A film that brings people closer together!
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Directed By: Tom Six
The Prologue
What can one say about a movie that is of the nature of The Human Centipede? A film that has such a shocking (if not lacking) plot that it has gained so much press in the horror world that you just knew the hype would never be able to be matched..Or perhaps considering what you came into this movie looking for depends on just how well you may like it? Also depending on what you’ve seen before this could also play a factor into just how “shocked” you are by what you see.
So far, some like what they see and some don’t. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert awarded this film NO stars, a first as far as I know of. And went as far as to say, “I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film.” The only nice thing he seemed to say was that “there stirs the soul of a dark artist.” when speaking of the films director Tom Six. The funny thing about art to me is, no matter what type of art we are talking about, you don’t always have to understand it to appreciate it.
The Movie
Dr.Heiter may very well be the worlds best surgeon, unfortunately for the poor souls in this film, after years of tightening up his skills by separating Siamese twins, Heiter now has his eyes set on forming something much more sinister, he wants to connect people and have them share their digestive systems ultimately forming a Human Centipede. Oh, and he already did this once with dogs, and they are now dead. So if you couldn’t tell already, things do not look good for our friends involved here.
To be perfectly honest, to a man like myself that has seen some horrific films in my time, a movie like The Human Centipede wasn’t as shocking or as gross as I (like most) assumed it would be. I would go as far as to say that it’s rather light on the shock value once you just get past the idea of what is being done on screen and actually take a look at it. It’s not a pleasant sight by any means seeing people connected anus to mouth, but it’s done in a more stylish than vomit causing manner, one you “gross out” light weights will surely appreciate.
While the film may be a little light on your gag reflexes and perhaps a little lighter in plot, I found the film to be oddly compelling and packing a number of intense and suspenseful moments. To me this film wasn’t a “bad” film by any means as it holds your attention, keeps you interested, and is topped off with a grand performance from the crazy doctor himself Dr.Heiter (Dieter Laser).
To spite this movie having what may go down as one of the most interested and twisted doctors in movie history, it will also go down in memory as perhaps having some of the dumbest as well. Two of which being maybe the most dense girls I have ever seen and two more being Cops who must have gotten their badges from a cereal box. Somehow with that being the case, the film finds a way to somehow shelter the lack luster depth of the characters. Also if you can ignore few eye rolling dialogue moments, you can perhaps find a deeper meaning in The Human Centipede, mainly in the words spoken at the end by one Asian character. A character that even with being held back by some terrible lines comes across as the one person in the film with the most heart and the most self evaluation as to what is going on.
I think if you look at this film as more of an art house type film rather than a full on movie you’ll be able to enjoy it more even if you can’t morally make yourself enjoy what you are seeing. There may very well be a hidden social or spiritual message somewhere between the strange idea that is this movie, but honestly, it probably isn’t nothing more than shock value in a very light presented form. And while I can’t sit here and say I enjoy seeing mouths being sewn onto other people’s asses and the sickening idea of what is bound to happen because of that sooner or later, I can say I appreciate the movie for at least having one of the most creative and original ideas I have ever heard of. A very weird idea, but an idea that’s presented in a very watchable and interesting fashion none the less.
The Conclusion
It may be for a good reason or it may be for a bad reason, but no matter what the reason The Human Centipede is a movie that will go down in movie history as a movie that will gather a large cult following. When you think of films such as Cannibal Holocaust or Salo you’ll probably think of this movie around that same class of films as well. A lot will down right HATE it but a good many will love it.
My personal opinion on it is the sick stuff is toned down just enough to get a compelling film through to the viewer. And as a result The Human Centipede is better than it had any right at all being…God help me, I actually liked it.
The Rating (7.5/10)
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