Woman in the Woods (2020) User Reviews

It Could Have Been Much Better

[mirage-productions · 3/10 · 20 April 2021]

I watched this with my wife who is from the Philippines, and yes she is beautiful. We both really wanted to like this film.

I felt the production quality was actually pretty good, the cinematography, the costumes, lighting, and even some of the special effects.

I could not honestly give it anymore then a 3 rating, due to the confusing story and being slow at times. One of the biggest problems what just trying to understand exactly what was going on. My wife understood many of the myths and legends they were referring to, but it would have helped to have some subtitles. Even though she speaks Tagalog, some of the dialects were hard for her to understand. I kept asking my wife, "what is she saying", and she would respond, I have no idea.

Apparently you have Jason, a Canadian Filipino who travels back to the Philippines in search of some of the myths and legends. We were expecting to see a Gorilla, and a sexy girl, from the poster, but instead a total different story. Jason meets this woman and follows her around like a lost puppy, trying to help her find this volcano. He does nothing but slow her down, why is she even allowing him to tag along? Enough about the storyline...its just too confusing.

Better writing, faster pace and subtitles would have greatly improved this film.

Misleading pile of hot garbage

[ag-37755 · 1/10 · 25 March 2021]

Just to start off the cover is completely misleading. The woman and the gorilla are never in this movie. This is also the first and only movie I've ever watched that had frame rate drop. They literally had a corrupt file when editing and chose to leave it in! The only interesting moment (when the cyclops shows up) is completely ruined by 5 minutes of corrupt footage and lazy editing. This movie wouldn't be worth watching it they gave it away for free.

Why the fake reviews

[rehmankhilji · 1/10 · 17 April 2021]

Do the makers of the movie really would paste fake reviews?

Whats the point?

Waste of time, a complete waste for making it, a complete waste even to write this review.

Save your self and block it.

Girl in the picture is not in the movie, neither is the Gorilla.

[sign1in · 5/10 · 12 August 2021]

Got this for a $1, and it's not great, Philippino Folktales combined with limited CGI.

It's nice that the star isn't a super geek hacking the matrix or a martial arts master, he's just a regular guy.

Lady who plays the goddess seems to be a decent actress, which is why she got the part, the young lady on the cover, maybe she's a bad actress, or too expensive.

He goes on the journey, survives, the end, worth a check out from a library.

Amazing garbage, a heaping pile of doggy doo doo

[arturowebb · 18 April 2021]

How much money is paid to those who write AMAZING reviews for movies that should never have been made.

I could not tolerate more than five minutes of this !!

I tried at at 2x, then 3x, then 4x the normal speed and still could not bother to see the ending.

Just Skip It

[garethtrelph · 1/10 · 20 April 2021]

After 5 minutes I skipped forward 5 more, after 2 minutes I skipped forward 5 more, After 1 more minute I skipped forward to the end. I wont waste my time on rubbish.

I Wish You Well

[eyazzatl · 1/10 · 5 January 2022]

Despite the obvious bait and switch, the scenery was gorgeous, especially the waterfall. There was no outlet for rating this "movie" less than one star, so I was generous. One star.

Um, what???

[wesman-76502 · 1/10 · 22 January 2022]

The plot for this movie should read:

Ignore everything on the cover. It's a lie.

When Jason's father dies he makes a homage to his father's homeland of the Phillipines. After eating the same mushrooms his father must have eaten before telling him all the myths of his homeland, Jason experiences the most interesting hallucinations taking him on a life changing journey where he cannot tell what is real and what is not.

AMAZING

[bobby-409 · 10/10 · 21 December 2020]

The writing and directing is amazing, this is a MUST see..

Give it a chance

[ImdbAllowsLeftwingExtemistBots · 7/10 · 18 April 2021]

I do not personally like the choice of having 3rd-person voice narration. But this film was not so terrible as to deserve the 1-star reviews.

The other reviews are correct that the gorilla and woman are not in the film, so the choice of cover is really bizarre

This is not an action film, it's fairly slow-burning but it showcases (what I assume to be) Philippine folklore and beliefs about nature. I think it does that part well and the characters remain likeable and apolitical, so it is definitely watchable

If you're the type of person who likes to listen to wild tales from locals while you're travelling, I think you'll be able to appreciate this film for what it is.

Explain the Poster

[timoctober · 6/10 · 11 October 2021]

First, allow me to begin by saying up front the acting was great. Not your typical leading man and women but that was refreshing and they were fantastic. Having said that.... The subtitles could not translate the foreign language, only the English. A bit frustrating not knowing what half the cast was saying. If you speak Tagalog you may get a few words here and there but then you're lost. Also, too many unexplained events, creatures and scenes.

Spoiler Warning: How did the giant die? What was the creature in the caves? What was the creature by the river? Where did 2 of the 3 main characters disappear to in the end? And finally.... WHAT WAS WITH THE BACKPACK?????

Hmmm..Improv theather or Art film?

[OneSentenceReview · 6/10 · 25 April 2021]

Either way beautiful nature footage and scenery of Sorsogon/Bulusan Philippines, including a mysterious native tribe and (according to Attenborough) one of the last, incredibly rare local cyclops!

A tough hard-as-nails pretty hardnut chubby sparsly dressed djungle queen on a mission and a sort of wimpy canadian traveller on a quest for his birth roots facing his mental deamons from the past..in a way it reminded me of Apocalypse-Now. Without helicopers and wagner though.

I suppose it must be based on some ancient philippino folklore tales, which there must be many on such an ancient mystic archipelago, would make sense in a way - just wish there would be more explanation for viewers not-in-the-know of these tales to appreciate the surely well meant story-telling.

And yes, dont watch if you're after the skinny sixpack babe and the gorilla, they are nowhere to be seen. It must a another metaphor as there are many in the story.

No Gorilla . . . but a quirky fun movie

[michael-47683 · 7/10 · 23 January 2023]

Had a look at this on Tubi today and quite enjoyed it. It captures some of the wild funkiness of the Philippines and I learned some folklore as well. Our hero lad is from Canada too and I love how the woods lady calls him "Canada." I absolutely did not understand much of what was going on but that was part of the fun. It was a real hero/journey quest into increasing weirdness but the more they laid it on the more I kinda understood what was going on. I mean who wouldn't go for a boy meets weird girl in the woods and, though he doesn't understand a word she says, he follows her through deadly danger. That's the kind of thing I would have done in my 20's or 30's but definitely not in my 40's and up. Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. It's not state of art effects but aims for state of the heart affects . . . Fun stuff.

Great low budget storytelling featuring Filipino folklore

[tokyo3-156-554652 · 7/10 · 10 June 2022]

Guess I'm lucky, my wife can understand bikol, so she translated. Which is spoken widely throughout the film without subtitles. That is frustrating. And anak is spelled wrong consistently.

There's some continuity issues, some dodgy CGI and the action sequences weren't great but I really enjoyed this fantasy romp through Bicol folklore. Mercedes Cabral is fantastic.

It wasn't that terrible....

[EricBombardier · 6/10 · 23 April 2021]

Just hear me....

If you put aside the fact that the official cover has literally nothing to do with the movie (no, there are no gorillas, nor a plane on fire, or any fire in this movie, and also the lady on the cover is definitely not Mercedes Cabral), I could have made something better in Photoshop in less than an hour.... Put that aside and give this (estimated) 1million dollar production a chance.

A chance to talk about Philippines folklore, to tell the story of someone who's roots were strong but not native to where he was transplanted. This is not a story about what most people want to hear about, it's a story about what is known in the Philippines but that not many people outside of the Philippines know. It's a story about a strong culture that has many resident living abroad who have kids that have never been "back home".

To me, it is very interesting. Is it a great movie? No. Is it a bad movie? Not really. I thought the movie was confused, but peeling a few layers off made me appreciate it a little more than what I felt at first: First, don't have expectations, forget the gorilla. Second, the movie is Filipino folklore lived through the main character's own story in the present. It's a bit confusing, but I can't see it done any other way. It would have either been a Fight Club type scenario, or a movie like Apocalypto. They chose this hybrid, which is fine for a small production.

It's not gonna blow your socks off, but if you're opened to have a glimpse at folklore, it's decent enough.

Philippine folklore brought to life...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 5 May 2021]

Granted, I sat down to watch the 2020 movie "Woman in the Woods" and I was expecting it to be maybe something in the likes of the old "Tarzan" movies, given the fact that the movie had a scantily clad jungle lady and a gorilla on the cover.

Right, well you can forget about the gorilla entirely, because there are no apes in the movie at all. So why that gorilla was on the cover at all just makes absolutely no sense. In fact, the woman on the cover wasn't in the movie either. So I have no idea what the people making the cover were thinking, much less trying to pull.

Yet, I must say that "Woman in the Woods" was actually a rather surprisingly nice movie when it comes to it, you just have to ignore the cover entirely as it had absolutely nothing to do with the actual movie.

The storyline told in "Woman in the Woods" is based on a Philippine legend. Now, I happened not to be familiar with the legend that the movie is based on, so I have no idea how true the movie was to the actual legend. But regardless, the movie proved to be an interesting and entertaining movie nonetheless.

In order to enjoy a movie like the 2020 movie "Woman in the Woods" from writer and director Kevin Ang, then you must have a healthy interest in Asian folklore and legends, or at the very least an interest in Asian culture and movies.

The movie has a relatively small ensemble of actors and actresses on the cast list, so those performing in the movie had a bit more resting on their shoulders in terms of carrying the movie with their individual performances. And I must admit that both Mercedes Cabral (playing Magayon) and Brian Sy (playing Jason) actually did just that.

While "Woman in the Woods" is hardly a movie that warrant more than a single viewing, then it is actually a movie that I would recommend you sit down to watch, should you find yourself given the opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and my rating of "Woman in the Woods" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Quirky, Beautiful, Mostly Mild

[adam_reviews · 7/10 · 5 January 2022]

Fans of franchise films like Fast & Furious will find the Woman worth watching, but won't find much else in the Woods. Except for a few underwhelming action sequences, Woman in the Woods is a mild-mannered movie. That's not a bad thing. The scenery is beautifully filmed, the music is dreamy, the characters are delightfully quirky, and the story is heartfelt. There are some surprisingly funny moments like sprinkles on a buttercream frosted biscuit. Speaking of buttery biscuits, did I mention the Woman? My goodness. Before you succumb to another soul-sucking streaming-service "original," visit the Woman in the Woods and feel better about yourself and the world.

Better Believe than not believe

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 16 May 2021]

When I saw the title I thought maybe they captured Pollyanna McIntosh roaming the wilds and set her free in Africa like Elsa. There is no gorilla in the film. It takes place in the Philippines. Jason is from Canada and is visiting the home his father loved so dearly. He goes camping in the woods and comes upon a woman (Mercedes Cabral) who was a princess in ancient times. Because of his "third eye" only he and other with the gift can see her, as well as the other forest denizens. Jason gets involved in her life and everyone tells him, it will end badly as it always does.

I enjoyed seeing the folklore of other nations. Interesting tale.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.