Welcome to the Jungle Review
Written by: BlackTequilaKiss
Oh the agony, the agony! I rented this despite profound warnings not to because I thought it might be better than it looked. A case of 'don't judge a book by its cover', how I wish I had listened to everyone's warnings. It is not likeable, nor very viewable and scary? Only to those who have no concept of what real horror films are like. This is tame and unimaginative. A disappointment for sure.
Let's get down to the basics first-
Plot: Two couples pair together and start on a trek to the New Guinea wilderness with one expressive purpose to find and interview Michael Rockefeller. Heir to the Rockefeller fortune he disappeared in 1961, since then urban legends have surrounded what happened to him. The couples go in terms to discover the ultimately truth in what happened to him. What will they find on their travels?
I did not expect this movie to be brilliant I will admit, heck I did not expect an whole lot of gore but I expected something; anything to make the movie jump out and get you. I expected something original and different what I got was time wasted and which I wish I could get back. The trailer made this movie look good when truth it is anything but.
Ok, the cast:
This ought to be fun-
Sandy Gardiner (Mandi): Admittedly she played the role of a stuck up woman well who thought she was better than the others quite well but after a while the snobby attitude this character displayed stops being good and starts to wear thin as well as becoming far more irritating. She has potential and in another role that gives her the leniency required she could shine. However in this it seems the director wanted one dimensional characters who had no depth to them. A shame.
Nick Richey (Mickey): He was the actor I liked the most. Yes there was still some irritating moments but as an whole he added a sight more. A sense of humour, a cheekiness and the fact he saw it as a trip was kind of sweet. I like how he didn't take the whole thing seriously (unlike some) and just went with the flow as an whole he was the only character I could stand. -- Fair play to the others but the roles were hacked and they added nothing to the film.
Shaky handheld cameras are becoming a staple in some movies and quite frankly the format is tiring on me quickly. Fair play they want to play unique but when it becomes a tired concept it is no longer unique.
The music was all over the place which is a shame because it had potential to be something more but it never tried to go any new depths, it was a shame on the part of the movie.
What did I love? The scenery, it was the breathtaking aspect of the movie. The softly linger of the sun, the caress of the darkness they were sights that gripped totally and immersed me. Dusky Sun disappearing behind a veil of clouds, illuminating across shallows of water, paling across green grasses. Moments like that captured me completely.
Gore: Really? There was nothing new about it and the fact it was minimal didn't do much. Yes there were some stunning details of blood but far and between. I don't need blood, guts or gore to make a movie good. I need substance, style and a story / characters that enhance the experience, this just lacked the caress of flair. The tribesman were done well and looked the part so in that respect, thank you Jonathan Hensleigh.
By and by this failed what it set out to do and that was show us the rawer side of nature. It tried to shock and do what countless others have done which made it no more unique, nor different. It was a valiant effort that just fell from the mark.
My advice- Do not buy this you might regret it. If you must rent it but do not expect anything too special and if you hate characters that do not have that many redeeming features be wary. On the plus the scenery was a gorgeous, lush added bonus but it is not enough to save the movie from its failing grace which is why it gained a 2 rating and not 1.
Ultimately this is a disappointment. A shame given the promise it could have had. Not the best of films at all.