Note to moderator: Please credit this review to Brian Matherly at bmath2000@hotmail.com. Thanks!
Cannibal! The Musical (1996) Rating: 4.0 stars out of 5.0 stars
Cast: Trey Parker (billed as "Juan Schwartz"), Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Jason McHugh, Ian Hardin, Jon Hegel, Toddy Walters, Andy Kemler Written and Directed by: Trey Parker (billed as "Trey Parker") Running Time: 90 minutes
Insane (but inspired) musical about Alferd Packer, the first man ever tried for cannibalism in America. As the story unfolds we learn what events led to Packer (Trey Parker) supposedly killing and eating the five men who got lost while accompanying him through the mountains of Colorado in search of gold. Throughout, Packer must contend with evil trappers bent on stealing his prized horse, a tribe of `Ute' Indians that doesn't seem quite on the mark, and a terrible winter storm that leads to the eventual cannibalism. Parker obviously knows his musicals very well, because the viewer is also treated to some of the most maddeningly catchy songs to appear in a film (he would accomplish this again in his post-Cannibal! musical motion picture, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut).
Apart from the inherent interest of seeing a pre-"South Park" Parker and Stone in their first effort, Cannibal! also offers up some pretty decent laughs. The aforementioned `Ute' Indian tribe that Packer's group encounters is a definite highlight, as are two rousing musical numbers about snowmen (one of which ends on a comedically deadly note). Stone's Humphrey character steals the show, especially when complaining about the prospect of having to `eat butt' or revealing what's underneath his muff cap. Jason McHugh's character of Mr. Miller is the stand out performance though, as he offers a hilarious dissenting voice to the proceedings.
As I mentioned before, Parker's songs are very catchy. You'll be hard pressed to get `It's a Shpadoinkle Day' out of your head once you've heard it (incidentally, the Braniff logo that appears at the end of every "South Park" episode is scored with a few notes from this song). Other songs you'll find yourself humming include `When I Was On Top of You' (a love ballad), `The Trapper's Song' (the villains leit motif), and `Hang the Bastard' (the rousing finale). Thankfully, none of these songs are quite as embarrassing to find yourself singing in public as South Park:Bigger, Longer & Uncut's songs are.
Released as a pick-up through Troma Studios, the film is available on videocassette and DVD. The videocassette includes an intro by the beautiful Jane Jensen and an interview segment with Lloyd Kaufman, discussing his admiration for Parker and Stone and the fact that they had been hired for a Zucker brothers film (which turned out to be the hilarious BASEketball). There are also multiple trailers for upcoming Troma films.
As for the DVD... well, that's a different story. Probably one of the best DVD packages of the year (and potentially of all time), Cannibal! The Musical! the DVD is a massive achievement. Presented in 1.33:1 (full frame) only, the disc has the usual Troma inclusions: the Tour of Troma, the Troma Intelligence Test 2, trailers for upcoming releases, but where the disc truly shines is in its Cannibal! specific extras. The first thing I must note is, the transfer is about as beautiful as any I've ever seen on any disc. The picture is crisp, clear, and free from any noticeable artifacts. Add to that one of the funniest commentary tracks I have ever heard, featuring Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Jason McHugh, Dian Bachar, and Andy Kemler getting drunker and drunker as the track continues and you still haven't scratched the surface of the extras. There's also behind the scenes footage of the shooting of the film, a clip with Trey, Matt, and Lemmy (of the band Motorhead) from the film Terror Firmer, an index for easy location of all of the songs in the film, and finally, an index of all the songs as performed by the cast of a stage production of Cannibal!.
It's good to see this film finally get the treatment it deserves. Kudos to the entire production staff at Troma and AIX for making one of the most entertaining DVDs I have seen in a very long time.
Reviewed by Brian Matherly - bmath2000@hotmail.com The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/
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