The Green Inferno (2013) Movie Review
Written by: ML
Edited by: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Eli Roth
Producers: Christopher Woodrow, Molly Conners, Eli Roth, Miguel Asensio, Nicolás López
Writers: Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo
Date Released: September 8, 2013
Cast:
Lorenza Izzo as Justine
Ariel Levy as Alejandro
Nicolás Martínez as Daniel
Daryl Sabara as Lars
Kirby Bliss Blanton as Amy
Magda Apanowicz as Samantha
Aaron Burns as Jonah
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The story begins with a group of activists wanting to get their voice heard. They aim to protect the Amazon forest natives from corporations who want to bulldoze their lands. They went there personally to record their protest on live streams. After the successful but controversial effort, their plane crashed on the way back. Some of them got killed on impact and the others were captured by red-skinned natives. One by one, they were eaten, either alive or cooked.
Gore Factor
As with all cannibal flicks, this movie did not disappoint. First scene with flying guts and gore was the plane crash. This was like a little introduction as to what awaits them. Half of their crew got killed because of tree branches, the propeller, and tribal spears. The others were captured by the cannibal tribe. The welcoming ceremony is a notable scene because the cannibalistic nature of the tribe was visually showcased. Jonah, their chubby friend, was chopped alive. The tribal elder popped both his eyeballs and ate them. She sliced his tongue and ate that too. Limb after limb, the body parts were given to different groups and they seasoned it before cooking. This scene was a wakeup call for the others in the cage as to what will become of them soon. Another notable scene was when Lars was eaten alive when he tried to escape. The natives were literally tearing him to shreds using their teeth. A shocking scene was when Amy committed suicide and the rest of them stuffed her with weed. Aside from the act of cannibalism, the physical attributes of the red-skinned natives are horrifying as well. The village elder woman and the bald hunt leader were undoubtedly cannibals just by their looks.
The Grave Review
The Green Inferno (2013) is said to be inspired by Cannibal Holocaust. There are not much cannibal films nowadays and this is something good for lovers of blood and gore and flesh-eaters.
The setting is the usual secluded parts of the jungle inhabited by cannibal tribes, which is already predictable. The good thing about this movie is that they included a back story explaining why they ended up there. It is not just about a curious group wanting to explore. It was only an accidental encounter from their original intention of protesting.
Acting-wise, the cast seemed to lack exhibiting a true feeling of terror. It’s hard to connect or sympathize with them. The lead character, Justine, is often overacting while the others are just there to buy her some time to escape or show her character arc. One cringe-worthy scene that is somehow irrelevant is the part where Justine got washed away in the rapids. She was just screaming nonstop. There was no emotion at all from Daniel from the time they escaped the cage even until he got fed to the ants.
Also, as an annoying emotionless villain, Alejandro’s fate was not shown. Audiences would have wanted to see him get eaten alive in the worst possible manner.
Overall, this movie is perfect for those looking for some cannibal action. It just didn’t reach the “edge-of-the-seat” level of terror due to the unrealistic acting.
Because of the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Green Inferno (2013) two and a half graves out of five graves.
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