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The Green Inferno is writer/director Eli Roth's tribute to cannibal horror movies of the '70s and '80s, most notably Cannibal Holocaust and Woman from Deep River. And indeed, this type of flick is a good fit for Roth's cinematic tendencies, as he enjoys indulging in excessive gore, and his horrors are often labelled as "torture porn." Even though Roth produces countless features on a yearly basis, this is actually his first helming endeavour since 2007's limp misfire Hostel: Part II, and the filmmaker clearly hasn't learned a great deal from his mistakes. There's gore aplenty in The Green Inferno, but it lacks actual terror and chills, and it's visibly hampered by its restricted budget. The Cannibal Holocaust influence is readily apparent throughout, as Roth has basically created the closest replication possible without directly remaking the controversial classic.
The daughter of a United Nations lawyer, college student Justine (Lorenza Izzo) has a crush on handsome campus rebel Alejandro (Ariel Levy), who heads a student activist group. Spurred on by her interest in Alejandro, Justine joins the group, and reluctantly agrees to a trip to Peru to protest the bulldozing of rainforests. The protest goes off as planned, making headlines around the world, but Justine is left disillusioned, realising that Alejandro cannot be trusted and doesn't care about her safety. Making matters worse, the students are soon captured by a cannibal tribe, who intend to butcher and eat them all, one at a time.
The Green Inferno is the fourth movie that Roth has directed, and it follows the same formula, with dim-witted young people marching into unfamiliar territory where they are systematically killed off. Cabin Fever featured rural rednecks as the killers, while the Hostel films used Third World chaos to punish the naiveté of the leading characters. And now Roth turns his attention to indigenous South American tribes, though it still feels like more of the same. Considering that this is his first directorial outing in a few years, it's disheartening that Roth isn't interested in a challenge, and though he does attempt to inject some satire and commentary into the proceedings, it's text rather than subtext, and it's far less effective than the still-potent Cannibal Holocaust.
Despite impressive make-up effects by veterans Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger, The Green Inferno feels cheap to its core, with ugly digital cinematography that carries an amateurish look. This may be a $5 million horror flick, but 2015's Bone Tomahawk was produced for a fraction of that cost, and still looks far more authentic and cinematic. There's no snap or spark to elevate The Green Inferno above the ordinary, with plodding, workmanlike pacing and unconvincing performances across the board. Although Roth fills the frame with blood and guts, the result is thoroughly joyless, with no thought towards tact or style to make it palatable. To be fair, however, Manuel Riveiro's original score is effective, and there are some comedic touches that do work, including stoned cannibals who get the munchies.
It's actually somewhat miraculous that The Green Inferno ever saw the light of day. Filmed all the way back in 2012, it was set for release in 2013, but wound up being shelved for two years due to financial issues. With all that time between shooting and release, there's really no excuse for such a poor final product. The movie does admittedly boast nice locations, with filming having taken place deep in the Amazon jungle featuring real natives as extras (who had no idea what a movie was), but Roth's filmmaking is too slipshod, and the writing is hard to defend.
4.1/10
