MOVIE REVIEW: The Green Inferno (2015)

The Green Inferno (2015) 

Adventure, Horror

Directed By: Eli Roth

For the fans of Eli Roth, the release of this movie had been long in the waiting. After having supposed to have been released last September before getting pulled last minute by its distributor, fans of his work have been eagerly awaiting his return to the director's chair. After Blumhouse saved the project and got it a release we are now finally able to see the film, a whole year after we originally thought we were. Aside from the building anticipation, fans were excited to see how he would pay tribute to the classic exploitation cannibal tribe films, like Cannibal Holocaust. As a fan of most of his previous work as a director (Hostel II is just a bit too wacky for me I guess) I have been quite excited to see this film and as a fan I must say I am a bit underwhelmed. 

The Green Inferno follows a group of college activists down into the Amazon rainforest as they set out to save an indigenous tribe from being wiped out by a corporation, who are seeking the lands natural gas. The story centers on Justine (Lorenza Izzo) who joins the activist group as a way to prove to herself that she actually cares. When the stunt ends up putting her life in danger she can't wait to just get back home, unfortunately for her the small passenger plane carrying them out of the rainforest crash lands right in the middle of it. Those lucky enough to have survived the crash are quickly abducted by the local tribe, who they quickly find out are cannibalistic in nature. Now those still alive must find a way to escape their village before they are ceremoniously eaten by the entire population. 

This bonkers movie has Eli Roth's stamp all over it, unfortunately he doesn't find a way to elevate it to a higher level than his previous work and it ends up feeling like a bit of a retread of Cabin Fever and Hostel. That isn't a complete knock on the film though as there are certain moments and characters that embody the best of what he has done as a genre filmmaker. He makes sure to use practical effects whenever possible and with amazing work from KNB Effects the death scenes are more than satisfying, for the most part. 

Where it falls off the rails is in the handful of scenes peppered throughout the 100 minutes that simply feel like they are from another movie entirely. In the past Eli has been able to seamlessly blend schlocky B-movie horror with the intelligent and serious side we see in some of the best genre films. He attempts to do the same again here but it fails more times than it works, the scenes that feel forced can take you completely out of the movie if it doesn't fit your taste. Not to mention that this is somehow his least gory film to date, a little disappointing considering the subject matter.

This is hardly a failure for Roth however and is sure to please his hardcore fans. It has blood and carnage and really stupid young adult characters that you can't wait to get killed. He once again plays perfect satire with his choice of characters, each one specifically poking fun at their tropes. He uses the film to slap ignorant college activists in the face with reality as to what they are actually doing, and to the whole "activism" movement as a whole. In this respect the film succeeds entirely and at times is saved because of it. 

I enjoyed the movie as a whole and was simply happy to be able to see a movie like this on the big screen, it is still a solid exploitation movie that we don't really get to see these days. It's disappointing it didn't have a bigger opening as we need more genre films like this to get theatrical releases but ultimately it makes sense. Roth caters to a specific crowd, and as loyal as that crowd is it simply isn't large enough to make a movie like this a smash hit.  I left the theater feeling satisfied but ultimately a little underwhelmed. He has a few tendencies he needs to grow out of to take his films to the next level, hopefully we see that with his other film being released this year Knock Knock. If you have been wanting to see this film I urge you to go to the theater, seeing it loud and large will top whatever experience you would have watching it at home. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!