In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro (1986)

An old-fashioned monster movie from the '50s, crossed with then-modern lashings of special effects and gore, sounds like a sure bet for this "killer baboon rampage" movie that failed to do much business at the box office when it was first released. The reason for this is that the movie is a strictly run-of-the-mill affair without much to get excited about, and in which the most exciting moments are those spent watching huge hordes of baboons charging through the African landscape. It's supposedly a true story, and the authentic Kenyan locations and supporting actors initially give it a feel of realism, but its not long before that feeling dissipates spectacularly.Things begin well. There's an excellent battle between rhinos and jeeps which actually takes place for real, without the aid of special effects. After this they quickly go downhill, with the script strictly adhering to the basic monster movie template. That is, a few nonentities get killed off initially until the body count rises dramatically and the rest of the cast realises that there's a problem. The dialogue is adequate but the action is sparse. Those looking for some serious baboon vs. human fight scenes may well feel short shrifted as there are only a couple of brief shots in the film (obviously the model baboons created for the movie weren't up to prolonged camera exposure). The two action "highlights" would be NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD-style situations with the baboons replacing zombies and attempting to break into a house and then finally a hotel. Sadly, these are brief indeed, and ultimately disappointing.The cast seems to be an unusually straight one for what is a simple B-movie with A-movie aspirations. The underrated John Rhys Davies, one of my favourite actors, takes the lead as an unconventional action hero. Once again he gives strength to his character, making him a warm and likable person. This is unexpected as at the beginning of the film he is set up as one of those uncaring leader-type blokes who ends up putting lives in danger and getting killed as a result. Timothy Bottoms is the young(er) hero, who disturbingly shaves off his beard halfway through the film which is quite disconcerting, especially as this action is never mentioned! You just see him again with only a moustache and end up wondering who the guy is. Irene Miracle lends copious glamour as Bottom's ex-wife, who inevitably ends up being in peril.One good thing about this film are the special effects of the dead bodies - they're unusually graphic for a mainstream movie (check out Leonard Maltin's review, where he proclaims them as "disgusting"). We see corpses with severed limbs, blood pumping from throats and in the film's gruesome highlight, a body with half of its face ripped off. The gore is minimal but it gives the film that extra oomph for the horror fan, although being a mainstream movie you can guarantee that there'll be a sentimental happy ending in sight.Elsewhere, things try to be serious and scary and end up being comical. A supposedly horrific shot of a man on a telegraph pole getting his leg ripped off by baboons is roll-on-the-floor hilarious yet apparently played for the horror aspect. A baboon attacks the pilot of a plane, causing it to crash - excuse me? After saying that this film is based on a true story this individual scene is pretty hard to swallow. Somebody also decided to shoot some of the action scenes in slow-motion, and they just look dumb and sap the film of its life. The use of a Steadicam leads to some inevitable EVIL DEAD-style 'chase' moments. The only thing I would recommend about this film is the good performance from John Rhys Davies - otherwise it's a missed opportunity and only suitable for those who really like baboons, or a monster fan stuck for something to watch.

"In The Shadow of Kilimanjaro" has a lot of good things going for it. The story, like every script that is based on true events, has some facts embellished but is convincing and flows well. The basic premise is that in Kenya in 1984, there was this "perfect storm" of events that lead to a terrifying spectacle. A severe drought killed off much of the vegetation and small animals in the country. What it didn't kill were thousands of baboons, which eventually turned into hungry mobs, devouring anything in their path, including humans.The animal training and the shots of wildlife are really amazing, lending a lot of credibility to the story. There are literally hundreds of animals on the screen and you think to yourself that the shots of these apes all running in one direction must have been stock footage or computer effects but no. There was extensive work when the film was made to train all of these animals to perform for some key scenes in the movie that are quite impressive.The film almost plays like a zombie film, with hordes of man-eating creatures who can't be reasoned with just waiting for the time to strike and in that aspect the film can be quite effective. Where it doesn't quite work is that the film doesn't go far enough into the horror genre, with many shots of potentially shocking attacks being abruptly cut. This might have been done for budgetary reasons, but nonetheless they leave you wanting so much more than they deliver. The ending also comes very abruptly and isn't quite as satisfying as it should be. The film is nevertheless quite good and if you're a fan of zombie films, this is one of those stories that didn't want to be a variation on the genre, but ended up being on. If you've ever wanted to see a good animal-based horror story, look no further. (On VHS, October 5, 2012)

Having spent a large part of my life in Kenya, this film made me afraid to set out into the Tsavo for years. Based on Events that I remember the old people talking aboutthe film integrates those stories with just the right amountof fright!! The fear that the drought brought was displayed truthfully in this film. It captures the rugged beauty of the Kenyan countryside and people such as no other films made in Kenya have. If you have a fear of animals, this heightens it!

If you've ever wondered why the Scotti Brothers music company didn't last long when they tried their hand in cinema, this movie would be a good place to start. It's hard to believe this actually got released widely enough that Siskel and Ebert took the time to review it on their show (both giving it thumbs down.) Poorly photographed, atrociously edited, and with a plot that's more of an idea than an actual story, given how little is done with anything that comes up. The gore sequences, while explicit, come off as a desperate attempt to entertain more than anything else. There is one eye-catching visual (during the flat tire sequence) that will get your attention and make you wonder how they did it. But unless you also happen to like seeing talented actors of some fame get humiliated, it's not worth the effort to see. Though afterwards you will be able to say truthfully, "I saw Timothy Bottoms' bottom!"