Here's a review of the 2011 film, Blood Jungle.
Blood Jungle is a clear case of an interesting premise marred by a terrible execution. The director tried to make an artistic film about the follies of religion within the confines of a jungle setting but it comes off as unfocused and obtuse. It has that low-budget, Mondo Cane look and tries unsuccessfully to pay homage to films like Cannibal Holocaust.
There is a very convoluted plot that is made worse by terrible editing with little to no flow from scene to scene. Some of the dialogue was interesting and well-written but the execution of it is so wooden that it makes it painful to listen to. It literally sounds like characters are reading their lines from a teleprompter of sorts.
I have no problem with watching independent films, in fact I love them. They are often creative and it’s great to see what can be done with a limited budget. I also enjoy cult and B movies, but that does not preclude me from judging a movie based on its merits. Blood Jungle just looks and sounds terrible. Sometimes you can’t even hear what characters are saying because of the quality of the audio and the special effects look cheap and amateurish.
I do appreciate what they were trying to accomplish (a kind of faux Italian art film with surrealistic elements) but it needed way more refinement before being released. It reminded me of the films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, but without the eye for framing or the subtlety in writing.
- Michelle Kisner