Lacking of atmosphere and tension

Rating: 1/10 (21 April 2006)

Just seen this turkey...nothing new. Completely lacking of atmosphere and tension, despite the graphic violence, which, by the way, is too much old-school make-up artistry to have impact. If it had been combined with computer graphics in a way similar to Irreversible, it could have. At the end the movie totally looses focus and relies on way too many convenient solutions. It is interesting that despite exteriors being shot on location, it all seems sanitized and artificial. Maybe because the cinematography is too...looking for the proper word...rigid, safe? Everything is over-lit, except for the "dungeon", which is too horror-stylized. A more documentary approach would probably have been more effective, as if it was being shot by one of the backpackers themselves. And this makes millions at the box-office, I guess there is something to be learned from that. Make a lackluster movie with some nudity and gore, make money. I have longed for horror movies to be scary and bloody again, like in the 70s and 80s, but I can live without this. Eli, I think you can do better than this, I hope your next movie has more substance and imagination, Hostel plays it too safe by trying too hard to be controversial.