Review of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) by Curtis W — 11 Sep 2009

Man, this movie. It would be so easy to dismiss this film as being pointless and senseless violence, but it isn't. Even with the horrid acting, this film haves a gritty hint of authenticity that you can't stop watching the movie.

I'll be honest, a lot of people will be upset and physically sick watching this film; but the one thing I really love about this film is how the media is portrayed. During the film the the news agency continue to push Monroe to broadcast the recovered film to the public (Monroe recovered the film from the jungle after searching for the crew who originally went to the jungle to create a documentary), stating that 'blood and guts creates ratings'.

I find that bit amusing because when you look at the media today a large part of what is being broadcast is exploitative journalism; blood sport, reality T.V., that stupid ninja warrior rip off, Fox News, etc.

Sadly the other message in this film is very heavy handed and quite forced, and basically goes along the line of 'Is western civilization really civilized' and so on. Another major flaw with this film is its seemingly racist represetation of the ingenious tribes in the jungle.

So, while it's obvious this film isn't for everyone, I say give this film a try if you like exploitative films. You may find it horrible, funny, meaningful, sickening, pointless or maybe even arousing if you're a sick fuck; either way, this is just one of those films that a movie buff can't ignore.