Turistas (Unrated Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Turistas (Unrated Edition)
Movie Review: Beautiful, but empty
Summary: 3 Stars
I really wanted to love this film. I thought it would have everything that could possibly appeal to me - a beautiful setting, gore, humor, suspense, Brazilian music.
Nope. Fell flat, right on its face. Now, anyone could tell by the trailers and some of the movie posters that it would be a Hostel rip-off. I'll give it credit in saying yes, it is much more believable than Hostel in that organ donation participation could certainly stand to be increased (not only in smaller countries, but everywhere). And yes, I imagine a well-cared-for American organ would most likely be a very, very good thing to a villager in another country in dire need. So that's the upside - that this could quite conceivably happen, I suppose.
I just really wish the matter was approached differently. Again, we have foolish characters far from home. A rickety bus ride through a winding mountainside? SURE! Walking through this jungle in the middle of nowhere to have a freakin' drink? I'll lead the way! Following this young boy who barely speaks English deeper into the jungle and putting my life in his hands? WHY NOT?! It just exasperates me, the level of sheer stupidity that these characters display.
Parts of the movie were entirely too dark - I had to temporarily up the contrast on my TV just so I could see what happened once they reached Kiko's uncle's house. Other parts of the movie were absolutely gorgeous. The underwater scenes were beautiful to watch. The movie isn't completely a waste, but I'm very glad I didn't spend money to watch it.
And look at it this way: now we have a complete list of what NOT to do if we ever hit Brazil!
Movie Review: Turistas
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is rather typical of its genre, college age kids go to an exotic locale with the intent of drinking and debauchery, but then find themselves in a struggle for survival. In this instance a group is lured to a secret hideaway of a mad doctor who is in the black market organ donation business. He bills himself as a patriotic sort who wishes to make available to locals the organs that otherwise would go to big city American hospitals for wealthy clients.
So the scenes unfold in the Amazonian jungles. There is suspense and the usual cast of attractive yet stupid characters. As you watch this there is the dual question of which girl will undress and which of the group will be killed next. But there is a fair amount of suspense as the chase moves through the jungle and into a river with underwater caves. The problem here is these kids seem to know which direction to swim even though they have never been here before. But it does have its entertainment value as the scenes are well acted and well filmed.
In the end there is really nothing remarkable about this film. There are some survivors of the group, and it can pretty well be predicted which individuals do survive, but the film has somewhat of a pleasant ending. However, we really don't know how they were able to fly without their passports and money, which had been stolen earlier. I guess dad found a way to bail them out.
Movie Review: Not Terrible
Summary: 3 Stars
I don't agree with the reviews that say this is awful. But I also can't say that this was a great movie. A bunch of tourists in Brazil have there bus break down. They then decide to explore a little before a new bus comes and find a beach paradise with a bar and decide to stay. They are then set upon by a crazy local doctor and his people to harvest their organs. There are a lot of good ideas that aren't executed that well. The acting is fair. No one really stands out, but it is not bad enough that it stands out. There is not that much gore for fans of that genre. Some fingers get cut off in a quick shot, a stake through the eye, and one organ removal scene. Everything else is your typical stabbings and shootings. 2 topless scenes with no on camera sex scenes. Typically for a good horror you need either a really great story, some great scares, or buckets of blood and nudity to make the viewer happy. This film fails with all three. There are not real scares. The underwater caves were claustraphobic and could have been great, but they weren't used effectively. The sadistic horror film craze(Hostel, Wolf Creek, etc.) works when the story and characters are good and menacing. The evil doctor in this film just doesn't convey that well enough. This one is okay to rent if you don't have anything else to watch, but it is mostly a miss.Movie Review: Throwback to 70's horror...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was suprised to find that this movie was pretty decent. The cast of characters were unsurprisingly one dimensional with very little to go on, such as perhaps understanding any single motivation. The acting is strictly mediocre, with some gaping holes in plot and logic. Nonetheless the film held my attention and was far superior to some of it's peers of late. The story itself is rather ludicrous, but looking past that, the arch of the film is interesting and the direction of the plot is somewhat unique in that it sets itself apart from its counterparts by breaking away from a few of the standard genre cliches. I was impressed by the action sequences, and the film get's huge bonus points for the locales and general atmosphere. I also of course love the fact that the movie is wonderful exploitative as far as making sweeping and hugely exagerated statements about Brazil and American tourists. It reminded me of some of the better 70's exploitation film (mainly Italian cannibal fair) in that it offers up some gruesome deaths in gorgeous exotic settings and plays on stereotypes and urban lore, to maximum effect. Not as smart as Hostel, but not as banal as Wolf Creek, this lands somewhere in the middle.Movie Review: Standard, fun, teens running amok fare
Summary: 3 Stars
Turistas has a lot going for it: gorgeous scenery, generous helpings of gore, a fair amount of T&A, and Caipirinhas! I do believe this is the first entry into the genre that takes place in Brazil. Turistas sort of has a Hostel feel in the beginning. As the partying is taking place in mixed company, it's way tamer and much more directed to the teen crowd. As the story gets going there are flashes of Final Destination and even one scene that seems to be a nod to the old Italian cannibal films. The biggest downside to the film is that there are basically no scares. The setup made me a bit uneasy feeling, but the bad guys really aren't all that bad. Turistas does not break any new ground, but it does deliver the typical teens in peril scenario in a beautiful and international setting. Also, this movie features the most swimming in a movie since Open Water. The end of the film starts to feel a bit like a Jacques Cousteau film. If you go in with an open mind and just take it for what it is, Turistas won't disappoint too much. It's definitely better than some of the other films we've had to choose from this year. Obrigado.