Ravenous

Rating:
Summary: Great cannibalism film. A masterpiece.
Review: I love "Ravenous", it's one of my favorite films in my top ten list. I don't see why this movie didn't get the attention it should've gotten in its theatrical release. It's just that most people don't know what a good movie is when they see one. The many reasons I absolutely love "Ravenous" is because of the excellent music score composed and performed by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn, in fact, I happen to own the soundtrack. The film is very well-cast with great performances from start to finish. Guy Pearce was superb in his portrayle of Civil War hero Captain John Boyd. I especially love the performances of Robert Carlyle as the show-stealing, cannibalistic Scotsman and Jeffrey Jones (known for "Beetlejuice" fame) as a wallnut-eating colonel. The cinematography of Anthony B. Richmond is so striking, giving a great atmosphere for each and every scene. "Ravenous" is an instant cult classic and one of the best horror films made in years. I'd recommend that those with weak stomachs should not watch this movie, for they might never eat red meat ever again. Best film since Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", director Antonia Bird's "Ravenous" is my second favorite cannibal movie.

Rating:
Summary: Anyone feel like going veggie now?
Review: This bizarre oddity of genres is something that if given time will become a genuine cult classic. It details the exploits of Boyd (Pearce), a disgraced officer sent to a virtually abandoned post in the middle of nowhere in 1847. But when a mysterious stranger (Carlyle) arrives with a chilling tale of cannibalism in the wilderness and they set out on a rescuse mission to find the remaining survivors things start spiralling out of all proportion.

As weird as it is bizarrely gripping, 'Ravenous' is also genuinely horrific and there are scenes which will make even the most strong-stomached viewers look away. It's a strange mixture of disgusting gore and comedy that will definitely make you laugh, albeit nervously. There's also a strong vampiric feel to the film (especially in Carlyle's excellent performance) and the expected sexual imagery to go with the cannibalism. There's even an eclectic bluegrass score worked on by Damon Albarn, ;ead singer in British indie group Blur.

Pearce again turns in a magnificent performance that could easily have fallen into self-parody, and Carlyle is great fun. There's even a somewhat surprising appearance by David Arquette as a bumbling fool. Admitedly this won't be for everyone's taste, but as a modern cult classic it is right up there with 'The Addiction'. Best watched late at night.

Rating:
Summary: A great horror movie!
Review: I just watched the other night at a friends house. Now I am like this is one of those DVD's I must have. This movie is funny in its own way and yet sicking. I found myself laughing through a good chunk of it. Ravenous is now like in my top ten movie list along with Trainspotting.
If you haven't seen this movie at least rent it. Just don't watch it at like 3am in the dark by yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Painfully Boring
Review: You people must be nuts! 4 stars for this steaming pile?

This is a surprisingly boring and empty film. Here are several things the movie is NOT: interesting, scary, thought-provoking and original. The gore factor is awkward as well; not enough to interest a gore-puppy but just enough to turn off viewers who dislike that stuff. I'm not sure what the intent was with this entire effort.

Rating:
Summary: YOU...It's What's For Dinner...
Review: If you know anything about the storied history of this film, you find yourself amazed and pleased, even after the nine-thousandth viewing, that it turned out as well as it did.

What with Antonia Bird serving as the replacement for RAVENOUS' first director, Milcho Manchevski, and the eleventh-hour addition of the marvelous Robert Carlyle, it's no surprise that the plot and tone are schizoid as they are. And just the fact that the score was co-composed by avant-garde specialist Michael Nyman and former BLUR frontman Damon Albarn, speaks volumes about what the wary (or unwary) cinematic *CONSUMER* should expect.

Which is a ride not for the faint-of-heart or the squeamish. Captain John Boyd (Pearce) has just received an award for bravery, for a heroic act of valor performed during a battle in the Spanish-American War. Only he, his superior officer, Gen. Slauson (WEST WING'S John Spencer) and the audience know that he's a lily-livered coward at heart. He was only able to capture an enemy outpost after playing dead under a stack of the bodies of his butchered comrades.

Disgusted with him, but well aware that political correctness won't allow him to have a war hero tried and executed for cowardice under fire, Slauson does the next best thing...he has Boyd "reassigned" to what could be seen as the American answer to the Gulag...Fort Spencer, out in the middle of hell-and-gone, somewhere in California, by way of the same route that the Donner party was unlucky enough to take, (making you wonder if maybe they ran into somebody in this movie!)

Anyway, our outcast war hero finds the fort manned by a colorful cast of misfits: Col. Hart (Jeffrey Jones), as bookish and erudite as you wouldn't expect the commander of a hole in the sticks to be; Private Toffler (Jeremy Davies), a man as devoutly religious as he is sweetly and inherently inept; outpost sawbones Major Knox (Stephen Spinella), who takes the phrase "Physician, Heal Thyself" literally, staying liberally medicated with anything that comes 100 proof from a bottle; the muscularly malevolent Private Reich (Neal McDonough), who proves that one can take being "all that you can be" too far indeed, and Pvt. Cleaves (David Arquette), the Old West's answer to the resident slacker, who believes his goal in life is discovering "better living through chemistry" in every way the fort can provide.

Rounding off the group is George (Joseph Running Fox) the local guide and Cleaves' peyote-and-peace-pipe partner, and his sister Martha (Sheila Tousey), who brings as much of a woman's touch to daily life at Spencer as this crew is likely to get.

Not long after Boyd's arrival, a haggard stranger stumbles into their midst, half-dead from fright, exposure and starvation. Introducing himself as the Rev. F.W. Colquohon, (Robert Carlyle), he explains how he came to be there, regaling the men of Fort Spencer with a tale of misfortune, murder and cannibalism that would give Stephen King the willies.

Alarmed by the possibility that some of the people Colquohon was traveling with may still be alive, Col. Hart and his men immediately set off on a rescue mission...which is where the fun of RAVENOUS really begins. Throw in deception, more murder, more cannibalism and just a touch of the supernatural, via an arcane Native American legend, and you're in for a stomach-churnin', knee-slappin' good time!

It's a damn shame that Fox didn't know (and probably didn't care about) how to sell this, because it's a cult hit sleeper in waiting if there ever was one. Sly commentary about everything from rampant consumerism and "manifest destiny," to male-bonding of a different kind abounds between fits of gore and grue, and a game cast sinks its teeth into some characterizations as unforgettably vivid as the fast-paced story will allow them to be.

Kudos especially to Carlyle, whose Colquohon will stick in your memory long after the last tasty, twangy note of the engagingly oddball soundtrack has faded away.

More's the pity that a featurette about the making of the movie and the soundtrack is not included. To say that there isn't anything else like it would usually be regarded as a cheap cliche. In this case, it's a (gross) understatement about a film worth every bit of your time. If you're...HUNGRY for something different....

Rating:
Summary: This movie was a surprising........'treat'.
Review: This is a very difficult movie to review. How do I explain a movie about cannibalism? Which is exactly what this movie centers on. When this film came out, 20th Century Fox advertised this like it was a dark comedy. While it does have it's share or quirky moments, it's not a comedy. This is a gore picture, plain and simple. Oh and did I mention the cannabalism?

Guy Pierce plays a misunderstood 'war-hero'. During the Spanish-American war (this film is set in 1840), while on the battlefield, he took over the Spanish command post of the area he was fighting in. What he didn't mention to everyone, was that he did it out of cowardice. During the battle, he played dead on the battlefield and was buried with his dead companions in a large trailer full of bodies. He then spent the next few days drinking his commanding officers blood running down from his half-blown off head. After drinking this blood, he then escapes and takes over the command post.

After being awarded a medal for his actions, he is sent to Fort Spencer. You see, his general (John Spencer) knows what really happened and wants him nowhere near his troops. So, he is sent to the middle of nowhere in the snowy mountains of Nevada (or so they say in the film). Fort Spencer is being watched over by 7 people. Each has their own characteristics and are actually quite interesting.

One night they are paid a visit by a wandering stranger (Robert Carlyle) who is on the verge of death. He then tells them all a story about cannabalism. It seems that the party he was with, got caught in the storm and seeked shelter in a cave. One of the males then preceeded to eat everyone. He mentions there might be survivors. Some of the people of Fort Spencer then plan to travel to the cave to look for these survivors. And that's where the story really begins to kick in.

I won't give away the details, but it has a couple nice twists to it and you get great performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle. After you see Carlyle in this, you will never look at him the same again. The supporting actors are also quite good. David Arquette, however, makes me want to hit him every time I see him act. But contrary to the advertisment campaign, he is not in the film that much.

If you have a weak stomach, I would recommend not watching this movie. While it isn't a horror movie, per se, it's definately got many grusome images. It's really a movie that doesn't fit into and ONE genre. It has some quirky comedy. It definately can creep you out at time. It's very gory. But, the main core of the movie is centered around cannabalism and some old Indian myth of a 'Wendigo'. Apparently a Wendigo is a person who has ate the flesh of man and then gets a undeniable hunger for it. He has to kill and eat man to quench his thirst. The thirst will never go away and for every human you eat, you consume their spirit. In essence you grow very strong, heal much faster and feel better than you ever have. It's quite interesting & disturbing at the same time.

I don't feel this film was given a fair shot at the box office. The advertising was way off and gave you the wrong idea. Then again, how do you advertise a movie that is centered around man eating the flesh of another man? This is a VERY original movie, and that is rare in these days of Hollywood cookie-cutter type movies. I would definately give it a rent. It's not for everyone, though.

The DVD comes with 3 commentary tracks, deleted scenes, tv spots, photo galleries, and costume & set designs. Not a bad batch of supplements considering this isn't even a 'special edition'.

Rating:
Summary: Lovin' it...
Review: I really loved this movie because it lays out a very serious subject and a very serious time. (The Civi War or something...) Yet, it manages to make cannibalism and cowardice comical. this film is often times very intense and seemingly very serious. It presents the origin of cannibalism and how it effects the human body. It displays that extreme hunger that you would have to feel to eat another human.
This film is so fast and so abrupt that the shock value goes straight through the roof... The characters just there and it doesnt matter how they got there or who they are... they have death stamped on their heads from the beginning. And I hesitate to say that this film was actually powerful. Robert Carlyle and Guy Pierce are mesmerizing in the characters they portray.
The film is beautifully shot as well as the scenery. And the desolate camp makes for a good setting. whatever you think about this film... It is definitely effective. Gritty, darkly hilarious, stone cold intense, not to be missed.

"Eat or die... Bon apetit."

Rating:
Summary: The Thinking Person's Movie about Cannibalism
Review: The story really gets started at a fort in the Sierra Nevada's when a near dead stranger arrives at the fort and tells a tale that sounds very similar to the real story of the Donner party. But then things get much weirder! Don't eat that stew! This movie draws in religious references to Christianity, American Manifest Destiny, and Native American folklore, to create an intellectually and mythologically stimulating brew for the culturally receptive mind.

The humor takes the edge off the horror, and the horror takes the edge off of the humor, in a brilliant balance that leaves this movie defying categorization. It remains far too serious to be called dark comedy, but it still has its fair share of humor. Some of the more intense moments in the movie gain an erie and otherworldly tone when juxtaposed against some of the maniacally joyful music that accompanies those moments. The acting proves brilliant! And the dynamics between Robert Carlyle and Guy Pierce, hit a compelling range, from curious interest, to hatred and disgust, and even reaching the depths of thinly veiled homoerotic situational innuendo. The rest of the acting was great, but this amazing duo truly left the most memorable impression.

I think the unfavorable reviews offered by some of the "professional critics" more reflects their inability to handle this topic at all, than any shortcomings of the movie itself. If you think you may be a little sensitive about the topic of cannibalism, you have been warned. I really don't think that any of the gruesomeness was gratuitous, and certainly the movie could have been a LOT more gory than it was. You simply can't pretend to discuss cannibalism without gruesomeness. To do otherwise would have been a Pollyanna whitewash job. If you have ever thought about becoming vegetarian, especially for aesthetic and moral reasons, this film just might push you over the edge! Unless you have an unusually "gothic" family or relationship, this isn't your typical date movie or family entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: refer to "painfully boring" review
Review: The reviewer of this film, who calls it "painfully boring" simply typifies many american viewers. his review in its simplicity should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt.

...if you're the type who has a short attention span; the reviewer is correct. all others will enjoy this rather off-beat horror/action and dark comedy.

Rating:
Summary: Not For Every, uh, Taste
Review: There is some polarized debate as to both the quality and the genre of this movie. The movie is good and enjoyable but its not THAT good. A star studded cast and fairly low production value support a one joke black-comedy. Used to be that cult classics became such over time as they garnered a small but loyal fanbase to thier particular oddity. The makers of Ravenous are trying to make a cult classic right out of the gate. As if Cult Classic is its own legimate film category. (which it isn't) That this is a black comedy and not serious drama is so overtly stated and repetively reinforced, it is hard to understand why some reviewers take this movie so seriously. From the very beginning, the simplist act of sustenance is treated as an act of barbarity and brutality. Even the breaking of a walnut is handled in this way. The walnut isnt just cracked open, it is smashed to little bits. From beginning to end the movie pours on the cannibal and food jokes. If this is serious drama, someone forgot to tell the scriptwriter, the director and all of the actors.