The Cannibal in the Jungle

I enjoyed this movie. I actually found it similar to The Blair Witch Project, but better overall. It presents the story of scientists in an Indonesian jungle, looking for a believed extinct species of bird, and stumbling onto something much more sinister. Yes, I understand the comments that "this isn't what I expect from Animal Planet" and maybe there's a better way for AP to let viewers know this is not a serious documentary about animals. But take it for what it is -- entertainment.

With thousands of undiscovered species and unprecedented access to wildlife, I have no idea why Animal Planet continues to fabricate sensationalized garbage like this. This type of trash is the nature version of The Kardashians. What an extreme disappointment coming from the network that was once a reliable source of programming built around the fascinating natural world. I attend many film festivals and have seen outstanding, unique films about nature but unfortunately, they never get distribution. Hopefully, as Animal Planet abandons quality programming, some enterprising network will recognize the void they left when they departed from intellectual viewers and started catering to the less sophisticated audience.

I just wasted 2 precious hours to go to a great Saturday evening because this thing was on, and it was quite intriguing, so I stayed at home.

Then, at the end of the film, they said that it is all fiction.

Why?

Why did you waste my time? Why?

I was wondering why a seeming fascinating documentary like this was not on National Geographic, and only after the thing ended, they say that it is not actually real.

Why do you play fairy tales on a documentary channel?

At first I just watched the film in awe, and of course explaining frantically to my wife about the live footage of a dwarf species of human believed to be extinct, on the Island of Flores. After that I thought the movement of the "homo floresiensis" from the alleged footage filmed by the alleged Dr. Timothy Darrow moved unnaturally, so I started investigating. Basically, the whole movie was a hoax, utterly misleading its viewers...all right, fossils and archaeological material of this small human species have been unearthed on the Island of Flores, but from that to this movie it's a looong way. As an artistic movie it was super entertaining, I have to give it 10 stars, nevertheless as a documentary, it is tricking the audience way too much, so I'll give it a 2.

This movie deserves to be a cult classic on a slightly higher level than 'The Blair Witch Project'. It has a similar reality format, and a greater degree of believability. It really and truly makes you believe in what is happening. I think the movie was criticized by fans of Animal Planet because it is supposed to be a reality educational channel. However, if you are a fan of horror it is an excellent watch, and will not disappoint. It is hard to explain why I like the movie without spoilers, but I think it is well worth viewing and will not be a waste of your time. The filming style adds to the believability and leaves you with a sense that you have actually caught a glimpse into an almost alternate reality, yet something that could conceivably happen--and maybe, just maybe they really exist.