No masterpiece, but certainly not that bad either.

Rating: 6/10 (1 March 2009)

Alright, let me get right down to it: Hostel is not as bad as most people here want to make you believe it is. I think - no, I am certain that people who give this a one star rating simply went to see it expecting too much. Two points that I saw mentioned a lot:
This is not the goriest movie ever. Period. If it's been marketed as such, that might be morally dubious, but hey - if you're old enough to legally watch this movie in any country and still take marketing talk as a fact, you might want to consider switching your medications. The gore is there, it looks professional, it's neither over-the-top nor squeamishly hidden.
Yes, the characters are not out of something Shakespeare, Hemingway or King might have written. They lack depth. I give you that. But the plot is clearly about three guys travelling Europe to get the most sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll out of it as possible. That's all they want, that's all they're ever shown to do, that's the story, for Christ's sake. That's what you do when you're young. If I had been there, I'd probably acted even dumber. They get stoned, they get high on ecstasy - do you expect them to explain the Big Bang in between? They did what kids do when they set out to party - they party. Yeah, people having fun aren't as likable as people suffering a childhood trauma and telling the audience every detail about it. I didn't sit on the edge of my seat blinking away tears either. But in the context of the story, they're believable enough.
Talking about trauma: Yeah, that little tidbit about our main character's past failings was cheaply incorporated. No excuses for this.
Otherwise, though, I think people tend to use the word "unrealistic" way too often. It's not like our main character suddenly finds a buried space ship in the end, keys conveniently dangling from the dashboard and a manual nearby...
My final verdict on this movie is as simple and humble as it gets: A decent, well-directed, nicely-written horror flick. Way better than most of the flicks cluttering the horror genre, not a masterpiece either (sorry, Eli..). The acting neither stands out as bad, nor as terrificly good - with the exception of Rick Hoffmann as the American Customer, that was one creepy performance. A lot of "been there, done that" moments, but no major plot holes either. If you think this is a bad horror flick, watch Friday Thirteenth - Jason goes to Hell and think again. Oh, and if you really think that this is inferior to Cabin Fever, I dunno, just stay away from me. Please. (Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't like that one. But it has, like, a hundred more flaws than Hostel, obviously. Still entertaining, though.)
An entertaining 6/10.