Product Details

• Actors: Sean Pertwee, Alex Reid (III), Toby Kebbell, Stephen Wight (II), Luke Neal
• Directors: Michael J. Bassett
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: First Look Pictures
• DVD Release Date: February 20, 2007
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KB48B6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,041 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Wilderness" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

WILDERNESS - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gruesome & brutal experience, February 6, 2007

By 

MattW "Matt" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wilderness (DVD)

Surprisingly effective and sometimes terrifying British horror thriller. Takes a standard horror movie premise and ups the anti with some unpredictable twists and turns. The plot is simple and straightforward, the locale atmospheric, and the direction taught. I had never heard of this film so was immediately surprised by the strong performances and gut wrenching action. A good hybrid between the interesting horror movie "American Gothic" and the action classic "Deliverance". This one goes straight for the throat and is pretty unrelenting as far as violence; so not for the faint of heart. This is a wild ride and I'm wildly enthusiastic about recommending. A great discovery, for those that take their meat raw.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You're not feeling rehabilitated?, July 26, 2008

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wilderness (DVD)

Sometimes I like my horror faire served up nice and rare, with plenty of blood left in it to gush out each time you bite in to it. Wilderness is sort of like that, taking a cast of pretty unlikable characters, throwing them in a desperate situation in an isolated environment, and letting the blood flow wherever it may. Admittedly, it can be hard to win me over with a team of bullies and whiners, but director Michael J. Basset proved himself well up to the challenge. Wilderness won't find itself a spot on my list of favorite horror movies, but it does its whole survival horror thing quite well indeed.

The Wilderness of this film's title refers to a rugged, uninhabited island that used to be used for soldier survival training but now offers itself as an ideal place for troubled young people to get a pungent taste of reality and hopefully learn to work together rather than continue in their juvenile delinquent ways. Our gang of misfits land themselves a week's stay there following the most unfortunate death of one of their own. It turns out that they are far from alone there, however. Meeting up with a small, similar group of juvenile delinquent girls doesn't bother anyone, apart from the two group leaders, but finding themselves hunted by a mad killer (and his ferocious dogs) is generally looked upon as bad news all the way around. There isn't a lot of suspense built around the killer's identity, as that is revealed pretty early on. The focus is more on the teens' interaction as their numbers dwindle and the psychotic thought processes that landed them all in a Young Offenders Institution to begin with rear their ugly and increasingly violent heads. Can these malcontents somehow work together as a team in order to survive? Uh, no.

There's not an excessive amount of gore by any means, but Wilderness does deliver a few impressive little scenes. Don't expect a lot of character development here, though. The only potentially interesting character is Callum (Toby Kebbell), the new guy, but the air of mystery he brings with him never amounts to anything. Even though he's the only one with enough gumption to stand up to the bully Steve (Steve Wight), he never manages to distinguish himself from the others. As much as I hated the little runt, I have to say that the character of Steve pretty much made the movie for me. The killer ultimately provides little in the way of satisfaction, and not just because we know his identity so early on. Steve makes sure we don't get bored.

Wilderness may not have a lot in the way of originality to offer, but it is a pretty taut thriller that throws us gorehounds a few juicy little bones along the way. Don't expect the psychological undertones of a Lord of the Flies (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) or the good vs. evil dichotomy of The Most Dangerous Game - Criterion Collection, though. This film is too raw and primal to play any of those psychological games. I found it pretty much impossible to like any of these characters; heck, I didn't even like the dogs, and I'm the biggest animal lover you're likely to find. It says something for Michael J. Basset's directorial skills that I liked this film as much as I did - it can't be easy to make a good movie when none of your characters has any redeeming qualities whatsoever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not quite as advertised, but filled with tense, gripping thrills..., October 5, 2010

By 

trebe - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Wilderness (DVD)

Shot in Northern Ireland, Wilderness (2006) is a gritty and gory thriller, centered on the adventures of a group of inmates from a boy's juvenile prison, who face unexpected danger, while serving disciplinary punishment on a remote island. Although the synopsis on the DVD makes it sounds like all male struggle for survival, that is not the case.

When an bullied inmate at Moorgate Young Offenders Institute commits suicide by cutting his wrists, the members of the dead boy's dorm are sent to a remote (and quite large) island for some disciplinary action. The group of six lads under the supervision of prison official Jed Wyler (Sean Pertwee), soon discover that they are not alone on the island. Mandy (Lenora Crichlow) and Jo (Karly Greene), two inmates from a girl's detention facility are there with Louise (Alex Reid) their supervisor.

The two groups come together, after a tramp living on the island is found dead with his throat ripped open. Callum (Toby Kebbell) a newcomer, is suspected of the crime. One of the boys disappears as a prelude to the group being viciously attacked, by a hail of deadly arrows, and a pack of wild dogs. The assault leaves the shaken group without any supervision, and they struggle to establish some kind of order, and find a way to survive against a ruthless and well-prepared opponent.

The story that could have taken the all male Lord of the Flies route, instead is another routine teenagers in distress in the woods tale. Instead of being violent hardcases, the boys are mostly passive, except for Steve (Stephen Wight) who exhibits resentment for authority. Steve's buddy Lewis (Luke Neal) is the most physically imposing, but is pretty passive after hooking up with Jo. Lindsay (Ben McKay), is the weak sniveling type.

The lads soon figure out why they are being attacked, but aside from a knife, they have no weapons, and lack the unity and skills which to fight back. The mysterious killer (Stephen Don) remains hidden, using his pack of dogs to terrorize the befuddled teens, who fall victim to various traps he has setup. With possession of the knife, Callum has a leadership role, searching for a way off the island. Eventually the pressure finally brings Steve's dark side out, but he can't match the killer's deadly skills.

Featuring some tense well executed action sequences and some cruel kills, director Michael J. Bassett delivers some gruesome cringeworthy moments and shocking visuals. Introducing the females, keeps the film from quite living up to its potential, but Wilderness is still a taught entertaining thriller, with a British flavor. Strongly recommended.