SXSW Movie Review: Roar (1981)

By Brad Henderson

The idea that Roar was even made blows my mind because of the fact that there was a surplus of dangerous animals among the cast and crew while it was being filmed.

No animals were harmed during the process of making the film but 70 people were. That’s one of the new taglines for the film and it completely dumbfounds me. Filming began in 1974 and the film wasn’t released until 1981. After numerous lion attacks on the crew, postponing the film seemed like it was the norm for this production.

Dedicated is one of the best words to describe Roar.

I honestly can’t believe they were able to get this many people to be involved in Roar and actually stay after the first lion attack. You would think all the people involved in the film would have stunt doubles during all the interactions with the lions. Apparently that wasn’t the case because you can clearly tell that the actors did this all themselves. Many of the cast and crew actually had to have serious surgery, including numerous stitches, during the production due to the lions attacking them. I still don’t get it.

Maybe I would understand more if Roar was better but all in all it’s a very bland story and the only thing that keeps the movie is going is your fear that the actors will get mauled by lions. Even the acting is poor, probably because the actors were fearing for their lives while trying to give their performances.

Here’s the plot: a family goes to visit their father who is taking care of lions, bobcats, cheetahs, and other dangerous animals at an animal sanctuary. For some reason his wife and kids think it’s a good idea to visit the sanctuary while the father is away on business. From there they have to deal with a whole lot of chasing until the father can get back and help them.

Like I said, it’s a very bland plot. It works when you realize that everything that is happening is real. Sadly, Roar didn’t blow up and got shoved under the rug until Drafthouse Films stepped in and gave it a proper release. Roar may not be that good but it didn’t deserve the poor reception that it got. It’s blatantly obvious that the filmmakers worked their asses off trying to make the movie, in addition to trying not to harm any of the animals during the production.

Drafthouse Films has brought us some older films that kind of got lost in time and they always present them in the best package. I’m sure they will do the same for this when they release it on home video. I know I said the plot of Roar is boring but the movie itself is highly entertaining. The dialogue is so horrendous at times that you can’t help but laugh. I know it’s popular to say that some movies are “so bad they’re good” and while I don’t agree with that statement, Roar is that type of scenario.

If you actually get a chance to see Roar in theaters I suggest you try. It’s something that would play very well with the right audience, so you can experience the stupidity and hilarity with others. Even though I may not be the biggest fan of Roar, I think this is one of the more substantial releases from Drafthouse Films. I’m hoping they keep this up because I support their work 100% no matter how I feel about this film.