RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Kaelan Mccaffrey
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
sme_no_densetsu
"Ravenous" is a horror movie set in California in the 1840's. After exhibiting cowardice in battle, an army lieutenant (Guy Pearce) is exiled to a remote outpost in the dead of winter. Soon after arriving, a mysterious stranger appears with a grisly tale of how he & his travelling companions were forced to resort to cannibalism after getting lost on the way to their destination. A rescue party is hastily assembled but it soon becomes apparent that the stranger is harbouring a dark secret.The story is fairly unique, making use of wendigo mythology which has its origins in Native American folklore. The narrative's a bit disjointed, though, and I don't think that it wrings all of the tension that it could out of the situation. The touches of black humour may harm more than help since they subdue the horror to a certain degree without really lending much of a satiric bite.The cast is pretty good, at least, especially for a horror movie. Guy Pearce may be a bit bland in the lead role but Robert Carlyle made up for that with a boldly villainous performance. The supporting cast includes some notable character actors like Jeffrey Jones, Neal McDonough & Jeremy Davies. David Arquette, despite being one of the top-billed stars (no doubt due to his involvement in the "Scream" franchise), didn't really add much to the movie.Director Antonia Bird had the unenviable task of taking over a few weeks into shooting after the original director was fired. The end result doesn't seem to reflect this turmoil, though I found the opening credits sequence to be jarringly out of place (which, to be fair, probably wasn't Bird's fault). I can't say that I was a fan of the score by Michael Nyman and (Blur's) Damon Albarn, either.In the end, "Ravenous" does a decent job with its premise even though the film doesn't quite live up to its full potential. It's worth watching but is unlikely to ever gain more than a cult following.
David Arnold
Ravenous is set during the American-Mexican War and follows the story of American officer Capt. John Boyd, who is transferred to a remote Fort after receiving a promotion. Not long after arriving at the Fort, a man by the name of Colqhuon arrives and tells them of the troubles that he and his group encountered, especially when his Colonel started to resort to desperate measures to stay alive.This obviously won't be a movie for everyone (then again, what movie is?) but if you enjoy watching dark, psychological thrillers then you really won't go far wrong with Ravenous.The gore in the movie - and the subject matter - is rather tame by today's standards (although may still make some people a bit squeamish), but that's not what this movie is about after all. It's basically a movie of survival and asks the question of how far would a person go to stay alive.Guy Pearce as Capt. John Boyd and Robert Carlyle as Colqhoun are undoubtedly the stars of the movie with Carlyle bringing a real menace and calculating nature to his character.The only real downside to the movie is the occasionally annoying music, which at times sounds like a cat being neutered without anesthetic. Thankfully it's not all the way through the movie so it's not enough to put you off viewing.Overall, this low-budget movie from 1999 is a pretty decent watch.
avidengine
Before watching Ravenous, it probably helps for you to know that the impression of this film given by marketing is inaccurate. It appears to be a horror and a thriller but, while it does contain some guts and suspense, the film is much more than a generic horror. Ravenous has elements of adventure and some black comedy in quirky moments, more so in the first half, and thrills that are more-so concept and emotionally based rather than cheap adrenalin. The point is that it's a bad idea going into this film because you heard it was a picking-off-the-victims "gore-fest".The film begins with events following soon after the Mexican-American War where Second Lieutenant (John) Boyd (Guy Pearce) is struggling after letting his unit down while they are massacred. He stumbled into the Mexican headquarters and, in a bout of bravery, managed to capture enemy command from within. He is haunted by images and flashbacks of the mass of deaths and aggression he has witnessed. Boyd is promoted to Captain for his heroism, but his commanding officer discovers the cowardly truth of this victory. Boyd is exiled to Fort Spencer in the Sierra Nevada. Boyd settles in with 7 interesting residents of Fort Spencer. Soon they're all introduced to a man who shows up in the night weak and injured. He proceeds to explain to them a disturbing account of his group turning to cannibalism having him flee in fear of his life and the Spencer team setting off with him venturing back in obligation to the cave which he has fled to save a woman he admits he has left alone in danger.Apart from the events that take place in the film, the situation John Boyd finds himself in is a reflection of honest morality with a front focus on temptation and the will power not to give in. It is really a matter of opinion whether this is appealing, which is is for me, but it really doesn't hurt for one to open their mind.Ravenous can get you to think if you let it do so.
cmv32261
Come on now miraculously surviving deep puncture wounds, severe gun shot wounds, 1 moment almost completely bled out, the next complete healed no wound at all. There has been cases where stranded out in the wilderness members dying of malnutrition, frost bite, dehydration, etc., and surviving members had to eat the dead to survive they did not acquire such unbelievable healing powers, nor did they turn ravenous over eating human flesh.Movie just a little too hokey in my opinion. Unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, unbelievably stupid, etc., etc., etc..
