Wilderness (I) (2006) User Reviews

An effective thriller.

[Skutter-2 · 7/10 · 1 April 2007]

Wilderness is an effective and brutal thriller/horror movie. The premise is straight forward- a group of juvenile offenders and their keeper out on a camping trip are picked off one by one by a mysterious and ruthless killer with a crossbow a pack of attack dogs and a skill for booby traps. It is brutal, violent, fast moving and visceral. It is quite well made- the tension and pace never drops, which is essential for this kind of movie and there is a gritty, unremitting feel to the movie which works in its favour. The deaths are unpleasant and violent and the characters aren't likable keeping it somewhat unpredictable as to what is going to happen, who is going to die and so on. Wilderness doesn't hold back in terms of the violence and nastiness but still keeps, for the most part a gritty realistic vibe and it works.

The movie shows you don't necessarily need likable characters but only believable ones to make a movie work. The more likable characters are only more likable by comparison i.e. they are only cowardly or selfish as opposed to being sadistic and cruel. The one character that seems like they may actually be competent and a decent human being is out of the picture comparatively early on. This comes across as lot more credible than those movies which contain groups of supposedly hardened criminals or delinquents who prove to be suitably heroic and noble and band together when it comes to the crunch. The characters here aren't over the top nasty either- they are full of petty meanness and posturing, selfishness and banality without being irredeemably evil as you would probably expect such kids to be in real life. The acting, mostly by fairly unknown young British actors is pretty good and low key- the Brits are generally better at this sort of thing. This gives the film its grittier edge and helps make it a little bit less predictable than it could be. Okay, the designated hero is obvious from the get-go and it isn't too unexpected when most of the unsavoury cast is wiped out but it isn't cloyingly obvious all the way through that things will happened the way you would predict in accordance with movie conventions.

The movie is not without flaws. The plot isn't always particularly believable or fresh. It seems strange that there is on one prison guard with this group of about ten juvenile offenders out on a supposedly deserted island and the killer seems almost too effective is dispatching his prey although to be fair it works for the movie in terms of the scariness of the villain and some explanation is provided for his skill in this regard. Toward the end when the hunter and his motivation is revealed he is far less effective a bad guy, his motivation and presence slightly contrived (Though still plausible) and he suddenly seems to become a lot less competent in order for him to be defeated. It might have been better if the makers had left the killer a mysterious motiveless figure. There are a few times when the movie does seem to go a bit too far with its nastiness, the flip side of the movie slack of restraint. The way in which some of the gorier death scenes, such as the first dog killing, are lingered on is a bit too much and toward the end some of the character's abhorrent behaviour comes across as a bit much also (Okay we already knew these guys were scum, can we get on with it).

On the whole a slick, well made and exciting movie which is both helped and hampered, but mostly helped, by it's willingness to be mean spirited and harsh.

Excellent premise, could have been executed better

[parmenae · 6/10 · 16 August 2006]

I enjoyed this movie for the most part, but thought the writing/dialog was a little weak at points. I honestly think one of the cheesiest moments in movie history was in this particular movie when the guy offered up a hunk of fresh cooked dog meat to his girl.. and she hugged him gleefully...

But anyways, the idea of the movie was pretty cool and I enjoyed the beginning and how they ended up on the island. In the tradition of No Escape and Battle Royale, this is a great addition to the 'island survival' genre but is by no means a stand out.

Definitely give it a watch if the synopsis interests you!

A British version of Deliverance?

[maatmouse-1 · 5/10 · 12 October 2006]

The British film industry used to boast some of the best horror films ever made, with the possible exception of the Exorcist. We had our own home grown business with such films as The Wickerman, various Hammer House of horror films and movies such as Straw Dogs (shot in the UK). Then things went very quiet and it seemed as if the British had given up making damn good horror.

Wilderness has come out of the UK film industry's attempts to go back to the good old days of believable horror pictures. Firstly, you had 28 days later, Dog Soldiers, The Last Great Wilderness and most recently, The Descent. All are incredibly interesting movies showing a rare inventiveness in horror film direction, usually despite a tiny budget. The British have shown that horror does not need a rack of special effects to make it creepy, it just needs a simple plot line and a villain you don't see until the last few frames.

In Wilderness, you don't get much simpler than that. Take a group of male young offenders and their guardian and put them on a remote Scottish or Irish island, then add the mcguffin of an old hippy tramp, finally add some female young offenders then add the real villain of the piece and some hunter dogs. Now start killing off the key film characters with a variety of nasty, bloody methods and moments and then add some mutiny and a little of the untamed male 'hunter' mentality and you have a film which 'tried' to be something fascinating.

Wilderness suffers, in my opinion, from 2 things. The twin curses of poor dialogue and there being no real sense of danger. The people are not really marooned on this island, they have some means of getting off it - hence no real sense of desperation which a film like this sorely needed. This is a real pity. The director had the makings of a serious horror movie - a kind of Lord of the Flies meets Deliverance with little bits of First Blood Part 1 thrown in (some nasty traps) and hints of Predator (not really seeing the hunter until the last few minutes). I hope, though that the Director of this will make other horror films. it all looks like its going in the right direction and the more good horror movies out there, the better.

Suspenseful modern horror

[The_Void · 7/10 · 30 October 2006]

Wilderness isn't a great modern horror film, but it does a good job of taking old ideas and rehashing them into a fresh and exciting plot line. The influences to the film are clear, with the much-copied classic 'The Most Dangerous Game' being fused with more modern films such as 'Battle Royale'. The basic plot line isn't too far removed from your common slasher film, but director Michael J. Bassett gives him film an extra edge by putting the focus on the struggle as the protagonists battle with the wilderness (naturally), the main threat and even each other. The plot focuses on a group of juvenile delinquents who are sent to an uninhabited island when a young lad staying in their home is found to have committed suicide. However, the island doesn't turn out to be uninhabited at all, as aside from a local hermit; there's also a group of girls there with the same idea - and some mad psycho with a crossbow and a group of bloodthirsty German Shepherds, who is seemingly hell bent on not letting any of them off the island alive!

The director seems more bothered about atmosphere and tension than characters; as while some of the people inhabiting the film are well defined, their actions are often questionable and none of them are particularly interesting. But even so, this isn't a problem; as the film is constantly suspenseful and the fact that there is an unseen psycho in the woods bodes well with the atmosphere on display. Michael J. Bassett seems keen to go against the clichés of the horror genre, as there is no mystery to the killer's identity after the first half of the film and the crossbow weapon works well. There's a fair amount of gore on display, although the film never matches the initial death sequence in the wilderness in terms of gore. The acting isn't terrible, but the 'thick' British accents sound really phoney to an actual Brit like me. Sean Pertwee is the only recognised name on the cast list, but the rest of the cast; which is made up of mostly British television stars, provide adequate performances. Overall, Wilderness is certainly a good horror film and comes recommended.

Despite uneven plot and characters, this "Wilderness" is still worth getting lost in

[dee.reid · 7/10 · 8 August 2009]

Well, I can honestly say that the UK horror film "Wilderness," directed with some feverish intensity by Michael J. Bassett, follows on the heels of another great British-made horror film, Neil Marshall's acclaimed "The Descent" (2005). "Wilderness" has the same intensity, attention to story and characters, and propensity for gruesome special effects and gore that leave little to the viewer's imagination.

I actually have no doubt in my mind that Bassett was in some way influenced by "The Descent" - my personal favorite horror movie so far this millennium - especially with its outdoors setting and a mindless killer chasing after tough, non-stereotypical young people. But what gets "Wilderness" points here is that it's while it's billed as a horror film, it's actually more along the lines of a gruesome adventure-thriller with some slasher movie elements thrown into the story for good measure - think the classic short story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell combined with "Deliverance" (1972), "Predator" (1987), the Japanese Manga series "Battle Royale" and any slasher movie about a revenge-seeking serial killer you could think of, and you get "Wilderness."

Where "Wilderness" differs from "The Descent," aside from setting and characters, is that the film's "protagonists" aren't really protagonists. The film's main characters are a motley group of six juvenile delinquents, many of them violent offenders. How violent, you say? Well, one, Steve (Stephen Wright), is a violent, manipulative neo-Nazi skinhead sociopath, and his pal Lewis (Luke Neal), also a neo-Nazi skinhead, follows his every command. Another, Blue (Adam Deacon), is a rapist. Of course, there's also a weakling in the group, a sexual deviant named Lindsay (Ben McKay), who also gets bullied a lot by Steve and Lewis. Jethro (Richie Campbell) is the only black member of the group. And the newest member of this wholesome crew of violent youths is Callum (Toby Kebbell), a young man prone to uncontrolled bursts of anger and violence who is there because he committed a brutal murder.

So, after one of them commits suicide in his bunk, the whole group is shipped off to a nearby island, where their supervisor Jed (Sean Pertwee, of Marshall's "Dog Soldiers") will hopefully teach these boys some dignity and respect through a little bit of hard labor in the forests of the UK. It turns out that they're not alone on this island, since Louise (Alex Reid, of Marshall's "The Descent"), also a juvenile corrections officer, has the same idea and is camped out there with her two young female charges Mandy (Lenora Crichlow) and Jo (Karly Greene). Soon enough, however, both groups come to realize that they are not alone on this island either, and that someone or something is hunting them down one at a time (and that maybe one of them is not who he/she appears to be either), and it soon becomes clear that the only thing that matters is survival, and getting off the island alive and in one piece, or die trying...

Let me just say that "Wilderness" is most definitely not a movie for children. The fact that every time I've seen it on television late at night is proof of that. True to most horror films of late, "Wilderness" is extremely and ferociously (and sadistically) violent. But the gore is contrasted against a rather thrilling backdrop, cool story, and intriguing characters who don't deserve our sympathy, but somehow we hope that some - some is italicized - make it out alive and in one piece. Eventually, however, what the story boils down to is a case where the hunter becomes the hunted, and the characters are able to turn the tables on their hunters (if you've read Richard Connell's original short story or you've seen "Predator" for the hundredth time like I have, then you know what I mean).

This turning of the tables on the antagonist can be a little bit hard to swallow, considering how it comes about and who it is that actually does the table-turning. This sudden change-of-character for one of the main characters is unexpected because none of them are really that well-developed to begin with, so the change seems a little bit forced and tends to cheapen what up until then has been a rather shocking, gripping, and steady-going thriller. There's also some cheeky teen romance-type stuff going on in here, too, which also seems a little bit forced and a little cheesy considering the film's atmosphere and elaborate setup.

Lastly, there's also some ill feelings geared toward the film's ending, which is rather ambiguously optimistic. Strange, I know, but just see it to understand what I mean, and make up your mind about whether or not it ruins your late-night fun.

"Wilderness" is a great movie, with an interesting premise that stayed my interest a little bit by forcing us to root for under-developed characters and believe some rather stupid actions on their part. But the set-up, chase/action scenes, and gruesome special effects make this a particularly uneasy and gripping adventure-horror/thriller.

7/10

The Brits show how the teen slasher flick is done

[MBunge · 6/10 · 20 August 2010]

Wilderness shows us that just because you're making a film about a bunch of teenagers in the woods getting killed…it doesn't have to suck. There's nothing particularly fancy about this movie, but it's reasonably smart, sufficiently gory, thankfully unpretentious and refreshingly unself-aware .

The story concerns a group of boys in a juvenile detention facility in Great Britain. When one of their bunkmates is bullied into committing suicide, the head guard is assigned to take the teen convicts to a remote island for a character building exercise. While on the island, they make two discoveries. One is that a female head guard and two girl convicts are on the island for the same reason as the boys. The second is that someone is out to murder them all. It really is that nakedly formulaic, but these filmmakers take the time and effort to execute the formula as well as they can. The result is a fairly entertaining teen slasher flick. Well, it's really more of a teen skewering flick but if that's what you enjoy, you'll like Wilderness.

Now, there's not any more depth to this film than your average kids-getting-killed movie and it's not making any wry observations about the genre or trying to be ironic or anything like that. It just wants to be a nice little horror flick. There's plenty of running and screaming and a few legitimately shocking scenes. There's even some furtive sex, but without any nudity. That's probably the only teen slasher cliché that isn't featured and professionally pulled off.

The acid tests for this kind of script is…"How stupid do the characters have to be in order to get killed?" and "How over-the-top ridiculous is the murderer's ability to kill them?" When people who should be running away in fear always stop and look in that dark room or always fall and sprain their ankle fleeing from the killer or when the killer can punch through a wall with his bare hand or get stabbed and shot but just shake it off, those are the signs of a bad script. Wilderness avoids almost all of those flaws, except for an ending where the previously very smart, skilled and tough murderer suddenly become a stupid wuss. Oh, well. Nobody's perfect.

Acting-wise, everyone in the cast gives fine performances. Granted, the roles are all broadly and obviously drawn but Stephen Wright and Luke Neal create a believable co-dependent relationship as two bullies and Karly Greene as the girl who comes between them gets to show her character is just as cruel and selfish as the two boys. Sean Pertwee and Alex Reid as the male and female guards also engage in a cute "who's got bigger balls" stare down.

If there's any problem with this film it's that the only characters who even remotely resemble good guys are disposed of early on, and the ones that are left are either ciphers you have no reason to care about or bad people who, to some extent, deserve what they're getting. It's also a little odd that the ones who survive are probably the least interesting characters in the story.

If you don't like teen slasher films, there's nothing special here to bother with. If you do enjoy that genre and would like to be reminded what good one looks and feels like, go rent Wilderness.

Happy Hunting and good riddance.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 13 October 2007]

After a fellow inmate commits suicide due to the constant bullying and turning a blind eye of his fellow inmates. The young group are shipped off to a deserted island, to build character and bond. However they're not alone and someone with a crossbow and a pack of dogs begin to hunt them down.

Woodland horror. I love this sub-genre. However this particular British item builds an interesting story to only fumble it with half-baked revelations, obnoxious characters and splintered direction. The survival trek is filled with blood soaked surprises, jarring jolts, and a notorious mean streak. Yippy! Yeah some of the wicked deaths are ferocious, but it did become a bit boring. When director Michael J Bassett gets hot under the collar (after slowly milking it out to begin with), he engineers taut and breakneck tension to only let the lean story be navigated by implausible and contrived staples that eventually go on to cement a numbing and uneven pattern. The unmasking of the killer is flat (though its no surprise, and it never is because we find out just after it all begins), and the confrontation comes off lousy and underdone. The characters don't break away from their underwritten, clichéd persona's. They do become a sorry, and tiring bunch that you couldn't care less about. Sure they're not meant to be likable, but hell they really irritated me. But I guess that was the perfect mould though. The story stays firm and simple, going out hard. I have mixed emotions about it, but this is more towards its timing and pushy developments, and how it eventually went about trying to cover its lack of atmosphere with rapid, uncertain movements and bloated shocks. I thought the setting could've been implemented better. Peter J Robertson's professional camera-work gets some nice shots, and his location framing and adventurous style works off fine. The music by Mark Thomas features a foreboding sting. The performances are by the books. Sean Pertwee sits back, Alex Reid gives all her will to the part and Toby Kebbell neurotically goes through the motions. Stephen Wight is probably the pick of the lot as the seething bully skinhead.

Had a movie, but lost it!

[causeiwantto2001 · 3/10 · 26 July 2007]

I started watching this film, and did what I was suppose to, develop a like or dislike for characters. The story appeared to begin with the bully's, and the bullied. The final twist was predictable, but the characters didn't develop the way they were suppose to. In the end there was one character I wanted to root for, but then they killed him. The line between good and evil was no existent, and the film didn't have the 'all is well in the end' ending. The movie was about justice, but the film served none! It had a lot of potential, and usually, when I watch a movie from the UK Im not disappointed, but this movie left me wanting to re shoot the film myself. Which says, that it was interesting enough to spend time on, but wasn't shot properly, and without that bond that exists between the goer, and a character. To bad it was released in this state! Could have been fantastic!

Bloody Revenge

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 27 December 2008]

In a juvenile detention center, the inmate Dave (John Travers) commits suicide after being abused with his friend Lindsay (Ben McKay) by the sociopath bullies Steve (Stephen Wight) and Lewis (Luke Neal) under the indifference of the other cell-mates. The governor sends them to an uninhabited island to improve their relationships and characters under the command of the tough monitor Jed (Sean Pertwee). They meet another camping with female delinquents under the command of veteran soldier Louise (Alex Reid) and they camp in another area. However, when they are attacked by a pack of dogs and a mysterious man with a cross-bow wearing camouflage, they join forces fighting to survive under the leadership of Callum (Toby Kebbell).

After a magnificent debut with "Deathwatch", the director and writer Michael J. Bassett makes another great movie, the gore "Wilderness". The original story is well-constructed, with a perfect development of characters and supported by great acting and special effects. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Selvagens" ("The Savages")

A poorly thought out British survivalist horror movie.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 10 May 2007]

A bunch of teenage delinquents are taken to a remote British island in order to 'build character', but are picked off by an unseen assailant in a variety of gruesome ways.

Wilderness, a violent British made survivalist horror, is another clunker from director Michael J. Bassett, the man who gave us the decidedly lame WW1 chiller Deathwatch. Once again, Bassett presents us with another poorly thought out movie saddled with a ridiculous conceit, a poor cast (when Sean Pertwee is the best actor on the bill, something is definitely up), and a very bad script.

Even if a large picturesque island paradise off the coast of the UK actually existed, the idea that it could possibly remain totally uninhabited is unbelievably daft. The thought that it would be reserved solely for the use of correctional facilities is absurd. And the notion that a group of violent offenders would be taken to said island accompanied by a single supervisor is totally moronic.

And with the majority of the movie's characters being juvenile scumbags and unlikable thugs, it is impossible to feel any sympathy for most of those who die. In fact, I was quite happy to see these miserable excuses for human beings get their comeuppance.

In an attempt to distract his audience from all of these shortcomings, Bassett piles on the gore, with maulings by savage dogs, crossbow attacks, dismemberment and immolation. But even a high level of impressively realistic bloodletting doesn't stop one from noticing that the film is basically a bit of a stinker.

Welcome to the Wildnerness; we got fun & games!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 20 March 2006]

Call us uncivilized savages if you must, but who honestly doesn't enjoy raw and barbaric adventure-movies in which the blood and violence literally bursts from the screen? In case you were thrilled by movies like "Battle Royale", "Blood Camp Thatcher" or even the more classic milestone "The Most Dangerous Game", you simply have to see "Wilderness"; a brand new British survival-horror effort directed by Michael "Deathwatch" Basset. After the suicide of a fellow inmate, a troop of juvenile delinquents – for whom all hope for rehabilitation was given up long time ago – are sent to a prison island for a severe lesson in elementary life-values. On the island, however, a mad-raving psychopath lies in wait for them and even the innocent guards and some random girls become defenseless targets. Trained and equipped like an experienced hunter, the killer annihilates nearly the whole gang by using deadly booby-traps and ravenous dogs. As you can derive from this brief plot description, originality isn't "Wilderness" biggest trump and the script doesn't even bother to keep the killer's identity secret for a long time. But seriously, who cares about aspects like these when a film is so adrenalin rushing and blood-soaked? The "hunting humans"-premise is mixed with the textbook 80's slasher plot of a revenge-seeking killer, but you aren't given a chance to grumble about the banality, as there is gore and excitement everywhere! The island itself is a captivating location, resulting in masterfully choreographed sequences and some utterly imaginative booby-traps. Unlike in his previous film "Deathwatch", Michael J. Basset definitely doesn't cut back on the blood & gore here, and we're gladdened with close-up shotgun action, amputated body parts, chopped of heads and loads of aggressive dog-action! The character drawings are very well processed and Basset fully uses the nihilistic and totally lackadaisical nature of youthful criminals. These young social outcasts don't care about anyone but themselves and pretty soon there are sub plots involving betrayal, jealousy and cowardly behavior. The sound & visual effects are terrific and Peter Robertson clearly has a talented eye for versatile camera-work. Following films like "Dog Soldiers", "28 Days Later…" and "The Descent", this "Wilderness" is yet another piece of evidence that the British horror industry is working on a remarkable revival nowadays. Highly recommended!

Bloodfest and gore

[watchmanz · 6/10 · 19 September 2006]

Do not watch this movie if you are looking for a message, unless that message is that revenge is sweet. Most of the movie is a bloodfest and the special effects are graphic - not something to be watched alone if you scare easily. Michael Bassett seems to have gone solely for shock value in this movie and, if he did, then he achieved his aims admirably. In fact, I cannot recall the last time I saw a movie so openly graphic in terms of dismemberment and human death. The actors are clearly not hugely experienced and this adds somewhat to the atmosphere of the film. If you seek a true horror in terms of what is portrayed on the screen then this is the movie for you, although personally I found it a little over the top.

Load of Rubbish

[tjtrickrider · 2/10 · 3 April 2006]

This was a crappy copy of Dog Soldiers, without the added comedy element and the excitement of werewolves. The only good thing about it was Sean Pertwee, and he didn't last five minutes, after that I might as well have fallen asleep. Considering the makers obviously cast him to draw the crowds to the only known name in the film, he was vastly under-used and under-credited.

The unknown young actors did do a good job, so all credit to them, but the movie itself was very mediocre.

If this does better than Dog Soldiers, which in my mind should have gained far more recognition than it did, I will be extremely disappointed.

Pathetic

[Cedric_Catsuits · 4 August 2011]

Here we have a bunch of obnoxious teenagers getting brutally murdered by a revenging father. No problem there - had they all been killed in the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the viewer has to suffer the most appalling acting I've seen outside infant school, dodgy camera work, naive direction, and a dreadful sound track.

The emotions portrayed by this motley bunch of acting school drop-outs range from constipation to hysteria, with little inbetween. Had I been producing this movie I would have left the entire cast and crew on the island, along with some wolves and bears, thus doing the film industry a tremendous service.

Sean Pertwee reprisals his role in Dog Soldiers by putting himself on the canine menu once again, and Alex Reid plays the tough guy, though I think she's a girl. Not much else to say, really.

Woof woof.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 9 August 2010]

Wilderness is directed by Michael J. Bassett and written by Dario Poloni. It stars Sean Pertwee, Alex Reid, Toby Kebbell, Karly Greene, Stephen Wight & Lenora Crichlow.

After the suicide of one of their inmates at a British male young offender institution, a group of teenage offenders and their prison officer, are sent to a remote island for outdoor rehabilitation. Once there, tho, they find that they are not alone as two young female offenders and their officer are also using the island for the same purpose. A battle of the sexes is the least of their collective worries, however, because someone is stalking them. With only one thing on their mind; to kill them all.

Chances are that if you pull ten reviews off of the internet for Wilderness you will find in most of them references to Scum, Dog Soldiers, Battle Royale and Deliverance. Which while it comes across as lazy pigeon-holing, is a fair enough point to make. However, Wilderness, while not being as good as any of those film's, deserves to be allowed to stand on its own two feet with survivalist heart proudly beating in its chest. Yes the story is a touch derivative, but Bassett's film is pleasingly nasty and serves the gore hounds well. After the set up introduces us to the inmates of this wing of Moorgate Prison, where the moody Callum (Kebbell) walks into a den of bullying and suicide, it's clear that these are not characters we are meant to like. This collective bunch consists of robbers, murderers and sex offenders. As a group of people they are as unlikable as it gets, this works a treat once we get to the island and things start to go belly up as they come under attack from an unseen assailant and start to turn on each other in the process. Who do you root for? Eh? Exactly.

With the characters' struggle to bond together to survive, we have the reason why Wilderness should be fairly judged on its own terms. Leaving aside for the moment that it contains inventive and grisly deaths, that it thrusts these young hot-headed adults into a Lord of the Fliesian (there's another one for you) type situation makes for a fascinating watch. Particularly as the sense of dread that lands on the island with the protagonists never leaves the film. There's also a wry observational arc on the British institutional system, we may be ducking from crossbow bolts and snarling German Shephard's, but Bassett and his team are not just about the blood. No sir. Even as Poloni's misanthropic script starts to bite hard, there's still some humour to be found, while Alex Reid's (underused but making a telling mark) tough female ex-soldier is the smartest character in the film. To call this a blood for bloods sake movie like some critics have is just unfair, since some thought has gone into making it exactly not that.

Bassett considerably improves from his debut horror picture, Deathwatch. But Wilderness does have problems to stop it from being a top tier British horror. There's bad decisions made with a couple of the most interesting characters and the reveal of the killer is far too soon. There's also some pacing problems that are further highlighted by some of the average acting from the lesser principals left to carry the story. However, steering us away from dwelling too long on the young bucks caught in the headlights is Kebbell, who oozes charisma as Callum, the character is in truth not fully formed (his moody past is only briefly touched upon), but Kebbell plays him smart yet dangerously feral; a leader in waiting indeed. But it's Wight's turn as a bullyboy Nazi that runs away with the film. He's as dangerous as the person hunting them down, the last person you would want to have to rely upon in a crisis. He is a vile and nasty piece of work that Bassett enjoys playing the audience's sympathies with.

At times brutal and even unforgiving as a human interest piece, Wilderness is a far better survivalist horror than some would have you believe. 7/10

Back for more

[p-stepien · 7/10 · 8 January 2011]

A group of bang-up young lads, whose hobbies are drug-dealing, rape, murder, psychological torture, Nazism and juvenile delinquency, go on a backpacking trip to a remote ex-army island together with their happy-go-lucky special-cases caretaker, Jed (naturally played by Sean Pertwee, the Brits sole horror star). Supposedly alone on the island they fortunately stumble upon a couple of equally nice girls, who are all too open to share the island (and their very doubtful virginity). Even more luckily it turns out that apart from them the island has it's own drunk, who loves getting beat up, as well as a murderous special ops with four blood-crazed dogs. This means the boys are in for the funnest game of their lifetime: kill or be killed.

A bit of "Lord of the Flies" with a survival thriller twist to it "Wilderness" is a surprisingly gripping experience. Much owed to the absolutely excellent cast with special kudos given out to Luke Neal and Toby Kebbell, as well as the director Michael J. Bassett, who has proved to be a remarkably capable actor's director. Both "Wilderness" and his debut "Deathwatch" (both survival horror movies) show immense talent to exerting the best out of his cast. Without a single note wrong throughout the movie you can forgive it's script inadequacies as well as some occasional sub-par cinematography.

The bones and flesh popping out here and there throughout the movie are found lacking and seem to plastic, but nonetheless the gore should satisfy the most disgusting needs. The biggest fault does however seem to lie with the ending itself - the overwhelming feeling I had was that the scriptwriter had no idea how to roll the credits and went for the obvious, if lame and abrupt outro.

Also what is it with black guys and horrors? I've had an intense horror-filled week behind me and in every single movie they are always the first to die! Really people - stop it already!

Am underrated horror thriller.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 29 October 2023]

After the death of a young inmate, those associated with him are sent to an island to learn some hard facts of life, but on the island a killer with a crossbow waits for them.

A group of people are sent to an island, and one by one they die at the hand of an unknown killer, sounds like And then there were none right, wrong, Wilderness is a quirky British horror thriller, with a strong cast, decent production, and a few twists and turns.

I'd all but forgotten about this film, until it popped up on a list of lesser known Halloween goodies, I enjoyed it, it's maybe a little rough around the edges, but it's definitely entertaining.

Great start, strong ending, it maybe loses some of its focus on the middle, but overall I would definitely recommend it.

A great cast, plenty of faces you'll recognise, and of course there's the wonderful Sean Pertwee to enjoy.

7/10.

Good but there are problems..

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 7 May 2007]

This is strictly a revenge in the woods formula movie. There are no surprises. The character development is weak, and none of the characters could draw sympathy from his own mother. In other words, who lives and who dies makes little difference. I definitely recommend seeing "Wilderness" with the English subtitles option on, otherwise American viewers will be somewhat bewildered by the dialects. The gore effects are pretty good, and the storyline maintains interest, but the movie would have benefited greatly by casting at least one delinquent you could root for. Overall a rating of 6.0 seems about right for "Wilderness" - MERK

Intense and gory yet unoriginal and unbelievable

[rob_527 · 5/10 · 19 March 2006]

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS THROUGHOUT*** This film begins interestingly, following the story of a new inmate at a harsh boys institute and how difficult he finds it to settle in. Soon the inmates go on a excursion to an abandoned island to do some training. They soon realise that they're not alone and there's actually a group of females on the island who are also on an excursion. Anger grows between the opposing excursion leaders and they agree to keep their groups at distance.

Testosterone fuelled male inmates can't help but make advances to the opposing female camp. When advances are rejected a dead body is found not long after. The girls obviously think it was the males yet they soon realise, when a male inmate gets killed, that there's some other threat on the island.

This film shamelessly takes ideas from "the lord of the flies" and poses the question of "what are people capable of when there's no law to abide by?" A certain sci-fi quality is added to the film when a pack of dogs are introduced and begin killing at their master's command.

The film is well acted out by young and talented British actors and delivers some brutal and jumpy sequences. Worth a look but not overly impressive.

"Wilderness" is gory, scary and impressive horror movie!

[skirmantux · 7/10 · 30 August 2006]

This movie has "Dog Soldiers" soul. A lot of scenes are from "Dog Soldiers", but this one is more interesting. It makes survival horror go up one generation. The tagline says true (It's not about revenge. It's about punishment), but you will know what I'm talking about if you watched it.

Actors looks like prisoners, so that makes this movie be more real. They acted very good too. They very empathize in they roles. Script was interesting. Idea was a little bit copied from "Dog Soldiers", but I think, that this is not a huge problem, that makes this movie bad.

I give to this movie 7/10

Predictable and Typical

[Kezzizzle · 1/10 · 24 November 2006]

Well, what do I say, really? This film (for me) was typical British horror. There is a lot of gore, but it all gets abit tiresome after a while....yes, you actually get sick of seeing it. I am big fan of horror movies (a very big fan in fact) and enjoy seeing gore, you know, the type that makes you feel sick and hope to god it never happens to you. And I have to admit, that this film does make you think that in some places.

But, to start with, this film sorta takes you in abit, you're following the story, wondering "whats going to happen"...so thats a good thing right? Well, the first few times you see the gore, you think "oh my god, thats gross"...then you see it again and you're like "ewww"...then you see it again and eventually, you end up just watching this gore with no reaction what-so-ever because you've seen enough of it already....and this, is a common problem with most British horror films (like 28 days later).

Some of the acting isn't brilliant either...and correct me if i'm wrong, but i got the impression this was a pretty low budget movie. You could predict pretty much everything from start to finish, and the so called "twist" at the end...is abit poor....the fact they couldn't think of anything else (but i won't spoil the 'fantastic' ending for you) If you're a fan of repetitive and predictable gore...go ahead and watch this. But if you'd rather watch a film with abit more brains...give this one a miss.

Director Michael J. Bassett appears to have discovered his stride

[Craig_McPherson · 8/10 · 15 July 2006]

Recipe: take one large dollop of Lord of the Flies, toss in a few heaping tablespoons of Southern Comfort, sprinkle with traces of Deliverance, and add The Most Dangerous Game to taste. Blend on high for 110 minutes and presto, you've got a tasty treat of Wilderness, the new survival thriller by Director Michael J. Bassett.

Set on a remote uninhabited island used by Britain's correctional services as a retreat for troubled youth, the movie tells the story of a group of juvenile criminals who get sent to the remote location only to find themselves being stalked by a trained killer bent on revenge.

Screened at the 2006 edition of Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival, the movie doesn't make much effort to conceal the identity of the stalker. In fact, most viewers can figure this out in the first 15 minutes. However keeping secrets isn't what this story is about. Rather, it's about the thrill of hunting humans, the most sophisticated predator on the planet, and the diverse and innovative tricks involved.

Featuring Sean Pertwee, who seems to own a clause in British movie contracts saying he will appear in every UK thriller/horror film under production, the film showcases the talents of a young cast of unknowns who, while not demanded of Shakespearean performances, nonetheless turn in flawless performances to round out the movie.

Bassett, whose previous directorial debut was 2002's intriguing but flawed Deathwatch, seems to have found his stride with this effort. Scenes appear carefully thought out and executed, with a nice attention to detail. He clearly understands how to pace a film of this nature, and what works and what doesn't in what clearly was a demanding shoot involving attack dogs, forest chases, fires and numerous stunts.

The movie has something for every fan of the genre; beheadings, vicious forest traps, maulings, being eaten alive, crossbows, knife fights, skinheads, near drownings, the list goes on.

Viewers can add this to the ever growing list of British horror films such as The Descent, Dog Soldiers, and 28 Days Later (to name only a few) that are currently setting the world standard for delivering quality cinematic chills and thrills.

Fine British survivalist horror film.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 26 February 2009]

Wilderness starts in Moorgate Prison for young offenders where a lad named Dave (John Travers) is found dead one morning in his dorm after having slit his wrist's during the night. The Guvenor (George Shane) isn't happy & is aware that Dave had been bullied & abused by other unmates so in his anger he sends these other inmates on a free holiday to a picturesque isolated island just off the coast for some fun (some punishment!). Prison guard Jed Walker (Sean Pertwee) gets the job of babysitting them but things get out of hand when the mutilated body of a tramp (Colin Nicolson) is found, one of the inmates Callum (Toby Kebbell) is accused but the group quickly discover they are not alone on the island as some unseen psycho killer begins to pick them off one-by-one...

This British production was directed by Michael J. Bassett & I have to say that I was impressed with Wildnerness, I didn't think it was perfect but it's certainly an effective little British horror flick with an edge. Wilderness is a well put together sort of mix of survivalist, horror, action, thriller & teen slasher film all rolled into one & it's very similar to Severance (2006) another British survivalist horror film made the same year but without the comedy elements. Wilderness takes itself very seriously in fact, there's a fairly disturbing opening sequence showing the bullying & subsequent suicide of a young offender in prison (with which his tormentors are given a free holiday for as punishment!) & it's fairly grim going right through until the end with some brutal murders, some really unlikable character's who do some really nasty stuff & a pretty bleak atmosphere. The film has a good pace, there's plenty going on & there's some very memorable moments here but it's not perfect, the fact that all of the character's are so unlikable is a problem because you end up wanting them to die rather than rooting for them & I was disappointed by a fairly lacklustre twist at the end & an all too predictable killer.

The film looks good & there's none of that awful slow-motion, fast-motion, quick cut editing, shaky hand-held camcorder cinematography or any colour bleaching which is great, it's nice to see a film shot pretty much 'as is' rather than have lots of pointless & often annoying post-production techniques inserted. There's some nice gore here too, there's a fair amount of blood splatter, someone is shot with arrows, dogs tear the side of someone's face off & bite his chest & stomach open leaving his insides hanging out, there's a severed head on a spike, there's a slit throat, a guy has his foot sliced off by a bear trap, there's a severed arm, there are stabbings & the violence levels are up to the required standards. There are one or two really great scenes here, the bit when Callum stands looking around by sees nothing then moves away only for the leaves on the ground to move or when the killer slashes someone's throat from behind without them even noticing them there are very effective.

With a supposed budget of about £3,000,000 this was shot in Scotland & Nothern Ireland here in the UK & the locations are nice enough. The acting is pretty solid although some of the accents are a little off putting & feel very forced & at times dubbed. Sean Pertwee is the only cast member of any real note here.

Wilderness is a very good film that will have most gripped, the plot is good & the action & gore is great. Definitely well worth a watch as far as I am concerned.

Collapsed at the end

[susan-ivanova · 1/10 · 5 July 2012]

For much of the movie, I thought it carried along rather well. However I had a huge problem with the ending. The implication was that the soldier who was hunting them was special forces,i.e., SAS. How in the world can we be expected to believe that a street punk could not be easily handled by an SAS soldier in a knife fight? I thought that there was a lot of potential in this movie. The build up was all quite good. But it just utterly collapsed into an absurd pile at the end for me. This super soldier who hangs out there, ingeniously picking them all off one by one. And a two-bit street punk armed with an ax is able to get the best of him? Please! I completely regret wasting my time.

disappointing story

[timen2004 · 6/10 · 16 September 2007]

I just saw this English horror movie Wilderness,the movie can easily compare with other horror movies like Saw and Holster,all movies contains a lot of blood scenes,well I don't mind as a horror fan! The movies starts in prison with pretty young boys there,when one of that boys play suicide they are dropped on a desert.... island and the hell will start! The story couldn't however not really amuse me,especially the plot was for me pretty disappointed

Also the movie doesn't contain any joke or something,even the best horror movies have a laugh!,its pretty black movie

Maybe I enjoyed more the extra's on DVD where you can see how they make AL bloody moments in movie

I still recommend this movie to watch,just enjoy bloody moments,its well made!

Dutch greetings