Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Fruit-Flix This feels like a 'Tourism Tasmania' commercial with a touch of cannibalism, truly a great combination.The movie is based on the true account of Alexander Pearce, Australia's most notorious convict, and the events that took place in 1822, as Pearce and a group of convicts escape into the Tasmanian wilderness. The group is then left at the mercy of nature, themselves, and notably the human desire to eat.This is truly a beautiful movie, the cinematography of sweeping landscapes and rugged bushland is worth watching the rental/ticket price alone. It strikes me as the type of DVD they play in appliance stores to show off the new HD-TVs (although they would have to skip the numerous bludgeoning scenes). The story itself is a simple and tight narrative of the human condition pushed to its limits. While there is some grizzly violence and confronting concepts, the movie never descends into gratuitous visuals based purely on shock value. While the story is compelling and rolls along nicely, I found myself just wanting a little more depth to all of the supporting characters. This is also one of the main strengths of this film, it makes you want more; I was always wondering what was going to happen next, what's that guy going to do, where are they going, what's around that corner, what does that taste like etc… Ultimately this factor leaves the viewer a tad unsatisfied yet appreciative of the movie as a whole.On the Fruit-Meter, Van Demons Lands gets the "KIWI-FRUIT" - A bit grizzled and rough on the outside, but once you peel off the skin it's fresh and tasty, but it was a small fruit and I want some more. MART-FLIX PUN-FUN – It's compelling to watch convicts battle their inner "demons"…..that sucked

vikpk One star for the opening scene - promising, bedazzling view, along with a somewhat mysterious Irish narrative...And that is it. They should have ended it there to save their reputation. What follows is beyond comprehension - slow paced, boring, badly directed one-dimensional flick... There is nothing original about the story... actually there is no story. Eight criminals escape from a labor camp in Tasmania in the early 19th century. Stupidly, and under the circumstances, they don't want to go back, so they proceed with their escape into the uninhabited forest. And begin to kill and eat each other. One is left in the end, winning the cannibalism contest. And why is this story worthwhile a whole feature film? What amazes me is the fascination of the writers and directors with human depravity and degradation which somehow then ends up being glorified through the cinema art form. Of course they will eat each other -- they are criminals after all. Noble things don't come easy to these guys, how much deeper can you go? To this film's sick fascination with cannibalism we must add such enlightening bonuses as male nudity, foul language, violence and gore, and jokes about it and some god dancing with an ax as a final line... torturous experience for the viewer.

Siamois Despite moving at a slow pace and sometimes lacking in exposition, Van Diemen's Land is an impressive film. The story of Alexander Pearce's escape, along with 7 other convicts is gut-wrenching, especially when we take into account it is inspired by a true story (to which extent, we may never know). As soon as the movie begins, you are hit by jaw-dropping cinematography that definitely takes you in this very different place and time. Silences and sounds are used to good effect and the minimalist score is wonderful yet bleak. The movie does not rely on much dialogue and at times, suffers a little from thisThe characters are very life-like, even if they aren't sketched very clearly to start. You learn who these men are and what each is capable of over the course of the movie, which becomes increasingly bleak and permeated with a strange sense of evil. Not a cartoonish Hollywood-like evil but rather, the terrible things men can do and the group dynamics displayed when acts of cruelty are done. The narration by the character Pearce did not work all that well for me, and the movie felt a tad long to me due to its slow pace but this was an uneasy viewing. The genre listed on IMDb is "thriller" but this felt much more like a very, very gruesome drama. This is a film bordering on horror themes. Do not expect flashy scenes of action and clear cut good guys against bad guys.Worthwhile, even if somewhat depressing

wirrrn Just saw this brilliant, grim little piece of Australian Gothic the other day as part of the 12 Perth Annual Revelation Film Festival here in West Australia.As a Forensic scientist and a horror movie buff I have both a professional and personal curiosity regarding cases of anthrophagy/cannibalism, and the Pearce case is a fascinating one- clearly the Australian public/movie industry think so too- there are currently three films and a book about Pearse, all released within the past few years. Auf Der Heide has crafted the best of all the Pearse projects- stark and uncompromising, the film doesn't shy away from the brutal fates the eight convicts escaping into the Tasmanian outback suffered- the men butchered for meat don't die quick and easy, as in many a Hollywood film. Nor is the film a gratuitous, relentlessly grim affair- there are moments of eerie, quiet beauty- a soon-to-be-victim kneeling and waiting for the axe, stares up and out at the thick, green beauty of the rain forest around him; a sequence filmed on a hillside drenched in torrential rain, and Pearse's Gothic, Gaelic-language narration: "I have looked up at God looking down; he dances with an axe in his hand..." Brilliant film- beautifully directed, filmed and acted- with Mark Leonard Winter, in particular, a real stand-out as Dalton.