“Carnifex” Movie Review

 

“Carnifex”

Movie Review

 

 

Carnifex, written by Shanti Gudgeon and directed by Sean Lahiff and starring Darren Gilshenan, Harry Greenwood, Alexandra Park, Brendan Rock, and Sisi Stringer, is about Australia recovering from unprecedented bushfires. Bailey, played by Alexandra Park, is a budding documentary filmmaker who travels to the heart of the Australian outback with conservationists Grace and Ben, played by Harry Greenwood and Sisi Stringer, to track and record the animals that have been the group encounters a terrible species as darkness falls, and they soon find themselves being pursued.

 

The 2019 Australian bushfires are seen in the opening sequence of the film. An image of the stark separation between the two sides of a fire break contrasts with aerial footage showing the scale and scope of the fires. Animals then return to what's left of the woodlands. Later we saw a predator eating a wallaby while remaining hidden from our view but visible on a trail camera.

 

Bailey, a documentary filmmaker, and biologists Ben and Grace travel to the Outback to record the return of species to the region. Ben wants to not only help the current species but would also love to uncover a new one, while Bailey sees it as a homage to her brother who died battling the fires. One ought to exercise caution when making wishes.

 

Both writer Shanti Gudgeon and director Sean Lahiff's first feature film is titled Carnifex. And they deserve praise for making Carnifex's opening half, in which not much actually occurs, move along fast and entertainingly. There are only a few jump scares involving common animals and the anticipated attack on a hunter. The discussion is kept engaging enough to avoid dragging.

 

The film tightens up and lets cinematographer Kieran Fowler take use of the ambiance of the dark forest as they discover the trail cam from the opening scenes and some indications of a big, predatory creature. It had a more unsettling edge thanks to the incorporation of Aboriginal instruments by composer Michael Darren.

 

As the writing resorted to an irritatingly ridiculous trope—having the characters attempt to get a closer look after witnessing the creature kill a feral goat that resembles Black Phillip—I became concerned. Ben previously conjectured that it might be the Carnifex, a very vicious predator that is believed to have long since gone extinct. It's a great touch that it's credited as the source of the mythical drop bear.

 

However, once that's over, the final 30 minutes are a strong piece of wilderness terror as the three tries to flee before the thing annihilates them. The nice scares, along with a few surprises, help make up for the wait. However, the Carnifex itself is a little underwhelming. For once, the CGI, which isn't perfect but isn't awful either and is hardly cutting edge, escapes criticism.

 

The design isn't especially ominous or menacing and resembles a creepy stuffed animal more than a vicious predator. The majority of the time, director Lahiff wisely keeps it off-screen, instead relying on sound or a movement in the branches to indicate its existence. It works well when emerging quickly and suddenly from cover, but it is considerably less effective when we can see it well. Carnifex is a fun, albeit rather restricted creature flick that other monster movie aficionados should like. It probably won't satisfy gorehounds.

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