Scream Factory has delayed the release due to some technical issues with the disc playback, giving you a bit more time to make up your mind on this purchase. For fans of the film who probably already own the blu-ray, the question is if a few new features will be enough to buy the film again, or worth the higher price of purchasing this version over the more recently released one? As much of a fan as I am of Scream Factory's Collector's Editions, in my eyes it's hard to justify the upgrade given just a few new interviews and a CD, but it's still a great set that has obviously resulted from great care and consideration.
“The mastermind behind the Hostel franchise and Cabin Fever, horror auteur Eli Roth, serves up a feast of gut-wrenching terror in the gruesome fear-fest The Green Inferno. Determined to protect the Amazon rainforest, a group of student activists fly to Peru only to crash-land deep in the jungle. Captured by a pack of bloodthirsty cannibals, the survivors suffer unspeakable acts of butchery at the hands of the very tribe they were trying to save. A non-stop barrage of carnage and chills, The Green Inferno is an unhinged blast!”
Eli Roth found critical acclaim as he broke into the industry and the horror genre with Cabin Fever and Hostel, giving fans of the genre someone to keep an eye on as his mixture of horror and subtle comedy worked extremely well and was wildly entertaining. As a director, he took a long hiatus after Hostel: Part II, leaving his fans waiting patiently to see what he comes up with next. Then, after years of waiting, The Green Inferno shows his fans just how disgustingly gory he can get. While the film still has very mixed reviews, one thing is for sure, this is a tough film to watch thanks to the graphic content.
What I think works about The Green Inferno is not just the horror aspect of a cannibalistic tribe doing all kinds of unspeakable things to a bunch of Westerners, but the commentary on activism. The premise of people being butchered at the hands of a village tribe may not be unique in that aspect, but this added irony of it being the people they went to great lengths to save makes it that much deeper a story. How many of these activists protest things with no information whatsoever and do it just to go against the establishment? Odds are, a lot of them, which Eli Roth targets as the victims in this film. Granted, not all of the characters in this story are like that; all have varying backgrounds to make them a quite eclectic group of activists.
While the deaths of the activists are all done very well in terms of the horror genre, showing us some insanely bloody things, you don’t really care about any of them except perhaps the main character. Despite being very different and a nice mix of backgrounds, most are very two dimensional and not given any time to have any development whatsoever. In fact, besides the main character, almost every single character is so unlikeable that you have no interest in the story at all. From the stoner roommate who hates everything, to Alejandro, a student who looks like he’s 35 recruiting teens for a cult, his insanely jealous girlfriend, and many others, you’re bombarded with people so unlikeable and unrelatable they seem like they could never be real. The writing is a bit painful to bear as well. “Have you ever had fantasies of saving a dying tribe?” “You must be a freshman, because only a freshman would speak with such insolence.” Really? These types of lines make Alejandro not only seem like the biggest tool on the planet, but a cartoonish villain you can’t wait to see get his comeuppance. Although the point is to hate that character, it’s not done in an entertaining way, but a strain-your-eyes-from-eyerolling-so-hard way. Roth also injects some of his beyond weird touches that he manages to put in most of his films, which take place in the cage. You’ll know it when you see it and wonder what could possibly make him include this particular scene. It’s weird, it’s creepy, doing it’s job by shocking the viewer but that’s really the only reason.
Eli Roth knows gore and does it very well. As far as the writing goes, he succeeds in finding some interesting themes that make you think and seem to explore deeper meanings, but executing those themes with interesting dialogue just doesn’t happen in The Green Inferno. The extreme graphic nature of the film will surely excite fans of the horror genre, but even then the film can be difficult to watch at times thanks to the realistic violence and uninteresting characters.
Video
The Green Inferno is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1. Say what you will about the story, but Eli Roth has created a visually stunning film. It’s kind of hard to call it beautiful, since it’s mostly severed body parts and blood everywhere, but as close as you can comfortably come by calling it that without seeming like a psychopath I think is appropriate. Colors are stunning, very vibrant with a wide array of reds (mostly blood) and greens of the jungle that look great on this transfer. Roth’s style as a filmmaker really outshines his writing abilities, making it hard to look away at the most horrific scenes thanks to how great the sequences look.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The track sounds great, with a good balance between the surrounds. There is a lot going on in this film, giving the surrounds a good workout and never overpowering the center channel. Dialogue is clear and concise, with great use of the surrounds, especially during the village scenes where drums are beating, villagers chanting, and people being eaten for dinner. The soundtrack sounds great as well, which has the CD included in this set.
Special Features
Great extras on the disc, including some new content for this Scream Factory release.
- Includes The Exclusive Original CD Soundtrack By Manuel Riveiro With Bonus Tracks
- NEWInto The Green Inferno – An Interview With Co-writer/Producer/Director Eli Roth
- NEWUncivilized Behavior: Method Acting In The Green Inferno – Featuring Interviews With Actors Lorenza Izzo, Daryl Sabara, And Kirby Bliss Blanton
- Behind The Scenes Footage – Nearly An Hour Of Never-Before-Seen Footage
- Audio Commentary With Co-writer/Producer/Director Eli Roth, Producer Nicolás López, And Cast Members Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton, And Daryl Sabara
- Original Publicity Featurettes Including The Making of The Green Inferno
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Still Galleries – Storyboards And Makeup Tests, Behind-The-Scenes Photos, Village Construction, Publicity, Movie Stills
Love it or hate it, The Green Inferno is definitely a memorable film for different reasons. Scream Factory has brought some interesting new extras to the set, but for such a new film it’s a questionable inclusion into their Collector’s Edition series. Fans of the film may enjoy the extra bonus material, but if you have the film already on blu-ray, a couple new interviews may not be worth the price tag for this one.
