Film Lived up to it's Reputation
Cannibal Holocaust is shocking, even by modern standards, which was the very reason I watched it. The plot revolving around a group of documentary film makers who commit horrible acts of violence against a native tribe in order to get good footage could have been more interesting, but in the end it’s only an excuse plot to show gruesome violence. But to be honest, what else could anyone expect from this movie? While this is a fairly well-made movie, apart from the musical score (which has a surprisingly beautiful theme) and a few nice shots of the rainforest, there is nothing pretty about it. But then again, it wasn’t trying to be pleasant. The infamous, on-screen animal deaths should clue anyone into that. If you’re looking for a moral or a message to go with your gore, it might be best to skip this movie. The commentary on society’s yearning for violence and ever-growing lust for bloody spectacle seems just a little eye-rolling when it's coming from a shock exploitation film. However, if a shocking exploitation film is what you’re looking for, then Cannibal Holocaust is unlikely to disappoint. I know it left this reviewer shaken!
Film Horror, but not in the way that you'd expect.
This is one of those movies that has a big reputation for pushing the envelope.
It's mostly undeserved.
Yes, the animal scenes are real. No, they don't add a lot to the film. They're just kind of there. Aside from that, this is a film that really doesn't seem to be able to make up it's mind. There's an emphasis on media violence, desensitization, anti-imperialism, but it breaks this message completely by showing long scenes of violence, cruelty, and stereotyped "cannibal" villagers.
These scenes are graphic, but there's both too much and not enough of them. When the violence comes, it's very graphic, but it actually becomes boring because they go on for longer than they should. At the same time, these scenes just don't show up as often as you might think. You get a long scene, but then you get quite some time of the crew just walking through the jungle.
There's also the entire second half, which is a huge, preachy segment going against the very thing that the entire first half of the film is made up of. So much talking, little of interest.
It's hard to believe you could make a bad gore exploitation film, but this director succeeded, if only in that, and nothing else.