Hallowe'en Horror: Bon Appetit (Ravenous (DVD))

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Ravenous (DVD)
Date:	21/10/07 (139 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Robert Carlyle

Disadvantages: The soundtrack

Having survived the perils of the Mexican American War captain John Boyd is publicly congratulated and privately condemned. Aware that Boyd's survival was not due entirely to selfless bravery, his commanding officer "rewards" him with a promotion and a new posting – to a remote, mountainous base named Fort Spencer. Upon his arrival, Boyd is greeted by a dubious selection of peers and superiors, including an alcoholic, an overzealous Christian, and a simpleton.

Late one night, Boyd is startled by a figure at the window outside the cabin. When the unit dashes outside to find the intruder, they find a dirty, emaciated man unconscious, suffering from exposure to the cold. Having resuscitated the man in a warm bath, they await the explanation of his condition. The man, named Ives, tells a terrible tale. A group of travellers crossing the mountains becomes unable to pass due to the volume of snow. Taking refuge in a cave, the party gradually run out of food and drink – until a dark turn leads the members of the party to turn on each other and learn to survive through cannibalism.

When it transpires that one of the women may still be trapped in the cave, the military men quickly organise themselves into a rescue party and set off into the mountains, along with Ives to provide directions. But none of them is quite prepared for what they are about to find……

Released in 1999, it's hard to believe that Ravenous is already eight years old. At the time of its release, the film was heralded as a quirky, darkly humorous horror and quickly garnered a cult status. Whether that status is deserved remains to be seen. Ravenous is certainly unusual but this is a film with an identity crisis.

Unable to decide whether to play it straight or play it for laughs, the tone of Ravenous lurches from one to the other with little or no warning. Boyd's arrival at Fort Spencer, for example, is often a rather farcical set of events given only that it's hard to take seriously the portrayal of a fellow officer, drunk and snoring in his hammock by the fire. The addition of a simpleton does little to help this. And then suddenly, the events take a much darker turn, with the arrival of Ives whose tale of murder and cannibalism is macabre and horrific. It's an unsettling experience, for all the wrong reasons. As the action switches from one tone to another, the audience is generally left confused as to whether they should be laughing or grimacing. It's not helped in the slightest by the bizarre sound track, provided in part by Damon Albarn from Blur. Ravenous is the only film that could possibly contain a scene involving a soldier being chased through the woods by a bloodthirsty cannibal, accompanied by a jaunty, banjo-driven soundtrack that would be more at home in a Benny Hill movie. The use of music throughout the film is truly bizarre. It's also excruciatingly annoying. During scenes of serious dialogue, there's some strange period music burbling away in the background, continually interfering with your ability to take things in. I hated it. It was one of the worst musical effects I'd ever encountered in a film and almost incited me to switch the thing off.

In context, some of the humour works quite well, a little like the more recent horror comedy Severance. When a bad guy finds that his gun is loaded when he really would have liked that not to be the case he announces in a droll fashion, "that is so annoying" as though he has just caught a thread on his jumper. It's so inappropriate you can't help chuckling. Other things are far less amusing. It's like a meeting of several different senses of humour; an attempt to offer something for everyone without really satisfying anyone.

The horror is better and probably the only draw for fans of the genre. There are plenty of grisly, fleshy scenes that fully justify the 18-certificate although the complete lack of subtlety is terribly gratuitous. The attention to "fleshiness" is evident throughout, from a disgusting scene of soldiers tucking into semi-raw beef steaks, to broken leg bones poking through the skin and slithers of freshly carved, still raw human flesh being consumed. It's kind of appropriate to the subject matter (this is a film about cannibalism, after all) but the contrast between the larfs and the barfs will be uncomfortable for many.

The plot romps along at a fairly strong pace but the screenplay segments itself into distinct sections, meaning that the film doesn't flow very well. The action never really moves across locations, so events shift distinctly from one place to another, with only a very select number of cast members appearing throughout. The premise is plausible enough (in a supernatural kind of way) although some of the plot twists lack conviction and it does become rather predictable. It's also a bit flat. About half the way in, there's a great twist / reveal with suitable build up and delivery, only for things to fall rather flat and drag their feet thereafter. The exciting conclusion seems pretty obvious at this stage and the film has very few additional surprises.

Ravenous was one of Guy Pearce's earlier Hollywood appearances and it's hard to see why he was so readily snapped up thereafter. As Boyd, he says and does very little in reality and is certainly not a sympathetic character. Robert Carlyle has much more fun as Ives, his inherent villainy coming to the fore. David Arquette has an effective but strangely pointless role as the fort's resident idiot and it's only really Neal McDonagh (on top nut case form) who stands out from the others.

I have to say that I really didn't like Ravenous. The story had promise but the delivery just didn't work for me. Robert Carlyle was great but the music is just too much.

Vastly over-rated – not recommended

Summary: Over-rated cult horror