Welcome to the Jungle places a young group of explorers, out looking for the remains of Michael Rockefeller who went missing in the New Guinea wilderness back in the early 60’s. The group doesn’t adhere to well advised caution on how to behave when out in the sticks and consequently find themselves on the wrong side of the natives. Unlike most places where you can expect to get kicked in, these natives will eat ya… Literally. The movie becomes a race for survival as they struggle to find a way out of the jungle, in one piece.
A few years ago there was spate of shaky cam flicks that hit the market, movies like Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead, Quarantine, etc ,etc. Welcome to the Jungle was one of the lesser known ones that came out at this time. It’s done in the same documentary, fly on the wall style with the camera never staying still for 1 minute. Some people cant stomach this, i know I’m one of em, however, WttJ is actually quite bearable for the most part.
The characters in this movie are really quite annoying, i was rooting for the cannibals even before the characters got into the jungle. I guess you could say the acting is solid, no disrespect to the actors though but the characters are crap. In total, acting quality is decent, if nothing special.
Scares wise i didn’t find WttJ to be that scary to be honest, sure there are some tense moments when the cannibals are looking on and you know sooner or later something is gonna give, but really i didn’t find it that scary. Gore wise things are better, perhaps a bit on the minimal side but when it decides to give out, it gives out good. I’m not gonna give out any spoilers but some of the scenes are pretty grizzly.
I guess fans of cannibal style movies who don’t mind the shaky cam will enjoy WttJ. Those who hate either cannibals or a shaky cam will probably hate it. Personal choices n all that, but i would say that WttJ is refreshing since cannibal movies in this style are fairly rare these days. For horror fans I’d say grab it, but be warned it takes a while for things to get going and there’s always the issue of That.Bloody.Camera.
Synopsis
Welcome to the Jungle is a 2007 American action comedy film directed by Peter Berg and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Christopher Walken, and Ewen Bremner. The film follows a group of friends who are stranded in the jungle after their plane crashes. They must battle their way through the jungle in order to find help and make it back home alive. Along the way, they must face dangerous animals, treacherous terrain, and the threat of cannibalistic tribes. Welcome to the Jungle is a thrilling adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Movie Details
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Writer: Jonathan Hensleigh
Actors: Sandy Gardiner, Callard Harris, Nick Richey, Rich Morris
Release Year: 2007