Are likable characters a thing of the past?

Rating: 3/10 (20 June 2006)

The main problem with this film is the fact that the so-called "heroes" are extremely unlikeable homophobic morons. You hear them use the word "f@gg#t" so many times in the first few minutes of the film that I was rooting for the "villains" before we even meet them.
Director Eli Roth's "excuse" for his frequent use of homophobic characters is that "people talk like that". Well, if that is true how about making a couple of racists the main characters in his next movie? They are out there as well unfortunately and also use insulting language. But I doubt that would be acceptable to a film studio. Homophobic morons on the other hand don't seem to be a problem. It's a strange world...
But if you can look past the fact that the main characters are insulting and alienating 10 to 15 percent of the audience of this film (and I'm sure there are quite a number of people who are glad about the homophobic insults and praise Roth for being "non-pc". I wonder how they'd feel if those characters were racists and not homophobes.) you still won't get what the commercials promised. While the film is very brutal and gory at times there are MUCH less scenes of torture then you might expect. And considering how much I disliked the characters I wanted to see them suffer much more. The most unlikeable character even survives, leading to a very unsatisfactory ending.
There is a very undeveloped plot about Josh, one of the annoying backpackers, possibly being gay but that doesn't lead to anything. Is this maybe Roth's way of trying to make up for all the homophobia? Did he get scared how his target audience would react to this and abandoned this plot, therefore making it pretty redundant? It won't come as a surprise that one of the main villains of this films is gay and gets a very bloody death scene at the end. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it but considering the prejudiced attitude of this film it makes you wonder what Roth's fascination with homosexuality and homophobia is all about. I'm not really sure I wanna know...