FilmSnobReviews

Title: Animalistic
Rating: NR
Director: Sonny Laguna, Tommy Wiklund
Starring: Hanna Oldenburg, Ralf Beck, Torbjorn Andersson
Runtime: 1hr 18min

What It Is: A rape-and-revenge horror in which young Australian ambassador Emma (Oldenburg) is kidnapped by a mysterious “cab” driver and taken to the household of the cruel and psychotic maniac Jim (Beck), who aims to keep her as his own sex slave.

What We Think: It’s exactly what you think it is only worse. Which is a bad foot to start off on, but not without reason. This film in the first place obviously would not appeal to most people, as rape-and-revenge flicks aren’t exactly easy watching. For those that are willing are really watching for the “revenge” part of the film as the expression of ultimate and extreme payback can be delightful and even rewarding. But when it comes to Animalistic… good luck with that. Putting aside its poorly-executed and amateurish mechanics and ugly appearance, its function as an R-and-R flops completely. The payoff is a complete letdown: the character enacting the revenge doesn’t even seem to want to be doing what she’s doing but instead acts as if she’s being forced to (by the will of the script), making the “payback” just as much of an unpleasant chore to watch as the rest of the movie. It’s a silly torture fest, scattered with nonsensically-directed scenes of bumbling abuse, weak, expositional writing, and characters that are plain and inconsistent.

Our Grade: F, It leaves the viewer either apathetic or mildly disgusted (or both). The last thing this film ever gets you to do is care. You don’t care for the character in distress and you don’t care for the gore or the graphic violence. It’s not even entertainingly bad or gross or gruesome. It’s non-effective. None of it is impressive or original. Simply put—it’s an iteration of the 2010 remake of I Spit On Your Grave. I honestly never thought I could find a film that’s comparably worse: but here we are.