Director: Trey Parker
Runtime: 95 min / UK:97 min (video)
Country: USA
Language: English / Japanese
Color: Color
Certification: Canada:18A / UK:18 / USA:R
The Review:
Ignoring the fact that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are now multi-millionaires and creators of one of the funniest television shows in history, not to mention Academy Award Nominees, this is my hopefully non-biased review of Cannibal! The Musical.
From the very opening you know you are in for a gory, campy ride. The titles are followed by a ditty about the actual "history" of this flick, and the explanation is capped by "The film's violent scenes have been edited out for your viewing pleasure". This is followed by a scene of extreme comedic violence and gore. We realize that this is only a flashback being told by a prosecuting attorney, and that the main character, Alferd Packer, is standing trial for committing the murders you just witnessed. After this bloody explanation, the scene ends with Packer announcing to himself (and to us, of course) "...but that's not how it happened...".
From this point on, the story begins, and we see how it "really happened". Packer is unwittingly named leader of a band of men heading across Colorado Territory. They run into trouble along the way and wind up on the brink of starvation. But, did they engage in cannibalism to stay alive? We'll answer these questions and many more. Such as: Can a horse really be faithful to just one man? Does the Lord really work in mysterious ways? Is there such thing as a cyclops?
Cannibal the musical has some really great gore, and some really hilariously bad gore. It's cheaply made and therefore quaint, and also demands at least a little respect for how funny it is. There is a lot of situational and visual comedy, much like the Airplane! films, but the musical numbers are also highly enjoyable in various ways, melodically, comedically, and visually. For instance, after Packer's horse mysteriously disappears, we hear the song about "your eyes, your smile, make my little life worth while". Reminiscent of an 80s ballad with profile shot and eye-line off into the distance horizon. It's also complete with flashbacks of all the "best times" the two had together.
This movie contains homages amongst inside jokes and great original songs and characters. One can definitely see the potential that these guys have. Which is another point, the movie is well-filmed and well-edited. There's nothing really worth noting, but that 4th wall is never a distraction.
A note about the dvd: The Troma-intensive release of this movie has a small set of features including a drunken commentary by the stars and creators that is NOT to be missed. After about an hour, the lot has been reduced to screaming obscenities over one another and farting into the microphone.
Begin unbiased review section: If you are fans of Matt and Trey's work on South Park and Team America, you need to check this movie out. Nearly all of their later elements are present, including my favorite, manipulating the audio with silly-voice-dubbing (that's the technical name... what? look it up!)
GORE: Both funny and sometimes damn gross.FUDGE: Makes an obvious appearance.
MUSICAL NUMBERS: Of a surprisingly high quality.
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