these critics didn’t catch the satire in the film because they are the ones who are being made fun of. We then get others who bash it because they think it is a rip off or remake of Cannibal Holocaust. Sure, the film attempts to capture the charm of the Italian cannibal flicks but it is no CH clone.
The acting in this one is a little inconsistent. All characters are cliched with horrible dialogue which results in the cast not having a good foothold on which direction to take their characters. This results in several scenes feeling awkward to watch where the cast’s interactions just don’t feel natural. Once the film progresses it does improve and once the shit hits the fan the character’s background story is no longer needed. The cast is able to deliver convincing performances at this point once their lives’ are in danger.
The story for this one has a lot going on so this will take some time to dissect. I really like the story which is saying something for me considering that I am not a true fan of the Italian cannibal exploitation films. Most of these films bore the shit out of me with their lack of story and flat characters. Most of you will shit and moan that this film is nowhere near on the same level as the Italian cannibal movies of the 70s and 80s and you are right.
The Green Inferno is, after all, a theatrical release and was intended to be a popcorn flick that anyone can enjoy regardless if they are horror fans or not. This is not a remake of a classic horror film but it is a throwback in a sense that Roth is taking horror fans back to that time when these films were a little more common compared to now where we have an abundance of remakes and found footage flicks with falling lamps.
With that being said, The Green Inferno does offer up a decent story that is fun but does have some flaws. First is the humor. I love a good laugh with my horror movies but the humor in this one is very out of place and takes the viewer out of the mindset that they are going to see a fucked up film. This ruins the effects of several of the kills and destroys the film’s atmosphere. My other problem is the dialogue. I understand he wants the characters to be cliched and have that college frat boy type manner but watching this for the first half of the movie really tried my patience. This has been a problem of Roth’s for some time now. My third, and final problem with the story is the fucking ending. To avoid spoilers I will not go any further but I do recommend leaving the theater the second you see credits because the post credit scene is one of the dumbest endings in horror history.
Finally, the film has several on screen kills that are brutal and bloody. These kills are mostly savage in nature that I was not expecting and we get several amazing kills back to back before the film hits a bit of a dry spot. The practical effects are fucking on point but some are ruined with some of the worst CGI I have seen in a theatrical release. Overall, The Green Inferno is a fun theatrical experience for those of you that are open enough to check it out. It has some great gore and characters you really wish would die. Watch this one with a few friends and check it out or you can just be a dickhead and comment below about how it sucks and how I don’t know real horror even though you have not seen the film. I highly recommend this blu from Scream Factory.
Special Features:
Two disc set – includes the exclusive original CD soundtrack by Manuel Riverio with bonus tracks not included in the film
NEW Into the Green Inferno – an interview with co-writer/producer/director Eli Roth
NEW Uncivilized Behavior: Method Acting in The Green Inferno – featuring interviews with actors Lorenza Izzo, Daryl Sabara and Kirby Bliss Blanton
NEW Behind the Scenes footage – includes nearly an hour of never-before-seen footage
Audio Commentary with co-writer/producer/director Eli Roth, producer Nicolás López and cast members Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Daryl Sabara
Original Publicity Featurettes including The Making of The Green Inferno
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Still Galleries – Storyboards and Makeup Tests, Behind-the-Scenes photos, Village Construction, and movie stills
