The whole time I was watching The Human Centipede, all I kept thinking (when I wasn't going "ugh" at what I was seeing) was "how did anyone come up with this idea?". Not that it isn't original, or even interesting. Its just that the concept is so bizarre that it goes way beyond what most people could even think of, let alone put on film.
Having had a chance to watch it, I was left feeling less than impressed. It wasn't badly put together; quite the opposite. It was certainly good enough to provide a few moments of genuine suspense, along with real sympathy for the victims of the mad scientist's sick experiment.
What was lacking was a reason for being; without some deeper meaning, a film lacks the power to move. Of the contemporary films I've reviewed here in the last week or so, Audition was (to me) about how love (or at least infatuation) is blind, while The Midnight Meat Train was about one man's descent into darkness (always a fave!). The Human Centipede, on the other hand, was about a human centipede. Huh?!?
So, that's why I can't recommend it. Not because it wasn't a well-made film, but because it really had nothing to say about the human condition. And that's what makes the big difference between a good film and a great one - It has to say more than the obvious, it has to add something to your understanding of the world. Shocking (or grossing-out) the audience is, normally, just not enough.
Still, if you're curious, as I was, go ahead. Oh, and it really is incredibly gross in parts. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
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