It has been well over two years since Apocalypse Cinema was last active. I never intended for the blog to die off, but less than ideal circumstances—to put it mildly—helped derail a whole lot of things in life. These days, my life is patched up to a workable degree, so I am going to give Apocalypse Cinema another go. Of all movies to re-launch with, I start with a horrific cannibal flick.
The
Green Inferno is writer/director Eli Roth's homage to the cannibal
splatter genre of films popular in the late-'70's-early '80's.
Specifically, Roth had the infamous Cannibal Holocaust in mind, even
going so far as to take the film's title from the fake movie being
filmed by the characters in Cannibal Holocaust. The Green Inferno is
far tamer. I wold go so far as to call it a borderline black comedy
with splatter elements. My assessment may explain why many fans of
Roth's work in the gore genre consider The Green Inferno his worst
entry.
The
film centers around Justine, a naive college freshman and daughter of
a United nations lawyer. Justine develops an interest in political
activism because of Alejandro, a human rights advocate planning to
lead a protest against loggers in Peru to protect n indigenous
people. Justine joins in the protest, and nearly gets herself killed
by a militia protecting the loggers. Justine is spared when
Alejandro, who directed the group to film their protest with their
cellphones, reveals who her father is. The militia backs down and
the immediate international exposure forces fores the logging
operation to stop.
The
action really begins on the flight back when the group's plane
crashes in the Peruvian jungle. The survivors are captured by
natives and carried by boats to their village. The group quickly
realizes this is the tribe they were trying to save. Because the
group is wearing the logger uniforms they donned in order to sneak
onto the logging site, the tribe considers them the enemy. The tribe
is also cannibal.
What
I just laid out for you is the first two-thirds of the film. The
pacing of the story is incredibly slow, especially if you are
watching for the gore. There is none to be seen until nearly the
film's climax.
For full disclosure, I m not a huge gore fan. I will watch these
kind of films, but I do not care much for any one to top any I have
already seen in terms of gruesome content. But even I was surprised
by how tame The Green Inferno was in terms of actual cannibalism.
The most horrific scene occurs right after the group's capture when
the chubby, most sweet matured member is selected for a celebratory
feast. After he is tied to an alter, the Tribe Elder cuts out his
eyes an tongue while he is still alive screaming and eats them raw
before decapitating him. While there are some bloody and shocking
moments later, nothing comes close to our introduction to the tribes
cannibal ways. One cannot make an effective gore film when the bulk
of the gore steadily goes downhill as the film progresses.
What
you do get is a lot of comic relief as though events might actually
be too excessive for the audience. Some of the comedy is cringe
worthy. One of the girls in the group suffers explosive diarrhea
while they are all imprisoned in a bamboo cage together. Others were
all right, such as when the tribes gangs up on one of the group who
escapes and eats him raw. A little girl about four or five runs out
from the crowd carrying the legs leg severed below the knee.
If
anything baffles me about The Green Inferno, it is the focus on the
main character's peril. She joins the protesters because she feels
strongly about female genital mutilation rather than the
environmental cause of saving the tribe. So naturally, the Tribe
elder wants to perform FGM on her so she can become a “real woman.”
Justine is virtually never under the threat of being eaten and she
is the only non-villain in the group to survive. Alejandro is
actually a rug dealer paid off by a rival logging company. Justine
laves hi to the tribe's mercy as she escapes with the help of a young
boy who develops an infatuation for her after she his first
imprisoned.
Who could blame him? Lorenza Izzo, who plays Justine, is gorgeous. She spends a decent amount of the clix in skimpy native wear. Roth married Izzo a year after shooting the movie, so he knew the score. The lady is a keeper!
I have not addressed the major them of the film's criticism of uniformed activism. Such a subject flt better suited for my main blog Gods & Monstrs. Click over over here to read The Green Inferno and Uniformed Activism. Reading the post is not necessary to appreciate this review, so it can be skpped if you prefer.
The
Green Inferno is frivolous entertainment for those who can take
milder gore. Most every fan of the splatter genre out there dumps on
the movie for being too tame. But I do not base my reviews on whet
other people think. So you will just have to decide whose taste you
generally align to figure out if you want to sit through The Green
Inferno.
Rating:
*** (out of 5)
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