Directed by:
M.J. BassettScreenplay:
Dario PoloniCinematography:
Peter RobertsonComposer:
Mark ThomasCast:
Sean Pertwee, Alex Reid, Toby Kebbell, Stephen Wight, Lenora Crichlow, Karly Greene, Adam Deacon, Richie Campbell, John Travers, Stephen Don, Gordon Fulton (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
The inmates of a Young Offenders Institution are beyond help: too tough to handle, too far gone to be brought back. Their prison is a dumping ground for the worst in the system until they are sent to the wilderness. They are dropped into an alien world of dense forests, treacherous rivers and jagged coastline. For one week they have to learn to work as a team, to develop character and maybe even discover a new respect for each other. But there's someone else on the island who wants to teach them a bigger lesson, and they are about to become his prey. Following the gruesome slaughter of their team leaders, the young criminals find themselves alone and cut off from any chance for help. The only way to survive is to pull together against this hunter and his pack of savage dogs as he picks them off one by one. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (5)
Wilderness is a B-movie by a Predator fan with below-average production values, to the point of being ridiculous in its Predator-like scene. Toby Kebbell leads the way as a trustworthy badass, but the rest of the youngsters are dull. The point consisting in the reason that they find themselves on the island is dumb and insufficiently explained. And the ultra-cheap soundtrack seems to have been taken from a free databank. But maybe Neil Marshall will like it.
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Bassett makes you forget about his first film as he upgrades it by shifting it 89 years, replaces the army company with a bunch of prisoners, throws in three women, four dogs, and one uncompromising hunter who works much better than the psychosis of the war trenches. The adrenaline flows by the gallons and the characters are inherently "beautifully" unpredictable. You choose the ones you just want to cheer for, like from a box of chocolates, to then bite down on the bitter inside and spit it out, or let them go when they die painfully. It’s an impactful Irish explosion without compromise, which pushes the director's search for interest two levels higher [The qualities are confirmed by the contemporary medieval carnage].
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The slasher subgenre is not my cup of tea, but I have to admit that Wilderness is above average in its category. It has a fairly realistic script, decent direction, and a cast that is accurately suited to their roles. It can even surprise viewers who are familiar with genre rules. It's bloody, raw, violent, and adrenaline-pumping. It's not a horror, but a dark thriller. Overall impression: 60%.
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An unsettling and extremely simple survival thriller featuring a band of antiheroes, a pack of ferocious hunting dogs and a mysterious homicidal maniac, who make a rare complement to each other on a bleak island, resulting in a fast-paced, blood-soaked feast for fans of B-movie murder mysteries. Credit can be given to the effective atmosphere, the stirring gore and the cast led by horror underdog Pertwee, who seems to be in a competition of the most unpleasant death in a horror film. On the other hand, I see weaknesses in the script, which, as a long-standing stumbling block of similar one-offs, did not disappoint and turned an excellent premise into a slightly above-average movie where suspenseful and intense scenes alternate with downright boring ones much more often than would be appropriate. But I still had a good time, the quirky characters and gritty action kept my attention and in the end I have to admit that I got exactly what I expected. The Brits are beginning to get some colour... 65%
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The British movie Wilderness is an unpretentious gruesome spectacle. It is a cat and mouse movie, making the audience uneasy because it is so brutal and hardcore. Of course, it could have been even nastier and with even more gruesome detail. However, this horror movie dispenses with that and still makes you feel anyone could die at any moment, so it is quite an accomplished work that does exactly what it set out to do. You do not ever want to go to this island.
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