Paradise Lost (DVD)

When a group of backpackers, including Alex and his sister Bea, and Pru from Australia, are stranded in a remote part of Brazil after their bus breaks down, they are delighted to find a beautiful beach, complete with bar, nearby. Soon, they are all drunk and enjoying themselves...but the euphoria is short-lived, because when they come to the next day, they realise that they have been robbed and two of them are missing. Trying to find help, they meet ...
...Kiko, is prepared to help them. Before much longer, they realise that Kiko realises they are in great danger, because a gang of criminals want their organs to sell. Can Kiko help them escape to safety? Or is he part of the criminal gang?

Having recently seen Melissa George in 30 Days of Night and the remake of The Amityville Horror, I am not a fan. I found both performances lack-lustre and annoying, so I didn't have great expectations ... more

When a group of backpackers, including Alex and his sister Bea, and Pru from Australia, are stranded in a remote part of Brazil after their bus breaks down, they are delighted to find a beautiful beach, complete with bar, nearby. Soon, they are all drunk and enjoying themselves...but the euphoria is short-lived, because when they come to the next day, they realise that they have been robbed and two of them are missing. Trying to find help, they meet with much hostility from the locals, but thankfully one, called Kiko, is prepared to help them. Before much longer, they realise that Kiko realises they are in great danger, because a gang of criminals want their organs to sell. Can Kiko help them escape to safety? Or is he part of the criminal gang?

Having recently seen Melissa George in 30 Days of Night and the remake of The Amityville Horror, I am not a fan. I found both performances lack-lustre and annoying, so I didn't have great expectations of this one. However, I think she is much more suited to being a backpacker, rather than a respected woman of the community - she looked right for the role as Pru and, perhaps because she is able to speak with her native Australian accent, she seems much more natural. As the sensible one of the group, and the only one able to speak the native language, Pru is in many ways the leader of the group, so she gets plenty of screen-time. This may not be the best film she has been involved in, but she has convinced me that perhaps there is more to her than meets the eye - I won't immediately write her off next time I watch a film in which she performs.

Josh Duhamel plays Alex, the only other character that receives any serious screen-time - at least, he was the only other one that stood out for me - to be honest, the others all merged into one big blob of backpackers. As Alex, he is slightly annoying - he is only there to look after his little sister, a responsiblilty he takes very seriously, and so does come across as being a bit of a party pooper. Frankly, with the wisdom of age, I think it's a shame the others didn't listen to him a bit more! Duhamel isn't outstanding in the role, but he certainly doesn't stink either, and he stood out enough for me to recognise him in another project. I'm not familiar with him as an actor, but some may recognise him from All My Children and Transformers.

I had absolutely no expectations from this film. I have read nothing but bad reviews and it has been largely panned on imdb.com. Perhaps for that reason, I was quite surprised to find myself really enjoying the first half of the film. I did a fair bit of travelling in my youth and it brought back some pleasant memories; plus I found myself interested in the characters, at least Pru and Alex, between whom there is a hint of a romance. There is a feeling of real suspense too - I knew something horrible was going to happen, but I wasn't entirely sure what it was. On top of that, the scenery really is stunning - it was filmed in Brazil and really made me want to visit.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't really continue in the same way that it started. The film has been marketed as a horror, or at least that was what I was expecting, yet there is very little in it that is scary. There are a couple of nasty deaths, but nothing out of the ordinary. And then, when we find out exactly what it is that the criminal gang want from the backpackers, all the suspense disappears and all we are left with is a rather confused hot-potch of scenes involving chases under-water and over-ground. All these scenes take place in the dark and it is honestly very difficult to see who it involves and what is happening. After a while, I began to stop caring, which is a shame, because had it been done a little more transparently, it would have been a lot more watchable.

The special effects are well done. Probably the one that made me flinch the most was when Kiko cracks his head open and someone staples it back together - I was eating at the time, not the most sensible thing to do when watching a film like this I know, and did have to switch it off for a while. A wooden prong through someone's eye is also rather unpleasant. All that means that this film is definitely not suitable for children, especially, I would think, any teens who are about to go off travelling! It's probably not a good idea for their parents to be watching either. There is a sex scene as well - it isn't particularly graphic, but there's a fair amount of nudity involved. The rating of 18 is fair as far as I am concerned.

I think the main problem with this film is that it doesn't quite know what it wants to be. I think it has been aimed at fans of horror, but it really isn't all that horrific. I would class it more as a thriller than anything else - I certainly think that the suspense in the first part of the film would merit that classification. Had it been marketed as such, I think viewers may have been a lot less disappointed. I also think that those who watch it with low expectations will find more to enjoy in it than they might otherwise find.

There are a couple of extras - a feature about the special effects, which harped on rather too much about the head stapled back together for my liking! However, I have to admit it was rather well done. Finally, there is a trailer.

This film most certainly has its faults. The second half feels rushed and I can't help but feel that director John Stockwell did himself a disfavour by aiming it at the wrong audience. However, if you are prepared to give it a go and have low expectations, then you might just be surprised. I've certainly seen much much worse films than this. I'm not sure that I would recommend anyone went out of their way to watch it though - no doubt it will appear on late night TV at some point. Three stars out of five.

The DVD is available from play.com for £5.99.

Classification: 18

Running time: 93 minutes

 

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