guitargirl-44720 I didn't check reviews before watching this film. Glad I didn't. It's much better than the 5.3 rating IMDb lists. Surprisingly good, actually.The beginning of the film had me wondering if it was going to be a dud, but it soon took off into a pretty good thriller/horror film. The plot kind of winds you along in a great way. You have that uneasy feeling where you want to tell the people 'I don't think I'd be doing that if I was in your shoes!'. Which, I guess means they succeeded at having you care about the characters.The story was quite creepy and well done. Much of the bloody stuff that could have easily been overdone wasn't; it was done just right. There was enough, but not too much. Most of the creepy factor grows in your own mind as the tale unwinds. I think this is another area where this film succeeds very well; like the great movies of old, it shows you enough but also leaves enough to your imagination to make it much scarier.My husband likes scary movies, but I really hate 'slasher flicks' and prefer psychological thrillers, so finding one that works for both us is challenging sometimes. This one scored high for both of us. Much better than the IMDb rating leads you to think. Don't let the rating, or the first 15 minutes fool you!

Scott LeBrun A group of attractive young travellers experience trouble on the road in Brazil due to the recklessness of their bus driver. However, they behave just as senselessly when they wander away. They find a tropical paradise where they party hearty, only to find that they've been set up (naturally) by cunning locals. Their possessions are stolen, and they're forced to take it on the lam, plunging deep into the jungle where ultimately they will be victimized by self righteous sadists.The familiarity of the scenario, the annoyance factor of the characters (especially Finn, as played by Desmond Askew), the fact that one might not care what happens to them, and a story that takes a while to grab hold work against the movie. Of course, there's always the appeal of a movie filmed in very exotic (at least to a North American) locations, and the resulting gorgeous scenery / photography. The movie gets somewhat better as it goes along, with more suspense (and more gore, for those who really want it), with some strikingly done underwater sequences. We also have an antagonist whom we do understand, even if we don't condone what they do. They, in fact, see themselves as the good guy, not the villain.The gore effects (by Todd Masters) are good, but director John Stockwell never lingers too long on them until late into the movie. Atmosphere is fairly strong, although after a while the look of "Turistas" does get awfully murky. The performances are so-so: hunky Josh Duhamel, as Alex, the character who comes closest to having a brain, and lovely Melissa George, as Pru, come off better than the others, although Agles Steib has some likability as the helpful Kiko."Turistas" is about on par with a "Hostel" movie: ultimately pretty oppressive, albeit not as extravagantly operatic in its sadism.Six out of 10.

SnoopyStyle Alex (Josh Duhamel), his sister Bea (Olivia Wilde) and her friend Amy (Beau Garrett) are traveling in Brazil. Their bus goes off the road stranding everybody. They and Englishmen Finn (Desmond Askew) and Liam (Max Brown), and Australian Pru (Melissa George) who speaks fluent Portuguese decide to go to the beach and find two more tourists at the bar. They are drugged and robbed. The two other tourists are kidnapped and killed during an attempted escape. The six new friends get help from Kiko who takes them to an isolated cabin. They are taken prisoner by Dr. Zamora who intends to harvest the rich gringos' organs for the poor of Rio de Janeiro.The first half is pretty good. I would have simplified it by making all characters friends. It would make them more emotionally connected to each other. It would also make the final three less obvious. The first half has the tension of traveling in a foreign land. The chaos in the village is pretty good. The organ harvesting is so idiotic. The three girls are more likely to be sex trafficked and everybody is worth more for ransom anyways. It's a silly made up fear that makes little sense. The final chase in the water is too chaotic and hard to decipher. This is no great horror but it's got some B-movie goodness.

bowmanblue Ask yourself this question: do you like 'slasher' films? If the answer is yes, then you probably enjoy daft youngsters getting stalked by killers, women running around in very little clothes, blood and gore and, of course, the most virtuous of the group surviving. Therefore, you will also probably like Paradise Lost, as it ticks all those boxes.There's nothing new here - a group of annoyingly fit backpackers goes to Brazil, only to stumble into somewhere they really wish they hadn't. I won't go into detail about what exactly the 'nasties' want from them, but it's no advert for the Brazilian tourist board.Saying the film is just 'average' would be a little unfair. It's definitely better than the vast majority of B-movie, cash-in, slasher films, but it's no masterpiece. Basically, if you enjoy the genre, you should enjoy this one.