The Lost Tribe DVD Movie Review
The Lost Tribe DVD Movie Review
DVD Movie Review of The Lost Tribe, starring Emily Foxler, Brianna Brown, Hadley Fraser, Terry Notary, Lance Henriksen, and directed by Roel Reine
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When I first started watching The Lost Tribe, a movie I had never heard of before the screener arrived on my doorstep, I saw the cast list and thought to myself, "Is there any movie Lance Henriksen won't do?" Next I mused, "Wow, this movie is a total rip-off of Predator, with a lot of The Descent thrown in." It looked as though I was in for a very long 90 minutes in front of the tube.
But then something happened — The Lost Tribe drew me in, and I actually became engrossed with the plight of the stranded will-be victims shipwrecked on an isolated island inhabited by deadly, intelligent humanoid hunters.
It begins by setting up the scientific and anthropologic aspects of the story — a "missing link" tribe has been found living and thriving away from the rest of mankind. A team of academics was sent to investigate, but they disappeared. Turns out a fraction of the religious right, led by Henricksen's character, had them all assassinated so they could not bring this revelation regarding evolution to the world. So, who is more dangerous..? The Church, or the creatures?
It's a tie!
There is death-a-plenty in The Lost Tribe. And what's more, the scenes of murder and mayhem are directed with a real sense of urgency and suspense by Roel Reine. Although there are an inordinate amount of focus issues, I thought DP Christopher Popp (assisted by Reiné) did a great job of showing shock and awe to its utmost advantage (the tropical location is breathtaking; the murder scenes are disgusting; and the monsters stand up to scrutiny). The characters are reasonably interesting, and the acting is appropriate. The dialogue is a bit arch, but it's just humorous enough and works within the context of the tableau. As the slowly-evolving plot emerges, less is said, and it gets better as final girl Anna (Emily Foxler) squares off with the most tenacious antagonist, Alpha Male (Terry Notary).
The admittedly absurd story (riddled with inaccuracies on evolution, God, Man, the whole bit) still manages to be gripping and entertaining if you're willing to just go with it.
The scant extras on the DVD are decent — but probably not of much interest to anyone other than film critics and the parents of the actors.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson