“Welcome to the Jungle” on IMDB
Comedy, 95 Minutes, 2013
I’m surprised that nobody has done a wacky, madcap comedic take on “Lord of the Flies”. After seeing this, I still think that.
The set-up is a corporate retreat managed by a barely competent Jead-Claude Van Damme [IMDB] that goes belly-up when the group is left alone on an island to fend for themselves. Of course, the group’s split between the confident, egotistical professional asshole and our hero, the shy, but knowledgeable, former Eagle Scout.
I believe the movie might have been more successful if it aimed for a more family friendly rating. Not because family movies are inherently funnier, but because everything that pushed them into “R” territory is just too damn easy. At the very least trying to work the rating actually forces you to work. Most of the jokes were easy and simple, and it sets the precedent for the rest of the movie. There are some high points, but the majority just coasts on slapstick and uninspired toilet humor.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a movie work so hard to be so completely mediocre. The effort expended to to be absolutely average is impressive, if nothing else.
