The Ruins (2008)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Carter Smith

Writers (WGA):

Scott B. Smith (screenplay)
Scott B. Smith (novel)

Release Date:

4 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror has evolved.

Plot:

A group of friends whose leisurely Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when they, along with a fellow tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something evil lives among the ruins.

Plot Keywords:

Ruins | Cell Phone | Jungle | Corpse | Bow And Arrow

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Nov. 13

10:00 PM

HBO

Cast

Jonathan Tucker	...	Jeff
Jena Malone	...	Amy
Laura Ramsey	...	Stacy
Shawn Ashmore	...	Eric
Joe Anderson	...	Mathias
Sergio Calderón	...	Lead Mayan
Jesse Ramirez	...	Mayan Bowman
Balder Moreno	...	Mayan Horseman
Dimitri Baveas	...	Dimitri
Patricio Almeida Rodriguez	...	Taxi Driver
Mario Jurado	...	Mayan Archer
Luis Antonio Ramos	...	Mayan Rifleman (as Luis Ramos)
Walter Quispe	...	Mayan Rifleman
Pauline Whyman	...	Wailing Woman
Nathan Vega	...	Mayan Boy

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gruesome images, language, some sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

90 min | 93 min (unrated version)

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English | Maya | Spanish | German | Greek

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:16 | UK:18 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Finland:K-18 | USA:R (certificate #44170) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Manitoba/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | South Africa:16LV | Singapore:M18 (cut) | Norway:15 | France:-12 | Italy:VM14 | Germany:16 (f) | Spain:18 | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Ben Stiller was involved with this film because he is a friend of novelist / screenwriter Scott B. Smith.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the film, Amy is wearing sunglasses. A few shots later, she is wearing glasses. A few shots later, she is wearing sunglasses again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Archeologist #2: Help me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Ashton Kutcher/Gnarls Barkley (#33.10)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Ponmelo

Graphic and Disturbing

Could this be the best horror film so far this year? Well when you take a look at some of the horror films we see today like "The Eye", "Prom Night", "Shutter", and "One Missed Call", it damn well could be. Because lets face it; those movies I just listed flat-out sucked and I didn't even have to see them to find out for myself. However, this movie on the other hand delivers a couple of scares and some intensely disturbing images that will make you look the other way.

The film focuses on four college students who are on a vacation in Mexico and then suddenly they meet a stranger who invites them to a place that is not even on the map, (So far there is already a typical horror cliché). Anyway, they go to a sight where an ancient Mayan Temple stands, hopping to find the stranger's brother who was missing somewhere among the ruins. Afterwards bizarre events begin to happen and the only thing left for these unsuspected individuals is to survive.

In my opinion, this film is good for its genre. It does follow some patterns on how to make a successful horror movie. The acting is decent and the characters do a nice job holding it together, rather than just falling apart all at once. Now I don't know how accurate this is to the book because I never read it but I'm sure the book is just as graphic as the movie, maybe worse. So to rap it up, if your looking to avoid a bad remake of an original horror piece or some Japanese film turned upside down, give this film a shot. It's not the best horror film I've seen, but its worth the rent.