Review – The Donner Party

Here's the problem with the Donner Party story: in theory tales of cannibalism in extreme survival situations should be fascinating. But their dramatic structure doesn't fit the movie mold. If everything was going great for the settlers and then suddenly they all decided to eat one another, that would make for a standard – if somewhat stupid – slasher picture. But the logic of reality is less cinematic. The result of staying true to the truth is a long, dull story about a handful of folks stuck in the middle of nowhere getting colder and hungrier and colder and hungrier until finally it drives them to extremes. I'm glad they passed up most opportunities to sensationalize, but I don't think I'd sit through it again. Mildly amusing