Human Centipede 2

When considering anything "extreme," phrases like "The absolute most___" or "The absolute best/worst____" are often thrown about without much consideration.  Before a person ever utters the words: this was the "most," "best," or "worst," I would suggest pausing a moment and considering if there is any weight to what they are saying. 

After watching HC2, which is a movie that is undeniably "extreme," I decided to compare it to my personal list of "most," "worst," and "best," of the last decade to see how it stacks up:

Most terrifying: Insidious
Most disturbing: The Road
Most disgusting: Jackass 3D
Best horror movie: Pan's Labyrinth
Worst movie period: Adam Sandler's Click

HC2 absolutely doesn't really fit into any of those categories for me, which I think is significant, especially when considering the movie is being labeled by many critics as "The worst movie of the year," which it absolutely isn't. 

A few months ago (before I'd decided whether or not I should watch HC2) my friend rented some romantic comedy called "Friends with Benefits."  I watched about 20 minutes of it, and this movie was so devoid of ambition, and so agonizingly mediocre I quickly decided I'd much rather see a movie where someone gets raped with barbed wire than a movie like that one.

It is absolutely not fair or accurate to describe HC2 as the "worst" movie of the year.  A movie with ambition, regardless of the result, should never be compared to movies with no drive, no artistry, and no desire to be anything but a quick and disposable cash-grab.

So Is HC2 the "most" of anything?  Yes.  It is the "most" tasteless and excessive movie I have ever seen in my life.   (I'm not going to try to moralize that one way or another.  It is what it is.)

I've read a lot of reviews for HC2 already, and so I decided that if I wrote one, that mine should try to focus on things that haven't been said already.  Some reviewers say the movie is a jab at horror movie fans, others say it was a jab at people who think horror movies cause violence, and others say it is a big "Fuck You!" to everyone who complained about the first Human Centipede so much.

So was it any of those things? I don't know what is in writer/director Tom Six's head, and I'm not going to try to guess.  All that matters is the experience of the viewer. 

The movie is very difficult to watch.  I cringed nearly throughout.  I yelled, I howled, at points I even convulsed, but throughout the entire ordeal I also laughed really hard.  As disgusting as this movie was, it is filled with some very dark, and very funny humor.  If it wasn't for this strand of obscene comedy running throughout the film I would not have been able to make it all the way through, and the experience would have left me feeling awful about myself. (I am guessing if you find yourself watching HC2 you are either in on the joke, or you have had the tragic misfortune of renting this movie on accident.)

I personally don't even know if I can say I liked The Human Centipede 2.  I will never watch it again.  I will never recommend it...The best thing I can really say about it is that I am now very excited about The Human Centipede 3; and that is about the highest praise I think I could ever give a movie like The Human Centipede 2.