Cannibal Ferox
1981
Dania Film / Medusa Distribuzione / National Cinematografica
Indie Rights / Replay Video / Grindhouse Releasing / Image Entertainment
3.75 / 10
This is an atrociously dire film in every way. The only silver lining was the premise of the story where three student anthropologists enter the Columbian jungles with the naive aim of disproving cannibalism. They come across a couple of adventures who claim to have escaped from a cannibal tribe after they had devoured their colleague. It's the twist in the story that could have saved this film had it been correctly explored and utilised. This, however, isn't the case and there just isn't anything else that makes this a film to watch.
Other reviews state the film is so bad that it unintentionally makes you laugh... that wasn't my case. What writer and director Umberto Lenzi gives his viewers is a lesson in the banal, boring, and tedious.
From the previously mentioned wasted story issue to the under-acted, over-acted, and wooden performances of the cast to the uninteresting and dreary direction to the worst and insipid locations available, this is a bad film.
However, there are a few issues which did earn it the rating I gave. I did like the twist in the tale which wasn't fully envisioned. There were actual moments when the cast got serious and wasn't too bad in their roles. Even Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who was mostly ludicrously over-the-top, actually had a couple of moments where he was menacing and believable. Then there was the glorious gorefest of the special effects, though these are expected to be bad, they never fail to entertain; the scene of the penis extraction brought a wince to my face. However, even the effects aren't without their errors. The way they are filmed is so matter-of-fact that they lose their shock value.
Then, of course, there's the animal cruelty as you are witness to the killing of a turtle and a wild boar. I do hope these animals were to be used as sustenance and were subsequently eaten. I must admit to not liking the thought of them being killed and then discarded for entertainment's sake, as these scenes were not required for the story.
This is not the best cannibal film:
For the best story and acting, watch Cannibal Holocaust
For an interesting twist on the genre, better story and acting, try Cannibal Apocalypse
For the best jungle location, I suggest you watch The Man From Deep River
Though, I will say I do not find the cannibal genre that interesting and even though these are better than Ferox they're still not brilliant.
Other reviews state the film is so bad that it unintentionally makes you laugh... that wasn't my case. What writer and director Umberto Lenzi gives his viewers is a lesson in the banal, boring, and tedious.
From the previously mentioned wasted story issue to the under-acted, over-acted, and wooden performances of the cast to the uninteresting and dreary direction to the worst and insipid locations available, this is a bad film.
However, there are a few issues which did earn it the rating I gave. I did like the twist in the tale which wasn't fully envisioned. There were actual moments when the cast got serious and wasn't too bad in their roles. Even Giovanni Lombardo Radice, who was mostly ludicrously over-the-top, actually had a couple of moments where he was menacing and believable. Then there was the glorious gorefest of the special effects, though these are expected to be bad, they never fail to entertain; the scene of the penis extraction brought a wince to my face. However, even the effects aren't without their errors. The way they are filmed is so matter-of-fact that they lose their shock value.
Then, of course, there's the animal cruelty as you are witness to the killing of a turtle and a wild boar. I do hope these animals were to be used as sustenance and were subsequently eaten. I must admit to not liking the thought of them being killed and then discarded for entertainment's sake, as these scenes were not required for the story.
This is not the best cannibal film:
For the best story and acting, watch Cannibal Holocaust
For an interesting twist on the genre, better story and acting, try Cannibal Apocalypse
For the best jungle location, I suggest you watch The Man From Deep River
Though, I will say I do not find the cannibal genre that interesting and even though these are better than Ferox they're still not brilliant.
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