This movie had a cast of four main characters, and only 4 extras I believe. The movie started off horribly slow, almost to the point of turning it off. But a previous reviewer praised the producer or director who did "The Reef." I enjoyed "The Reef" so I knew what to expect. However for some reason I remember "The Reef" as being a little bit more enjoyable to watch.

About 2/3 into the film it really picks up. I'm excited to see the arrogant westerner succumb to the evil forest spirit the native warned about. But instead we aren't rewarded with that, we are just rewarded with 4 quick deaths and a quick glimpse of... Well, I have no idea what that was. Basically it looked like one of those ape-men at the circus who have hair growing all over their faces and body.

Basically this film could have been much better with a little bit more time and money. First, condense the intro, or just let us figure it out as we go. No need to show the hometown, the wife, the stupid 'lost footage' filler. Next, develop the local scenery more before entering the jungle. Here you guys are in the beautiful jungles of Indo and you can't even show us a flower, a lizard, or any other signs of the ecoforest there? What a lost opportunity for low budget filler. Show us the natural "Avatar' scenery. Next, give the main westerner protagonist's reason some real grounding. Instead of a ghostly supernatural scary man, just make it a giant beast! A super sized leopard would be ultimately more believable than a 'werewolf.' For a little ending filler, have one of the guys survive to walk out with his life changed forever. A change, a new understanding of the world. This would leave room for a low budget sequel as well.

In summary how these guys did it, leaves a sour taste for a second viewing. A cheap thrill, an easy one night stand to be forgotten.

The movie cover, summary and the plot all good. End result bad. The main character is a jerk who cares more about jaguars than people. As an animal lover myself that says something. You doing really get a connection to the people who you know are going to die in a thriller. For the perspective that they went for from the camera angle was alright but could have been better. The plot was your usual thriller but I was bored through the whole movie. 5,15. 30 minute mark I thought Okay maybe it will really start getting good now, now, now.. It didn't. How this came out as a 3.8 rating I'll never know. Once close up the demon doesn't even look scary.

I thought "Black Water" was excellently pitched eco-horror, while "The Reef" was a modest survival horror. So when it came to "The Jungle", I had some high hopes from Australian film-maker Andrew Traucki. Again very similar in formula to his previous films, but just a different threat. "The Jungle" is a simple story (ala "Blair Witch Project") that takes advantage of the found-footage market. Does it work? Yes and no. It's durable, but unexceptional in that we have been here before.

Animal conversationalist Larry Black along with his brother head to Indonesia to track down and film a rare breed of leopard to get documented evidence of its existence in the jungle. However in the area where they would be searching are rumours of a black magic demon, which Larry considers just local superstitions? But his guides are not so convinced.

I came away liking the taut situation and the overall build-up of it. It had me engaged (be it the characters and motivation behind the trek) and there was a grounded realism, but the pay-off was less than desirable. In what becomes a whirlwind of frustration, sudden camera movement and off-screen action in the last ten minutes. It's jerky in its execution, as the repetitiveness of certain actions started to become wearisome and the jump scenes simply erupted. You are kept pretty much kept in the dark, but that didn't bother me. Although the disappearance of a character in the final few seconds baffled me. It just I didn't feel like the back-end truly captured the suspense and horror of the situation as effectively as the lead up did.

The tag less is more, is used very much here. Only glimpses (glowing eyes), noises (snarling and branches breaking), symbols (black sorcery), signs (prints, blood and remains) and the humidly suffocating environment help it come alive. A creepy superstitious back-story helps a lot too. Throughout sound effects were well used, as well as the eerie jungle backdrop in isolating the danger and uncertainness the characters found themselves in. Majority of the reliable tension is fuelled by the character interactions of the unknown, than that of the unsighted beast stalking its prey (although there's one scene involving it climbing down a tree where you only see its hands is fairly unnerving). Why this works is because the performances are appealing and they're well written giving them such weight to standout from each other. The acting led by Rupert Reid is hearty and intimate by all in style that only lends well to the story and chemistry. I can why some people might not like it, but for me it does have its moments beyond its wandering nature and not entirely seeing the creature wasn't a problem. You get a good enough look in the final shot.

"The Jungle" starts off strong with its gripping slow-burn format to only go off the beaten track in standard clichés and a disappointingly frenetic close.