Welcome to the jungle where you won't find any fun or games.
Released by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Production Year: 2013
Region Code: A
Running Time: 1:40:54
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video: 1080p (2.40:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:
New York college student Justine (Lorenza Izzo) meets student activist Alejandro (Ariel Levy) when he goes on a hunger strike on behalf of underpaid janitors. Smitten, she agrees to help Alejandro undertake his next project: rescuing an Amazon village from destruction by a greedy multinational corporation. But Justine soon comes to regret her decision when their plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle and the students realize they are not alone. No good deed goes unpunished as the well-meaning students are captured by the cannibalistic tribe they came to save.
The first feature film directed by Roth since Hostel: Part II, The Green Inferno stars Lorenza Izzo (Aftershock, "Hemlock Grove"), Ariel Levy (The Stranger, Best Worst Friends), Aaron Burns (The Stranger, Best Worst Friends) and Kirby Bliss Blanton(Project X, Candy From Strangers). The screenplay is by Eli Roth and Guillermo Amoedo (Knock Knock, Aftershock).
Director Eli Roth gives the cannibal subgenre a spin with "The Green Inferno." If you are familiar with Ruggero Deodatao's 1980 film "Cannibal Holocaust," the title will probably sound familiar. While "Cannibal Holocaust" has a more organically raw feel and look to it, "The Green Inferno" feels more brutal in its violence and gore. The film is a bit of a cautionary tale in that sometimes even though you are trying to do something good and help people, they may not be the ones that end up needing the help. We often hear stories in the news of good samaritans who had something bad happen to them or even lost their lives trying to help someone they thought was in need.
I thought that most of the main cast in the film did a very good job in their roles. Throughout the film there were a number of times the characters needed to exhibit fear and terror and I feel they did great in that regard. Trying to mentally put yourself in their shoes in certain scenes really makes me wonder what you would do if you were in that situation. Well, we could easily say, I would never get myself in to that type of situation to begin with, but accidents happen and there are unfortunately, other unpleasant pitfalls in life that can be beyond our control.
The film itself looks beautiful, even perhaps when it should not. The filmmakers could have easily gone the "found footage" route and subjected us to shaky-cam syndrome, depriving us of the terrific gore-fueled scenes that appear during the film. Thankfully we are given a front row look at them in all of their disgustingly fun glory.
"The Green Inferno" Blu-ray provides an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which sounds great from start to finish. The sound levels of the Blu-ray were consistent and the dialogue, score and often grisly sound effects had a nice balance. From the squishy sounds of eye gouging to the voices of the natives, the audio sounded great. English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are also included.
"The Green Inferno" explodes on to Blu-ray thanks to Universal Pictures. The film is presented in 1080p with a 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio. "The Green Inferno" looks brilliant. Whether it is the college backdrop or the jungle itself, the film looks extremely lifelike as though you could walk right in to the picture. The jungle looks absolutely amazing with its lush foliage and deep green colors befitting the title of the film. Color is represented quite well and look deep and rich. The film has a fairly sharp appearance and shines in many of the close up shots of the cast or surroundings. Black levels looked nice and skin tones were excellent with the contrast between our college students and natives looking wonderful. I did not notice any real issues with the video portion of the Blu-ray. Viewers should be quite pleased with how well the film appears.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 2 / 5 ]:
Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director/Producer Eli Roth, Producer Nicolas Lopez and Stars Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Daryl Sabara - This was a great commentary. First off, yes there is some patting on the back among the participants and some may find fault with that but I don't see anything wrong with it. I found this to be fascinating to listen to as it was chock full of information regarding the cast, many of whom Eli Roth has worked with before, the crew and the production of the film. You will learn some interesting tidbits from behind the scenes. This commentary does sort of make up for not having a 'making of' documentary since that sort of information is provided. If you like the film or if commentary tracks are your thing, give this one a listen.
Photo Gallery - Well over 100 pictures from the film including some behind the scenes photos.
"The Green Inferno" feels like a film out of place since nobody really makes this type of cannibal film anymore. It looks terrific and sounds great as well thanks to the Blu-ray from Universal Pictures. While light on extras it does feature a great commentary track with a number of participants. This release also includes a Digital HD copy of the film in addition to the Blu-ray.
OVERALL RATING: [ 3.5 / 5 ]
