Customer Reviews

Boot Camp

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ordered this on the premise of Mila Kunis possibly carrying a film, and they were advertising this as the "unrated" version. But in the end, you are left with feeling disappointment and watching bad storytelling.

Mila plays a troubled young lady who is sent to an island work camp by her parents. The isolated layout of this camp in Fiji could make for a beautiful filming location, but it really only gets used once or twice (coral, white sand beaches, etc.). Peter Stormare (I always remember him the most as Satan in Constantine) fills the role as the camp creator and leader of this paramilitary counseling group. The idiot boyfriend who finds a way to get himself committed to the same camp (yeah right) is played by Gregory Smith (he has a much better role in Closing the Ring).

As more unlikely events occur and an intermittent writing mess unfolds in virtually every scene, the movie strives to falter. Mila tried very hard here, and I have to give her props for taking a somewhat different role. There are plenty of important themes attempted here, including the topics of physical abuses and illegal activities that occur at these camps, but the short paragraph statement in the credits is all we are given as an extra. No supplements. The sound was average as was the picture quality. Regarding the unrated quip, everything that could give it an R happens off camera or is edited out (Mila's shower scenes and abuses towards one female character). Almost feels like a made for TV movie, but even then so much is not explained or elaborated on, that it misses the mark on being an informative film. It becomes more of a brief passion piece film about these camps.

Mila Kunis plays a troubled teen girl sent to a remote BOOT CAMP by her parents (mostly her idiot stepfather). She is abducted, drugged, and shipped across the ocean! Once on the island, Mila's character finds a cultish operation, run by a droning guru played by Peter Stormare (8MM, THE KILLING ROOM). Unfortunately, much of the action is unbelievable, hollywood cheeeze, except for a few scenes in the middle. The whole thing ends in a fiery apocalypse, along the lines of the 80s OVER THE EDGE finale. While not a total disaster, I can't imagine watching it again...

Camp Serenity, an isolated Fijian Island where wayward heathens are sent for a tropical boot camp intended to steer the children towards the more law-abiding and righteous path. Unfortunately for the parents who jettison their kids, and even more disappointing for the kids themselves, the camp is run by a borderline psychotic who fantasizes about the "soap in a sock"-scene from Full Metal Jacket. This camp leader, Norman Hail (Peter Stormare - Dino Velvet from 8MM) has serious delusions of grandeur, a strong belief in "Code Red" discipline, and an online degree not worth the Charmin extra soft it should be printed on. What's worse is that his "leadership" has insidiously trickled into the camp counselors and senior camp-members. They have all learned: If you want to get off the island, you play by the rules.

Which is a problem for Sophie (Mila Kunis) - a smart yet semi-mentally imbalanced girl making her step-father's life a living hell - and her doofus boyfriend Ben (Gregory Smith). Sophie gets sent away unwillingly. Rushed, drugged, and whisked away only to wake up on a speeding boat, she had no influence on her fate. Clearly P-whipped, Ben decides to purposely get in trouble because he just knows his parents will send him to the same island. Not so fast there lover-boy; neither the Montagues nor Capulets know a thing about escaping from kiddie bootcamp a remote island. Let the battle begin!

While not overwhelming, the film is nonetheless enjoyable. Think Romeo & Juliet + A Clockwork Orange + Lord of the Flies and you've got a good idea what you'll be watching. Aside from Kunis nobody really seized attention. The locale is nearly completely wasted and not shown. The preachy ending certainly took some of the film's impact away, but intelligent viewers will understand the intended, albeit inconsistent point.

This movie was really good, much to my surprise. I had never even heard of this movie before. The only reason I gave it a shot was because I'm a big Mila Kunis fan. One of the more intriguing things is the fact that it is based on actual events.

I just finished watching "Boot Camp" 2007 version on NetFlix. It is a story showing a camp where rapes occured by staff of the camp and deaths were covered up. It is a problem very similar to what the NYS OPWDD has, except in the situation of the movie it was troubled teens in the camp. The institutional setting really can be felt in the movie.

I am against institutionalization, and this movie really does allow me to show the "why" to those who wonder. In fact, I have been institutionalized in my life, and I can even give out my story to anyone who wants to know. However, This movie really is one way I can visually explain the "why" I am against institutionalization.

plot outline:

Packed off to Camp Serenity on a remote Fiji isle, teenage rebel Spohie and a host of other troubled kids soon find themselves brutalized by the sadistic Dr. Norman Hail and his staff.

Electronic ankle cuffs and the surrounding ocean make excape impossible...until Sophie's boyfriend, who's back in the States, gets involved.

This movie was obviously written, produced, and directed by people who think that all boot camps for troubled kids are basically child abuse.

It starts off by showing several different kids and how their bad behavior got them a free ticket to the camp. It portrays the parents as oblivious self-absorbed morons, that don't know how to raise their kids. The kids start acting up, getting in trouble, throwing tantrums, etc. The parents seek the help of this boot camp. The boot camp sends ATF-type people who swoop in unannounced and basically arrest the kids and ship them off to an island. The kids are treated like POWs, deprived of almost all normal comforts, brainwashed and "re-wired". Mila's character is too smart to fall for the brain-washing. Her boyfriend gets in trouble on purpose so that he will be sent to the same camp - so he can rescue her and bring her home. It proves to be more difficult than he thought it would be.

Parents = this is NOT a movie for kids. It contains: adult situations, abuse, torture, rape, language, etc.

Now first off let me say, with the already 'unrated' billing they certainly could have made better use of the lovely Mila Kunis' assets. There are some good scenes with her barefoot on the desert island, the setting for the troubled youth camp which the story revolves around. But in the end she proves a bit too reluctant to show skin, and the movie ends up being more a social commentary piece on the very existence of these camps. Overall a good watch and worthwhile, but if you expect simple cheap titillation you'll be disappointed.

I bought this movie because Gregory Smith is such a phenomenal actor, but I was deeply disappointed with it. The movie itself was very frustrating and slow-going. The premises just seemed nonsensical: a troubled girl who's lazy parents have given up trying to discipline her so they send her to some remote boot camp and her boyfriend somehow gets himself sent to the same camp to try to rescue her (yeah right).

While I realize this film was most likely meant to put into light the crappy treatment that people receive at boot camps like this, the film just seemed to be lacking any real depth. I'm not sure if it was just poor writing or just too many characters and craziness going on.

In the end, I paid a steep price for a film with little substance, absolutely NO extras on the entire DVD, and I felt mostly like I just wanted the 2 hours of my life back I spent on it.

This is three different movies in one. The first part is bad, second part is interesting, the ending is great. Between the bad and interesting bit the movie gains credibility. Between the interesting and great part there is a really tough scene that doesn't really define the movie at all, but it is a tough scene that comes out of nowhere, slaps your morality in the face and propels this movie from campy-seen-before to something mature and life defining. This for me is where the movie starts.

That said, it isn't a completely bad movie nor is it a completely good movie. What would have made this movie better was the execution (maybe do it with a flashback syle narration)and most likely using different actors. I think the cast of Twilight would have been better in this movie because those adult-playing-kids are genuises at playing somber, downtrodden, spoilt teens.
I didn't like Mila Kunis in this. Her character is drawn out too one dimensional. She is totally miscasted and out acted by even the one line characters. Stock and background characters seem to have more dimesions that the main character that Mila is playing. I think Mila was told to just be a bratty, slick, angry-youth-in-rebellion from minute one of the first shoot to the last outtake.

If anything Regine Nehy should have been the star since her character is what propels the movie towards the end-and her character develops richly and credibly in front of us. Either that or Mila should have played that character and remain the star. Mila's character, as you will find out after watching this, is totally irrevelant in every way for the success or failure of this movie. In other words the movie would've went on as a complete movie without her character in it.

Said and done, this is an entertaining movie that will either be praised or boo'ed by everyone with no one that will want to be on the fence about it.

Even so everyone hating or liking it must agree that it is a very entertaining movie and that is only where this flick succeeds!