Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 20, 2016

J.F. Lawton's "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death: (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent British distributors 88 Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The right man for the job

Let’s state the obvious first so that there isn’t any confusion: Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death isn’t a masterpiece of cinema. It is a silly yet surprisingly original low-budget film that has a few interesting things to say about some touchy subjects. It does have a bit of an attitude, but it is what makes it stick out.

The plot is utterly ridiculous. The prominent feminist Dr. Margo Hunt (Shannon Tweed, Hot Dog... The Movie) is asked to go deep into the heart of the dangerous Avocado Jungle in California and convince the Piranha Women to move to an upscale reservation camp somewhere in Malibu. If they do, the U.S. government will move in, develop the avocado fields, and save the apparently dying avocado industry. If they don’t, the nation will use its final avocado supplies and there will be an uprising of angry avocado consumers.

Also heading to the Avocado Jungle is Bunny (Karen Waldron, Return of the Killer Tomatoes!), a student of Dr. Hunt who frequently fantasizes about being chained and spanked by handsome boys. Bunny does not know much about the Avocado Jungle, but she has heard a lot about the Piranha Women and is convinced that meeting them together with her idol Dr. Hunt is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Before she leaves, Bunny stuffs her bag with sexy lingerie – just in case she meets some of the naughty boys she has been seeing in her dreams.

In a cheap bar on the outskirts of LA, Dr. Hunt meets her ex-lover Jim (Bill Maher, Bill Maher - Victory Begins At Home) and hires him to lead her through the Avocado Jungle. Soon after, however, it becomes obvious that he has evolved into quite the nutter and that part of him still fantasizes about having a relationship with Dr. Hunt. This seriously complicates Dr. Hunt’s mission, but quickly convinces Bunny that the guide is worth spending some time with.

Eventually, the travelers are captured by the dangerous Piranha Women and led to their secret camp. When Dr. Hunt fails to convince their leader, Dr. Kurtz (Adrienne Barbeau, Escape from New York), that Malibu will be a better place for their tribe, each traveler is asked to make a difficult decision -- with the nutty guide getting the worst deal.

J.F. Lawton, who wrote and directed Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, must be a very interesting guy to be around. (Or at least he must have been back in 1989 when he completed the film. It is possible that now he is as politically correct as the majority of his colleagues are). Indeed, his film is loaded with some really funny one-liners that essentially target all of the sensitive issues that drive outspoken feminists crazy and kill off the static that they create when debated. Today, some of the humor that removes the tension will likely be considered politically incorrect, but this only further proves that Lawton’s satire was spot on as the big ‘issues’ have created even more animosity in the era of social media analytics. (Pay close attention to the blunt observations about the needs of the two sexes and how dishonest they are when they attempt to profile each other while defending the ‘truths’. It is a total circus, really, and yet a lot of these ‘truths’ are still bounced around in the media).

The acting is very much over-the-top, but it feels right. Maher looks like he is under the influence of some exotic drugs and he genuinely seems to enjoy being a loony. Tweed looks gorgeous without even trying. Waldron is exactly the type of young woman feminists have a serious problem seeing on the big screen.

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, J.F. Lawton's Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

Excluding a few panoramic shots from the 'jungle' that exhibit some light softness, the film does look quite good in high-definition. Well-lit close-ups typically boast the best depth, but even some of the darker footage looks strong. Shadow definition is pleasing, but there are areas where it is easy to see that some minor improvements can be made. Contrast levels remains stable throughout the entire film. There are no traces of recent degraining corrections. Generally speaking, grain appears well exposed, but ideally it should be better resolved. (Some encoding optimizations definitely could have been made). There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and appear natural. Saturation could be better, but overall color balance is quite good. Image stability is very excellent. Finally, there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, stains, or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I think that it is quite easy to tell that the film was shot with a fairly small budget. Indeed, for the most part depth and clarity are quite pleasing, but there are some random segments where balance isn't consistent. There is some flatness that emerges in the mid-range and sometimes the dialog also feels a bit distant. My feeling is that these are limitations of the original sound design and only serious remastering work would be able to address them. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer Gallery - a collection of trailers for other 88 Films release.

• Cover - a reversible cover for the release.

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death is a silly but very entertaining low-budget B movie that actually produces some very accurate observations about certain 'truths' the two sexes like to defend. Bill Maher switches into a very convincing idiot-mode, but there are countless examples now that there is a flip side of his identity that is actually quite similar to that of his character. Shannon Tweed of course looks gorgeous without even trying. The technical presentation is quite good, but it is a bit disappointing that 88 Films could not produce some new interviews with some of the cast members. RECOMMENDED.