Sex, Drugs, and Gore..... Doesn't get better does it?

Rating: 3/10 (24 June 2006)

I first watched this at my college movie theater for $3, and my first honest opinion was that this movie was total c*ap. I thought it was a movie that decided to join the whole Saw-hype and try to get some $$$ through the whole low-budget and high expectations deal. Now that I've watched it a second time, I believe I can actually make a "more balanced" comment on this movie.
First off, I have to say this IS a scary horror movie. BUT its scariness lies not in suspense or "jump-out-from-behind" scenes, but rather in the blood, guts, and gore. Hostel is scary in that its painful to watch, and it does make the viewers cringe and moan in their seats. For that, I do give props to the makers. Also, the acting is very well done. Through acting, the characters actually give you a greater sense of pain and fear that arises from the insanity of the hellish situation they are thrown into. For that, I do give props to the actors.
Now to what makes this movie simply "bad". I have to say, the plot is awful. No twists, no turns, no nothing. The plot is fairly straightforward, but it totally lacks the quality that would equal that of Saw and Saw 2. Instead, the movie tries to make up for this by adding lots of strong language, lots of drug reference, lots of sex and nudity, and most of all, lots of very very vivid and gory scenes. Cabin Fever tried to put some "humor" into it, but this movie doesn't seem to do that either. Maybe the beginning was intended to be "humorous", but it seemed stupid even to a college student like me. You just see three young guys making a fool of themselves going around smoking pot and drooling for girls. Totally unnecessary. Not to mention several confusing elements that were not explained. For example, why did that one guy have Oli's coat? Or was that just a coincidence?
Conclusion: You get vivid and sick gore, drug humor, and sexual content. Combine those with a very bad plot and you get Hostel. In other words, a bad movie. Period. I've heard and read good reviews about this movie, saying that the movie is a "social critique", but I beg to differ. The sole theme of this movie is sick violence, and nothing else pretty much. At least I don't see anything out of this movie, and I thought it was a waste of time and money. I wouldn't suggest watching this if you have anything else to watch. But if you do have the time and money to waste... go ahead. Just be ready to see some sickening things that you probably have never seen in a movie.