Mondo cannibale

I don't know what Bruno Mattei got for Christmas in 2002, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if I found out that he received a bumper collection of jungle movie screenplays, and if he did receive that then he certainly put it to good use in 2003 as he filmed two jungle rip-off movies back to back! His other 2003 film 'Land of Death' was a shameful splicing together of cannibals and every key scene from John McTiernan's masterpiece 'Predator', while this film, which is known in some circles as 'Cannibal Holocaust: The Beginning' is a direct rip-off of Ruggero Deodato's masterpiece 'Cannibal Holocaust'. It's been a while since I saw Cannibal Holocaust so I can't say whether or not this is a frame for frame remake...but I can remember enough to say that this film is pretty similar! This film focuses on Grace Forsyte; a reporter for a TV channel that wants to make money by showing human suffering, which apparently is popular after the coverage of the Iraq war. So they set off into the jungle to film some real life cannibals.

This film was shot back to back with Land of the Dead, and that's not hard to believe; as while the films don't feature the same plots, they are very similar in content and feature most of the same cast members. Given Mattei's track record, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that some of the exact same footage has made it into both films. I would definitely say that this one is the better film; it seems to have more focus and the blatant ripping off isn't quite so cheeky as to rip out scenes in their entirety a la the pig scene from Land of Death (...and Predator). Naturally, most people going into this film will want some gore; and Mattei does deliver on that front. There's a fair amount of cannibalism and surprisingly it actually doesn't look too bad, which is to the film's credit. Mondo Cannibale is also fairly well made and the cinematography isn't too bad either. If you've seen Cannibal Holocaust, you will surely know exactly where the film is going and there are no surprises there either. It could be said that the film is a commentary on society; but it could also be said that it's a direct rip-off of a film that is commentary on society, and the latter is more true.

Bruno Mattei died just four years after the release of this film, but that didn't stop him making no less than nine films in-between. I haven't been able to find much info on the films he made after this one; but I'm hoping he delved into that book of jungle screenplays and at least made a cannibalised (and featuring cannibals) version of some classics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai and Apocalypse Now….

Receiving news of the channel's viewership struggles, a team is sent into the jungle to investigate rumors of a cannibal tribe living in the area but as their quest for sensationalized footage leads them into ever more barbaric acts of savagery and cruelty against the natives they soon strike back against the group.

As far as jungle cannibal exploitation genre efforts go, this is a below-average if still watchable entry. For those simply looking for an exercise in the normal routines found in the genre, the film serves this aspect up quite well. The near-constant scenes of the groups' jungle exploits requiring them to run into cannibals devouring a fallen tribe member, barbaric practices including the carving of a fetus from a still-living victim, and various other dismemberments on display. While also featuring the expected animal cruelty which is still shocking but thankfully nowhere near as revolting or graphic as anything that's ever been shown in the genre previously before turning into the expected revolt and butchery by the locals, giving the film a lot to like by diving into genre conventions wholeheartedly. As well, the film also manages to offer up a decidedly intriguing if somewhat underwhelming social commentary on the nature of the media perpetuating the exposure and demand for graphic images. That the group is out in the jungle unrestrained and able to engage in raping, torturing, and outright barbaric acts against the cannibal tribe simply for the sake of ratings propels the film forward with a rather intriguing concept. Since the network executives are shown arguing constantly about whether it's worth keeping them out there preparing the rest of the show knowing full-well what they're doing and only one seems to be appalled at what's going on since the new-age media policies go against their traditional values. This doesn't go as far as what it could've been in terms of pointed critique but the inclusion is enough here, which is all enough to give this one a few decent moments here. That said, there's not much else to be had with this one. The fact that, even if all the action included here is expected in the genre, that none of it is carried off with any semblance of passion or creativity keeps the scenes feeling like lifeless, bland retreads of the same material we've seen in dozens of other entries. Hardly any of this comes off with the intended impact of gross-out scenes of barbaric butchery and sadistic exploitation towards the locals all being recycled verbatim with the scenes being plagiarized completely. With the recycled camera angles, scene setups, and eventual outcomes coming straight from the other films in the genre in roughly the same exact order as well, furthering the idea of this one being a straight rip-off quite easily. The other issue to be had here, which runs pretty plainly throughout the film, is the general cheap look and atmosphere present. The fact that the entire film looks like it was shot on a digital camcorder doesn't help matters, taking a flat, soulless approach to the material here. Appearing with a stylized, soap-opera tone to the proceedings, especially with the interactions presented throughout here as well, the whole film comes off with a camp, cheesy quality that can be really off-putting. As well, the confrontations with the cannibals that delve into hand-to-hand combat look patently fake and choreographed while the graphic gore and bloodshed have the stereotypical bright-red fakeness common for the genre which is what all hold the film down.

Rated Unrated/R: Extreme Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Extreme Graphic Language, Rape, and violence-against-animals.

Released and promoted in some countries as "Cannibal Holocaust 2: The Beginning", this really isn't a sequel (or prequel) to Ruggero Deodato's legendary exploitation-classic, but more like a shameless and unscrupulous imitation with absolutely no new ideas or innovating concepts to add to the original . The screenplay is almost an exact copy of CH, with a group of power-horny TV people supposedly descending into the Amazon jungle to shoot a documentary about the lives of the last remaining genuine cannibal tribes. The crew, led by the reputedly unrelenting anchorwoman Grace Forsythe, very well knows they'll only get high viewer ratings when they serve their audiences copious amounts of action, bloodshed and repulsive images, and realize their show will be canceled and their careers will be finished if the jungle adventure doesn't turn out to be a success. So when the natives behave a little too tame and peaceful, Grace & C° see it as their own normal duty to burn down villages, kill defenseless villagers, poach innocent animals and rape the local virgins themselves, all for for the sake of sensational TV-making. Also, in good old-fashioned Cannibal Holocaust style, there's one remotely human TV-executive among the bunch who condemns the sick footage and even turns straight to the camera to raise the classic debate "I wonder who the real cannibals are?". Needless to say the beastly film crew eventually gets what they deserve, when they encounter the feared community of the Invisibles; a very primitive and downright savage tribe of which the members clearly aren't interested in a TV-career. It's rather difficult to judge Bruno Mattei's "Cannibal World". It's a thoroughly unoriginal, repetitive film and it nearly doesn't feature the same raw & shocking atmosphere of its Italian ancestors of the early 80's. Being entirely shot with modern video techniques, "Cannibal World" looks too clean and obviously fake whereas the old cannibal films literally dropped you in the middle of the jungle along with the characters. On the other hand, I can't help feeling more or less obliged to appreciate this film, just because it attempts to bring back the relentless heyday of Italian exploitation cinema! After all, you got to have some respect for writer/director Bruno Mattei! The man has passed the age of 70 and yet he's the last of the old guard of Italian horror directors who still has the courage to travel towards the Philipinian jungles and shoot a film with inexperienced actors and limited financial means. That alone deserves the respect of every person who ever showed interest in Italian horror cinema. Moreover, "Cannibal World" is literally stuffed with nasty gimmicks, gory massacres and super-sleazy footage. Fans of explicit disembowelment certainly won't be disappointed, as we extendedly get to see the intestines of nearly every character who walks through the screen. The unknown Helena Wagner is rather terrific as the grade-A bitch Grace and the unearthly beautiful Cindy Jelic Matic provides the slower parts of the film with essential nudity. All together, I personally think us vintage exploitation-fans owe Bruno Mattei a big and sincere "Thank You".

A 2003 sequel/prequel/remake/ripoff of Cannibal Holocaust? Directed by Bruno Mattei?? OK, sure, why the hell not? It's not like it was shot on video, right? ...*sigh*... Alright, let me start over.

Cannibal Holocaust: The Beginning. Mattei's remake of the undisputed King of the ever traumatizing, Italian Cannibal sub-genre. Now, when first hearing about it, and possibly even sitting through it, one word that may or may not come to mind is pathetic, or possibly desperate, maybe even typical. The truth is, this day in time, with big-budget super-hero/Fantasy movies ruling the world, and most Exploitation sub-genres being dead and buried, we should consider ourselves lucky to have access to authentic, modern-day, Italian Cannibal Gore, and yes, I realize that Vincent Dawn made it, and I'm fine with it.

A nearly Identical story. Sadistic film crew, in the "Amazon", looking for proof of a primitive tribe of cannibals for shock TV, to further their careers. Everyone's desire to keep on shooting, no matter how banged up they get, is exaggerated to humorous levels, and this version is every bit as brutal and unflinching as the original, or at least close enough.

Unfortunately, the whole shot -on-video thing is pretty much, the only difference. nothing too original or thought-provoking, just the same old impalings, rapings (real) animal killings, Cannibal's burning, "let's get the hell out of here" and, I wonder who the real cannibals are. You know the drill by now.

One has to wonder how bad, financially (or mentally) things were for Mattei, for him to pull something like this, (once again) this day in time, but I'm glad he did. It's like Herschell Lewis's Blood Feast 2, from a few years ago, it just gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia for a long-forgotten era, and for that alone, this piece of garbage is A-OK in my book. Not quite on par with Mattei's earlier work, like my favorite, Hell Of The Living Dead, and not quite as real as the ones from the golden era (minus Cannibal Terror), but a rare treat, no matter how you look at it. Bruno Mattei is dead now, which probably means that this was it. So, don't be too hard on it, in fact, try to enjoy it, try to overlook the many, many flaws, and accept it for what it is, the last of the Italian Cannibal Gore epics. 6/10

Alright I heard something was going around claiming to be Cannibal Holocaust 2 and I found what I was looking for. Bruno Mattei known for many exploitation gems of low quality but high entertainment ( at least for this person) unleashes probably as good a cannibal movie you could put out today. Every trick is pulled out from animal torture, rape, victimization, nudity, exploited locals etc.. .It follows the same type of format as the classic Cannibal Holocaust without the visceral feel of the Deodato classic. This appears to be shot on video and everything seems to have that rushed feel to it, but regardless, I have not seen any modern film try to harken back to the cannibal heyday. Say what you will but this is an enjoyable ride just don't expect the same feeling you may have gotten the first time you saw a film like this. If this is your first shot at the genre you will find it much easier to locate Cannibal Ferox, Cannibal Holocaust (with a beautiful new release by grindhouse), or even Jungle Holocaust. They can all be bought at Suncoast and the like. I only found this available as a Japanese import. Enjoy!