groovyuniverse
Wow. Just wow. Saw it an hour ago. Right now I still feel overwhelmed by this movie. Certainly one of the best i've seen in the past few years. Some reviews here have already perfectly outlined what to admire in this film; so i am content with just sharing some of my genuine enthusiasm with you.First off the music is fantastic. When early in the story my mind was still trying to grasp the intent of the movie, it's distinctive music was the first thing that stood out to me. It sparked and fueled my intrigue. The soundtrack showed to be pretty unique and effectively conveys the essence of the different visual moods it accompanies throughout the film. Like others mentioned, this movie is witty, violent, cynical, hopeful and humorous at once, in no specified order. It shocked me and disgusted me, but also made me laugh and think deeper when it presented me it's philosophical questions.I'm already pondering on how to do this movie justice when telling my friends about it. It might be smart to not raise their expectations too high, as not knowing what to expect certainly did not hurt the process of me slowly getting in awe with this movie.
watty2010
It escapes me how anyone can possibly give this film higher than 1 out of 10. The characters are completely one dimensional, the pace of the film is all over the place, the acting is awful (especially considering the calibre of actors involved), the musical score is completely inappropriate and annoying and the plot is childlike. I don't know anything about the director of this monstrosity of a film but I wouldn't be surprised if I was told it was her first effort.Anytime anything happens or we think something might happen, the director blows it by making the scene so woefully laboured that any possibility of suspense evaporates and turns quickly to bored frustration. Throughout this viewing ordeal, I was wondering if I was watching a horror movie made for children by children.Some have described this as a black comedy. I would describe it as a train wreck.
gavin6942
The promotion of Captain John Boyd (Guy Pearce) stations him at a fort where a rescued man (Robert Carlyle) tells a disturbing tale of cannibalism.One of the most interesting things about this film is that Milcho Manchevski allegedly sat in the director's chair for two weeks before being replaced by Antonia Bird. Manchevski gets no on-screen credit, leading one to wonder: were the things he shot replaced or merely uncredited? Regardless, this film instantly stunned those who saw it in 1999 and it remains a strong film today (2014). Not flawless, not the greatest film of all time, but one that probably still has not achieved its full recognition (and sadly so, given that Bird passed in 2013). While the performance by David Arquette is lacking (not surprisingly), Pearce and Carlyle give it their all, and Neal McDonough shows some of his best work.The F.W. Colqhoun character in some ways anticipates The Stranger from "30 Days of Night" (2007). This was likely not intentional, but their physical appearances and way of just appearing to let the audience know trouble is brewing is quite similar.The Shout! Factory release is certainly the definitive version thus far, with the added picture and sound of Blu-Ray. How much is new to this release is unclear -- there are over ten minutes of deleted scenes, an impressive three commentaries, and a few other goodies. The deleted scenes add a little to the background, and Bird's commentary on them make it clear why they were cut (primarily for pacing reasons).
cmv32261
Come on now miraculously surviving deep puncture wounds, severe gun shot wounds, 1 moment almost completely bled out, the next complete healed no wound at all. There has been cases where stranded out in the wilderness members dying of malnutrition, frost bite, dehydration, etc., and surviving members had to eat the dead to survive they did not acquire such unbelievable healing powers, nor did they turn ravenous over eating human flesh.Movie just a little too hokey in my opinion. Unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, etc., etc., etc..