KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Coventry "Savage Harvest" is pretty similar to another 80s horror/adventure movie called "In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro". In fact, the two would be almost identical if it weren't for the fact that they feature different types of ferocious animal species. Both films are sadly and inexplicably underrated, taking place in black African countries during a long period of drought and tell the absorbing tales of how the animals' regular food sources become unavailable so that they become incredibly aggressive and attack every human in their sight. "In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro" features a rather unusual type of animals, namely baboons, whereas "Savage Harvest" goes straight for the leaders of the animal kingdom: mighty lions! The intro states that this film is based on true events, but I guess the fact were dramatized a little bit. In rural Kenya, Derek leaves his wife and stepchildren in their luxurious country mansion whilst he's away on business. Pretty soon a whole troop of famished and agitated lions enter the estate and trap the family inside. The servants are the first to get devoured, but luckily for them ex-husband/real father Casey comes to the rescue. "Savage Harvest" isn't magnificent cinema, but at least most of the film is suspenseful and there are multiple deeply impressive sequences with professionally trained lions (courtesy of the awesome Joe Camp and Ralph Helfer). Okay, admittedly some parts of "Savage Harvest" are quite bizarre and goofy, including the sight of a lion entering a house via the chimney or witnessing how a besieged family collectively sings a Beatles medley, but what the heck! In exchange for that are the animal attack sequences raw and they can be interpreted as quite shocking, and since the production crew took the costs and efforts to actually film in Kenya, the film is also full of beautiful exterior locations. Tom Skerritt is a fairly convincing hero, but the gorgeous Michelle Philips has very little to do except for looking way too young to depict the mother of a 20-year-old son. Last but not least: fantastic film poster but I sadly never spotted the voluptuous girl with her shirt half open

Chase_Witherspoon A wealthy farming family in a remote part of Nairobi is forced to take refuge in their mansion when a pride of hungry lions suffering the effects of the drought, comes in contact hunting for food. Game hunter Skerritt comes to the aid of his estranged wife Phillips and their children, fortifying the residence against numerous attacks throughout the night. Some rather harrowing attack scenes might shock some viewers, with the ensuing gorging on the cadavers likely to repulse others – it's a marvel of photographic choreography and timely editing that makes the attacks look very realistic.Skerritt is an engaging hero and it's through his macho veneer that a lot of the personality and character is allowed to develop throughout the ordeal; his playboy image remains intact almost throughout, attempting to rekindle his relationship with his former wife any moment there's a brief respite from the onslaught. Without his professional contribution, the rest of the film would be a hollow action thriller. And while there are moments of overkill – the laboured grief and consolation offered for the recently deceased, Skerritt's brief "Indianapolis" speech, and an ultimately pointless mortality moment, reminiscent of Jon Voight's deer encounter in "Deliverance" - the film generally manages to stay focused on the action. Special mention also must go to the musical score, which is effective as both an ambient and central mood setter.The actual ferocity of the lions toward one another is just as confronting as the attacks on the characters – their performances are intensely aggressive. Ultimately, it's the realism that makes this obscurity worthy of more notice, and far superior to its British/South African produced predecessor, "Rogue Lion".

preppy-3 A family living in a remote part of Africa are trapped in their house by a bunch of hungry lions. I caught this back in 1979 at a theatre. I was told it was a horror film. I completely ignored the PG rating and ended up seeing a pretty bland, generic story of a family that bonds together when their lives are threatened. Yawn. The dialogue and story were completely predictable. Also I got a few laughs when the family realizes they're trapped by lions and, instead of trying to escape, they sit down and start singing a medley of Beatle songs! By the end of the movie you're rooting for the lions. The only thing that saves this is some good acting by Tom Skerritt, Michelle Phillips and Shawn Stevens. Despite their lines they're pretty good. This is pretty much forgotten--for good reason! I give it a 3 for the acting alone.

cfc_can Normally, when a movie is unavailable anywhere, it is because the movie is lousy. Savage Harvest though is a different story. It's sort of a Jaws-like thriller but involves killer lions and is set on the veldts of Kenya. It features an American family under siege by the cats and it is these scenes that really make the movie. The early scenes which set up the action are forgettable but once the lions take the stage, the suspense begins to mount. The film features some pretty real-looking attacks. Hopefully the animal trainers and wranglers were well paid. Nobody seems to have heard of this movie but if you happen to spot it on cable TV, give it a look. It's worth it!