Since the dawn of the film era, people have been ripping off other people's work. It goes back as far as Nosferatu, which is an official/unlicensed version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Two years later, Universal released Tod Browning film. Imagine how many people thought that this was the rip-off. With that out of the way, let's jump right into...
For those of you who are not familiar, Cannibal Holocaust is a polarizing film that deconstructed an entire genre. Admittedly, it was the 'Jungle Peril' genre, which was never the greatest. The film was a major success in its short run (2 Million dollars in 1982 dollars in 3 days) before the director was put on trial for killing the stars of the film. When they showed up, all charges were dropped. Ever since that movie, people have stolen ideas from it: The Last Broadcast, Blair Witch and Cloverfield, to name a few. None have stolen this blatantly though.*
The film begins with our group of four characters meeting up. One couple is going to New Zealand on a crazy mission to make a documentary. They join up with the other couple because of their knowledge of the land and willingness to work cheap. We quickly learn that there is a dramatic difference between the two. Our lead couple is hard-working and diligent, while the other one is...um...not. This won't end up badly, right?
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The group ends up with some hits and misses on their journey. They nearly get shot up at the border because the jerk guy is...well, himself. This means that they have to go by foot instead of using their car. Their hopes are raised when they find a village that provides a clue to their query. This is lowered a bit later when hiking takes a lot longer, due to the dumb-ass couple staying up late and waking up hungover. Why am I stuck watching movies where people bicker all the time? Can't anyone get along?!?*
I might as well tell you why they are out there. Basically, they are looking for the lost Rockefeller son, who disappeared in the late 60s. Why they think he is alive after over forty years is beyond me. That's just crazy talk.
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After about forty minutes of fighting and complaining, the dumb-ass couple take the raft, most of the supplies and the camera. The narrative goes to follow them for awhile- hurray? A bit down the river, they run afoul of natives along the river bank. Naturally, the guy waves his gun at them and shouts. Yeah, good call. We have to deal with a whole long bit of 'let's delay the inevitable' before the duo is finally shot to death with arrows. Movie over?
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The narrative flips to the good couple, who, naturally had a second camera hidden. Why couldn't we be done with the stupid 'camera P.O.V.' crap?!? I'll ignore the whole thing with 'where did they hide the camera' just this once. So they follow the path of the dumb-ass couple and run afoul of the same natives. They play it straight and, get this, don't get shot full of arrows. They eventually find an actual gore shot or two. First, they find the lady naked and strung out. Finally, the Unrated DVD part comes into play. Later, they find the guy who is oddly alive. Of course, he has his arms and legs cut off- trade off! They put him out of his misery, yet they keep the film going. Where is your sympathy for me?!?
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I won't spoil the ending for you. Sufficed to say, if you make it that far, you will at least be a little amused by how stupid it is. It is also really obvious.
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This film is really, really bad. You have to suffer through about an hour of fighting and yelling before ANYTHING happens. It is not worth your time and it was not worth mine. Give it time and the gore clips will end up on YouTube or something. Better yet, just watch Cannibal Holocaust. It will challenge your mindset, conventions and fears. This film just challenges your patience.
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Another rip-off coming. How about a Marvel character done by Albert Band. Stay tuned...
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