Cannibal! The MusicalHas No Right Being as Good as It Is

Having watch Cannibal ! The Musical is one of those thing that experience like a badge of laurels . The movie was not something anyone see first in theaters . It had to be discovered . You had to regain it or be told about it by a ally . When you at long last watched , you were reward with proof of utter genius — a film that by all traditional standards is subpar , but rises above that because the multitude making it were so unbelievably talented .

Those masses are Trey Parker and Matt Stone , the Isle of Man who co - make South Park . Way before that showbecame a global sensation , when the friends were still in college , they collaborated to make Cannibal , a feature - length repulsion comedy melodic . At times Cannibal utterly hasthe spirit of a student motion-picture show , and yet , its ambition is astounding . It blends genre and tone of voice in ways many seasoned filmmakers could never fathom , moving from horror and fury one minute , to poetical romance the next and absurd comedy right after .

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A crop of the poster for Cannibal the Musical

A crop of the poster for Cannibal the MusicalImage: Troma

Cannibal was initially made and released in 1993 but did n’t start go around widely until a few eld later . That ’s when Troma , the fellowship behindThe Toxic Avengerand Class of Nuke ‘ Em High , picked it up for distribution . The timing lined up withComedy Central debuting South Park , which raised Parker and Stone ’s profile , and made fans singular about their past . That ’s when many of us , myself let in , discovered the flick . Isubsequently became possessed with it , watched it each week , devoured the videodisc extras ( which let in an all - time bang-up sottish director commentary ) , and even ascertain alive performances in New York City . It ’s the sort of motion-picture show that adhere with you and never permit go .

Directed by Parker , and written by Parker and Stone , Cannibal tells the story of minerAlferd Packer(Parker ) who , in the late 1800s , traveled from Utah to Colorado with a group of Man in lookup of riches . Along the way , all the men die , save for Packer , and he was accused of murder and cannibalism . Most of which actually happened . Parker and Stone ’s version is n’t beholden to any truth , though . It ’s all used as a base for characters to sing laughable songs and rip each other ’s flesh off .

check Cannibal then and now , the main affair that stands out are those songs . Parker would later go on to help create not just the Oscar - nominated South Park motion-picture show melodious , butthe underrated Team Americaas well as the Tony - winning The Book of Mormon , and those gift are on full exhibit here . It ’s almost a shame songs as catchy as “ Shpadoinkle , ” “ The Trapper Song , ” and “ Hang the Bastard ” are banish to this unearthly trivial movie . In a major Hollywood or Broadway production , their amusing lyrics and pleasing melodies could have made them classics . ( Also , if you thought Frozen was the first musical theater to have a song about building a snowman , you may want to heed to Cannibal ’s “ Let ’s work up a Snowman . ” )

Parker on his horse Lianne singing the movie’s opening number “Shpadoinkle.”

Parker on his horse Lianne singing the movie’s opening number “Shpadoinkle.”Photo: Troma

What ’s also undeniable about the film is its charm . Everyone demand is so game to try things and so earnest with their operation . There ’s a earnestness to it . A philia . The characters , at least at the rootage , are ostensibly good people . So no matter what situation they ’re put in , even if the motion-picture show is n’t work on , their willingness to be tangible and go the extra mile makes it all work anyway . There ’s rarely a moment that does n’t have at least a bantam clue of aw - shucks optimism .

Beyond those things , Cannibal is half raw and exciting , half amateurish and boring . When the radical ( which also includes roles bring by Stone , Dian Bachar , Jason McHugh , John Hegel , and Ian Hardin ) are singing or joking , everything is an absolute delight . Parker ’s comedic sensibilities were so unbelievable , even at a youthful old age , caper after joke just land perfectly . There ’s ridiculous repeating , lurid but excellent edits , joke readiness - ups that pay off multiple scene later — he ’s never afraid to take the audience out of the movie for a second to get a laugh .

On the other hand , this is a story about six human race walking across hundreds of miles of land and you feel that in the tempo , especially in the middle of the film . Once the group catch to an “ Native American ” encampment , I found myself suspire deeply , checking the meter and waiting for things to cull up . finally they do , and the film ends on a few wild mellow notes that tie everything together . regrettably , the end loses a bit of its impact because it comes after such a slog .

“The Trapper Song” is my favorite one in the film.

“The Trapper Song” is my favorite one in the film.Photo: Troma

There are other swelled flaw too . fictitious character are introduced for no real intent . Some secret plan and character motivation are unclear . Several tenacious scenes add nothing . There ’s not a unassailable sense of time and spot . Plus , most notably , there ’s a decided lack of diversity on CRT screen and , in the uncommon instances there is a adult female or person of color , their characters are objectification or stereotype . A product of the motion picture being set in the 1800s ? Sure , but it still stand out .

And yet , many of those flaw are forgivable because Cannibal is so damn ridiculous . After all that , it somehow balances conniption of extreme violence with Broadway - level melodious numbers , has fourth - wall fracture to winkle at its lack of quality , and the production value on what we can only take on was a tiny budget is , frankly , stunning . The costume and make - up effects in particular bear out . That Cannibal is a movie basically made by child who were on natural spring break make many of its flaws not just understandable , they become part of the charm too .

You get the common sense that , if you ’d seen this movie before you ’d pick up of South Park or The Book of Mormon , you would have bet Parker and Stone were going to be hugely successful . Everything about Cannibal ! The Musical screams “ We will be very , very salutary at this , even if we are n’t yet . ” It ’s overflowing with that vigour . watch the pic now , with the noesis of just how successful they became , makes it even more rewarding . It ’s a time machine back to see the bloodline of so many things we love today . It ’s rough around the edges , sodding , offensive , and at times a little hard to see , but the ripe outweighs the speculative so massively , you ca n’t serve but precipitate in love .

Parker, Stone, and gang.