Overrated and overhyped
A Major Disappointment
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
View MoreGreat example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
View MoreHostel (2005) was as terrible as watching paint dry. However, this sequel to the first film takes a new all time low. I wouldn't rewatch this movie even if you paid me. This is far more worse than the first film. It's practically the same movie again, this time with the opposite sex. Having women being the victims and tortured is way more disgusting and sick than watching the men in the first film go through it. If anyone has any brains at all, they will certainly want to do a petition to ban all Hostel films from the US. The one after this awful sequel is the only one that's okay. Hostel Part II features more body parts ripping to shreds and more full frontal nudity. Swearing is here in this film again and it doesn't let up. There's really not much else to say except, the acting is terrible, the special effects are way to gruesome, no imaginary creativitay was done while this movie was in the shooting process and it's just garbage all around. It's a film that I only keep around to remind me of my Grandma. Other than that, I would've thrown it away in the trash can outside of my house a long time ago. The storyline's boring as anything possible. I'd rather look up in the sky and see different shapes of clouds than watch this terrible garbage that was made to rip horror fans off once again. Awful directions and very poorly written was the script when Eli Roth wrote it. Cabin Fever was better than this. I'm waiting to see if Eli Roth can come up with something truly terrifying, not the same rehashed garbage that other filmmakers having been putting out for years on end. From me, this is a huge thumbs down.For an overall rating, I give Hostel Part II0 Stars. (Why the heck did I watch this terrible piece of garbage?)
View MoreThere's nothing in this film to watch! I personally being a horror and gore fan got disappointed a lot. People say this is a psychotic film but nah! Not at all , this film doesnt even make you feel its a gore film. Only thing i liked in this film is we get to see some girls watching pulp fiction within the movie and i seriously can't still figure out why quentin tarantino produced this trash
View MoreIt has been a curious but longstanding tradition in the world of horror for many a franchise to eventually make the turn towards the comedic. Whether it be the result of a frustrated studio trying to re-brand a series, a strong-minded filmmaker trying to explore his stories in a new light or even just an attempt at re-vitalizing waning audience interest by trying something new, the turn from the horrific to the humorous is well-known in this particular genre. Though it has ended up turning out very mixed results, the fact is that often enough, it does work. And work darned well. New classics like "Evil Dead II" or self-aware satires like "Bride of Chucky" being prime examples of the turn to comedy done very well. And I do believe that among the successes of this trend sits Eli Roth's insane follow-up "Hostel: Part II." A sequel that in many ways feels like a bit of parody poking fun at the excessive controversy caused by the original.Subversion and anarchy are the name of the game in this installment, which takes the same structure as the first movie, but constantly and consistently turns it on its head, to the point that by the climactic final reel, you won't even have a clue what to expect anymore. It's a refreshing take on the horror sequel, especially at its time of release, when episodic franchises like the underrated "Saw" and lousy re-treading reboots were beginning to take over. It was great fun to see a sequel that had the gall to stand up and say "No, I am what I am. I'm not going to be more of the same. I'm not going to continue the exact same story. Nor am I going to just repeat what came before."We follow two parallel and seemingly disconnected story lines this time around, both providing two wonderfully entertaining new perspectives on the structure of the original. The first following a group of female college art-students (Lauren German, Heather Matarazzo, Bijou Phillips), who are vacationing in Europe and are eventually tricked into visiting the infamous "Hostel" seen in the last film, where they may very well become its latest victims. At the same time, Stuart (Roger Bart), a meek American man is pressured by his best friend Todd (Richard Burgi) to accompany him to same location where he hopes to take part in the deadly services offered by "Elite Hunting." Eventually, these two story lines will come together in a disturbing and darkly hilarious finale of pure mayhem and carnage from which not everyone will escape.Writer/director Eli Roth specializes in extreme and wickedly over- the-top content, and I do think this is among his strongest work. While his more recent films (such as the bizarre "Green Inferno") has tended to lean towards the ridiculous and sloppy, here, his style works well to benefit the story he is telling. I can't help but feel that he set out to make this film almost as a joke on the over-reaction audiences had towards the first film. Here, he relishes on twisting and turning the story in virtually every single scene. The most clever aspect of it being in how slavishly it adheres to the structure of the original, leading to a false sense of security as you try to guess what's coming next... only for the rug to be pulled out from under you over and over thanks to the radical new humorous tone and the unexpected twists and twists-on-twists. You think you know the first "Hostel" good enough to see what's coming? Think again. The incredibly wicked humor injected into the otherwise dark and dreary sequences adds wonderful new layers to the movie, making it so much fun to behold.The production is absolutely fabulous. In addition to Roth's cool and collected visual storytelling, the cinematography is just spell- binding and gorgeous. From the beautiful views of the Slovokian countryside to the twisted contrast of red blood against stone walls underground in the torture rooms, this is one pretty movie. Nathan Burr's music is classic in every sense, with an old school flair that I just adored. And the set and production design is phenomenal. Just wait till you see some of the "themed rooms" on display here. The cast is also a blast and a half. German makes for an instantly likable protagonist. Matarazzo is just adorable. And Roger Bart just steals the show as a self-doubting man who doesn't know whether or not he can go through with actually killing another human being. Fantastic role with great pathos and internal turmoil.As it stands, "Hostel: Part II" is a wildly entertaining ride through Hell and a great subversive follow-up to the original. It successfully and skillfully makes that change-up from straight horror to pitch- black comedy with ease. And it's just so much fun to watch thanks to Eli Roth's clever script and top-notch visuals. It may turn off some fans who were hoping for a more traditional follow-up, but for those with an open mind, it's a great time.I give it a very strong 8 out of 10.
View MoreOK, I had to think long and hard about how to review this sequel. This movie gave me mixed feelings. I thought this film was just slightly better than the original. They upped the ante on the gore factor which I didn't like. There was a couple scenes in particular that I that I thought were way too graphic. The acting was actually pretty good. The main actresses did very well with their roles, I enjoyed them in this movie. The gang of crazy kids from the first Hostel are in this movie, and I didn't like them at all, they were one of the worst parts of this film. Paxton does make a brief appearance in this movie. I didn't like that his character was killed off, that kinda made me mad. I thought his character should have lived. OK, so the plot overall I thought was better executed than in the first. I thought this movie was just overall better handled that the original. I think that like I said earlier, the graphic nature of a couple scenes I just thought they took it too far. For example, the shower scene, aka the death of one character, was just too dark and way too graphic, I did not enjoy that, I don't know who could like that! I mean I had to look away, it was just too much. But I did like the other two main female characters, they were tough and could really defended themselves, and the two main male antagonists, they did pretty well with their roles, it was kinda like a oh I'm big Macho and tough, and I must make women fear me type of thing. I thought that attitude was fitting, if of course bothered me because I'm a big feminist, but it was supposed to bother me because they were evil so they did their job on that part. Overall, it was better than the first in my opinion, but I had a pretty big issue with the amount of gore. 7/10 Hostel: Part II.
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