OK, now I had no idea this movie was 'anticipated', nor did I ever see Cannibal Holocaust (although I saw fragments), so I guess this is as fair of a review as any - although I do like Eli Roth and try to see most of his work, finding some good and some bad - so I'm pretty open either way.
One of the first issues I have is seeing Richard Burgi in a minor appearance. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy since 'sentinel', But him being cast previously in Hostel (and killed), and seeing Roth has a cult following most of whom have therefore seen mr. Burgi before, is spoiling the illusion of realism. There was no reason not to use a fresh face.
You will get what you came for: cannibals, dismemberments, and flesh-eating. We also get some torture, female genitalia mutilation, and mass zombie-like behavior as well, the last of which seemed out of place and unrealistic. Some parts are silly and not in a good way, I can't tell which ones (spoiler). Some minor CGI, can't tell... (spoiler).
There are some nice 'setups' in the movie, and I applaud it for that. We aren't merely talking about a documentary, we have people with an actual agenda and some twists. Ariel Levy does a great job in being unlikeable and providing a story arc, evolving into a near psychopathic personality.
The movie got a little carried away with some methods that ruined the realism, but to each his own. To me, that's what hurt the most. The way how the movie wraps itself up makes little sense, we get some ideas thrown in that didn't really work, combine or satisfy - but that's just the last 2 minutes.
In all, a careful recommendation to the fans of the genre.
