It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

I watched this film when I was very young -- maybe 12; it was either a TV or cable movie then. Taped it, and had it for years. I sympathize with the other reviewer who said he showed it to his Taiwanese date -- my wife is Taiwanese, and somehow, I don't think she would like it either, though not due to prudishness. She's just not into savages, Tarzan-like figures, or Christianity. I did like this film when I was a kid -- and well into my 20s, but have not seen it since then (now in my later 40s). Yet, I still remember most of it vividly. Kudos to George C. Scott -- and I am very sorry for him that the film did not do better, but also I am in no way surprised. Many out-on-a-limb worthy efforts fail to win over the majority of viewers. (I recall my grandmother saying she walked out of A Clockwork Orange when she somehow went to see it in the theater in the early '70s -- and I loved that film too; still do.) I wonder how Savage would do now, if it were released on DVD in good quality. I would advise seeing it, especially to younger people with imagination, curiosity, and a capacity for deep thought. (I could not watch Scott in Day of the Dolphin, however -- not due to any acting problem, but because that film struck me as terribly heartrending -- I felt badly for the dolphins.) This one didn't trouble me a bit, except I wondered what would come next at the end.

Going through the movie listings for a good flick to bring a date to I saw George C. Scott...wow! My date was a very conservative young lady from Taiwan, that took nearly a month to get permission to date. I was stunned at the subject material of this film, Incest, Masturbation, Murdering a father to have sex with his mother. The plot takes off at that awkward point in Swiss Family Robinson where Mrs. Robinson brings up the fact they have three sons on an island with no other women, then goes straight for a pervert fantasy plot line. This movie should have been rated X at that time. This was truly a "car crash" spectacle, no one could look elsewhere. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. I read somewhere that Scott was embarrassed of this film, I might add that he had better have been. This was not what I expected in my wildest nightmares. First date-Last date...period.

I really liked this movie when I saw it YEARS ago. Like others I have never forgot it. I have searched for "savage" (I forgot the title)for a long time. Not for children for sure. Rather erotic esp for the times. I would buy the VHS if I could find it. I was not a prude when I first saw the movie but I remember being slightly shocked by the content. I enjoyed the survival aspect of the movie. Georgia Scott would have to work hard to make a bad movie in my opinion. Looking for a copy of "The Saveage is Loose". I can not remember the mother/wife in the movie but I do remember that she was rather hot. There were several "surprise" moments in the movie including the ending that I would not want to give away. If you haven't seen it and are rather open minded, do your self a favor and find it, and if you do please tell me where you found it.

Upon taking a final cursory glance at the dusty back shelves of a semi-local video store going out of business, already with an armful of moldy oldies such as "House on the Edge of the Park" and "Slime City" (at five bucks a piece), I caught sight of this long out of print study in Oedipal politics set on a jungle island where a young boy, taught to obey the rules of the wild, discovers that his only sexual partner is his sexy mother. So it's a battle of wills between he and his father to decide who, as Lou Reed said, can "bag their beloved Big Bird."It's not anywhere near as kinky as it sounds; Mostly this takes the high dramatic road, and pulls it off reasonably well, although much of it's intentions are dampened by George C. Scott's inert direction.On a final note, I would like to point out that I put down an original video copy of Larry Cohen's "It's Alive" to buy this one. Think I made the right choice?Yeah I thought so.