Hey gang, Valkor here. And we're back again with another year's end theatrical treat. This round we venture back to Australia, where writer/director Andrew Traucki takes us on a journey into the realm of the "found footage" genre and comes home a winner with his film "The Jungle". Maybe it's not as awesome as Evidence, but still damn good. Some spoilers ahead.
The Jungle follows Larry Black and his brother Ben as they venture into the jungles of Indonesia in search of a rare Java leopard. When they find these leopards, it'll be their job to tag em and track em, in hopes that the Indonesian government will do their best to preserve these endangered species. As they trek further into the jungle with their guide Budi and tracker Adi, it becomes clear that there's something more than just leopards lurking within the jungle. Just before their trip, the group is warned by the local shaman that the jungle might be haunted by a werewolf type creature called Satan Hutan or "The Forest Demon". However that won't stop Larry from completing his mission and he'll let no one, not even evidence that something really big is not only killing the leopards, but also people – even warnings from Adi and Budi won't deter Larry from pushing forward. But once the creature is revealed, there's no turning back and no going home.
I've only checked out a handful of films from Australia, with my favorite being Lake Mungo. But I've also grown to love the works of Nathan Hill, especially his most recent effort "Model Behaviour". The Jungle plays in an area that been hit and miss with me – loved Lucky Bastard, hated Re-Cut. This one fits in the middle but more so closer to LUcky than the latter. FYI, The Jungle is loaded with shaky cam, so if you don't have the stomach for such things, then this is definitely not for you.
Also my condolences to the fictional Jane Black, wife/widow of Larry Black… left home all alone for long stints while hubby is traipsing through the woods. I just want you to know… I'll be there should you ever need Val-Comfort. Giggity.
The Good:
Hey Andrew Traucki, I just met you and already I think you're awesome. The Jungle is the perfect example of how to do the found footage genre properly, by wasting no time and getting right into the meat of it. With films like Evidence or Re-Cut, even Grave Encounters, you have to sit through a lot of fluff before you get to the thick of it. But with The Jungle, you get from point A to B and finally to C in a brisk paced 84 minutes. The level of terror progresses as you delve further into the story and soon it becomes unpredictable when and where this monster will pop up. And when it does, it's totally in your face and most shocking. Some of the best scenes are when the camera just holds a position and you know something is there and all of a sudden, BAM! Glowing eyes suddenly appear! But the true testament to this film's awesomeness is that it feels real. And that's all thanks in part to the fine acting this minimal cast brings to the table. I thought the performances were well done and I give a huge nod to the growing conflict between Larry and Adi, culminating into a small scuffle; you can seriously feel the heat growing between those two. Finally kudos to keeping the creature's visibility to a minimum - you see just enough to give you the chills. But a huge plus at how the film ultimately ends, which will leave an impression long after the film is over.
The Bad:
My only issue with the film is the appearance of the leopards. I get that it was Larry's light of hope that invigorates him to go on, but I would have liked that his frustration grew with the lack of the jungle cat's appearance, which would definitely carry over into his crew. Imagine THAT powder keg on top of the monster lurking! But that's just me nitpicking.
The Ugly:
All them guts strewn about.
The Jungle received a small release over in Australia, but I hope popularity grows and it gets a wider release, especially here in the states. While it doesn't break new ground in the world of found footage film, it is certainly one of the better, most chilling and entertaining efforts on the market. And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm gonna score The Jungle at 4.5.
Email: valkor@the-other-view.com