Hostel: Part II Review by jmh314

Hostel: Part II Movie Details: DVD, Theatre Date, News, Trailers & More

Hostel: Part II Review

Written by: jmh314

It is no secret that director Eli Roth has been seen as the next "it" director for the horror genre. The problem with having a big label put upon someone so early in a career is if the quality of films produced aren't up to fan's expectations, this person will soon become a very highly debated figure in the horror community. After two previous Roth works, one thing seems fairly obvious: you either love them, or you hate them. With two debated films already on his resume, Eli Roth comes at us with his third offering, Hostel Part II. Will Hostel Part II finally be the film that pushes away Roth's naysayers? Coming from a reviewer who has not liked his previous efforts, I will say this: I didn't love it.......but I didn't hate it either.

Hostel Part II starts of on a much quicker pace than it's predecessor. It wastes no time in supplying the audience with a little bloodshed. But from there, the plot drops from the unexpected to a rehash of the first. The story of three Americans, this time females, backpacking through Europe begins to unfold. They are talked into going to Slovakia for a stay at a wonderful spa rather than continue their journey to Prague. I found myself not caring at all about these characters and their story. We all know they are going to end up tied up and primed for torture, so trying to sit through their story as it attempts to develop was a waste of time for me. Give me something new or something different as to how they end up tied up and tortured, not just a rehash of the first films plot.

Unlike the first film, this time we get a parallel storyline of two wealthy Americans who are on their way to torture and kill these young women. I liked this angle more, and wished they would have focused the primary story around these two instead of the women, because this angle of the story was fresh and original. We get to meet our killers and learn how they have ended up in Slovakia for this experience. The storyline from the girls was all too repeated from the first and all too unnecessary as we know what was going to happen them. The originality of the storyline with the torturers and their journey to Slovakia could have driven this film in a more solid direction, but I feel was underutilized.

Both storylines did suffer from one common element: bad acting. I take that back. I don't know if it was bad acting or bad dialog, but I think it was a combination of both. Some of the girls parts were WAY too cheesy, and the dialog to me was often very basic and unorigional. With lines like "Please help me, these men are chasing me" and "Oh my God are they going to kill us?" one can wonder how long it took the actors to memorize such drivel.

So after we get the predictable storyline of the females, and the original storyline of their soon to be torturers, we finally get to the gore. The final third of the film was by far very over the top with the gore and ideas. However, I feel a lot of this was done to just try and push the envelope rather than cause any sort of fear or chills to it's audience. Yes if you have a weak stomach this will get you rattled, but from the perspective of a horror fan or someone unaffected by gore in films, it does nothing more than set the bar higher. What I found myself asking because of this is: "did the bar really need to be set higher"?

I will say this about the last third of the movie. It took a few more twists then I would have expected and didn't make them too over the top. As far as the commercials that stated "the most shocking ending in horror movie history", or whatever the line was, I wouldn't go that far. It definitely ended on a much better note than it's predecessor, but one of the most shocking in history it was not. The FX were very well done though, and I applaud them for not turning the camera away at many parts. Not many films show the events that happen, and it was good to see they did so.

There were a few things about this movie that didn't sit entirely well with me. As previously stated, the storyline with the girls was more of the same. I would have loved to see something completely different as to how they end up being victims. Also, despite the gore levels, I was disappointed with the kills. Not necessarily how they were done, but the number of kills. The death count was rather small in my opinion. I would have loved to seen a greater number of people killed. I think this could have been accomplished if you stayed away from the girls storyline and kept the focus on their would be killers. Also, in the better storyline with the killers and their journey to Slovakia, I thought all the text messaging used for them to get to where they did was dumb. I know we live in a technological society, but was all the texting and messaging necessary for these two to set-up their story? And seeing as though I studied Law in college, don't even get me started on the trail they left by doing so.

And one last gripe, whats with all the dogs and cats? Do we really need to see these animals hanging out with all the bodies/victims and snacking on them? I understand they were setting up one of the more "shocking" moments, but was it really necessary to set up a part for a dog?

With all that said, I do believe Hostel: Part II was a step up from the original. Was it great? No. But it was a step in the right direction for Roth. He needs to try and get more out of his actors as I always get the feeling the lines were all done in two to three takes. They sound forced and lack direction and pure emotion. I also think Roth needs to leave the script writing up to others as most of the script comes of cheesy and uninspired. Maybe he will benefit when he does Stephen King's cell as the storyline is already there, so he doesn't have to worry about being innovative with his writing.

While Hostel: Part II showcased some great and entertaining skill for creating gore, it does little else to prove what Roth can do for the horror genre. Any drunken group of friends can come up with sick and twisted ideas for horror torture, but executing it well is something that cant be accomplished by many. Roth's ideas are in the right place but I think he needs to stop trying to top himself and set the bar higher and focus more on telling a great story, getting the most from his actors, and making a truly unforgettable film. Because at the end of the day Hostel: Part II ends up as yet another film that could have been something great, but ended up doing little to remain a memorable classic.

This is a community member review and not a staff member review. We appreciate and respect the opinions of our readers and are gratefull that they took the time to contribute it.