The Ruins (2008)

Really bad movie

Where to start, first of all, you should avoid any horror movies that start off with college coeds on a beach in a foreign country, it's a bad omen. Second, if you plan to make a horror movie centered around a creature you should make the creature more visible. Third, you should not rely on gore ALONE to make people take notice of your film.
I almost think they should have named this movie "Hostel 3" because the only thing that would pull your attention towards it is the gore that is shown. The plot is as follows: 4 teenagers and a german back-packer decide to visit a ruin and get stuck there while a plant slowly turns them into gardens. The creature of film is nothing more than a pile of vines with flowers that slowly infests someone's body or drags them off, albeit slowly. Nothing in the movie was scary in the slightest, and considering I didn't flinch during Hostel I was not too impressed with this movie either.
I actually see this movie as more of a comedy with gore rather than a horror film, I laughed at a lot of what was said and the ridiculous actions that took place. The first of which occurs near the beginning when the german falls from the sling that was lowering him into the temple, the med student, without batting an eye quickly says to the girls, "One of you has to go". Why doesn't either of the men go? Because they need to man the crank. There also appears to be a hand job going on, or at least something sexual, during the most inappropriate time. The worst part is that when everything possible goes wrong, including a death, vines coming to life, vines coming to life then killing and dragging away a corpse, and a short supply of food and water, the group STILL decides to "hang tight" and wait for rescue, meanwhile being surrounded by said killer plant.
This movie doesn't bring anything new to the horror genre, in fact, it probably brings my view of modern horror movies down a few notches. It wasn't scary, it wasn't gross, it was a waste of time. It follows the basic formula of kids getting stranded, cell phones having no service, and slowly being killed one by one. Despite the bad reviews I wanted to see this movie to see a killer plant, but even that was a let down because it looked like anything you would see anywhere in the woods. If you want to go see another Hostel by all means see this movie, and if you were scared by this, then you're pathetic. November 2, 2008

Worst movie ever? Maybe.

I don't usually look at horror flicks, but this one slid through because it came from a fairly "literary" novel by Scott Smith. Also, I like Jonathan Tucker. But no amount of good acting, or lit pedigree, can elevate this grossout fest. It was disgusting. I couldn't even finish it.

I don't usually give negative reviews, but I think THE RUINS is the worst movie I've ever seen. I would give it negative stars if that were possible. October 12, 2008

Not As Good As The Brilliant Novel But Still Pretty Cool

Not much to add to my title up there. I'm sure you know what The Ruins is about, so see it, it's worth the time. But better yet, read the novel! October 11, 2008

Based on the fantastic novel by Scott Smith

Couples Amy and Jeff, and Stacy and Eric are vacationing in Mexico. By the pool they meet a German named Mathius, who says his brother Heinrich is missing and he's going to go look for him near some ruins. Mathius talks the couples into going with him. Heinrich left a map showing the location of the ruins, far off the tourist area of the Yucatan.

The next day the couples and Mathius set out, accompanied by Demitri, a Greek friend who doesn't speak English. After a bus, a taxi, and a hike through the jungle, they discover the ancient site. The ruins rise above the jungle floor, magnificent, and covered in blooming vines. Mayans race out of the jungle, shouting warnings in a language the tourists don't understand ... until Dimitri is shot for stepping into the vines. The Mayans chase the tourists onto the ruins and surround them, threatening to kill anyone who attempts to leave the cursed place. Now they are trapped, and must struggle to survive.

There's so much more that happens in the movie but you must watch it to find out what. The book by Scott Smith was fantastic, and since Smith also wrote the screenplay the story stays true to the book (except for a surprise altered ending). The movie has some very decent gore in it; gory cuttings, grisly amputations, and of course, a flesh-hungry vine. A fantastic enemy and a hopeless situation, along with gruesomely bloody scenes, save this movie from being just another typical "slice and dice" film. The actors are relatively unknown but do a very decent job of performing. The atmosphere is good and the scenery is realistic. You feel the struggle of the trapped tourists, and care about their plight. I'd recommend a purchase, but make sure to pick up the unrated edition. Enjoy!
October 10, 2008

The Ruins, ruined by critics

I have seen so many of these couples in horror movies it isn't funny, and I have to say this is one of the better ones. There may be something missing but it isn't much. Typically I fast forward through a lot of these type movies, but here I watched intently. The story is good. While on vacation they meet a young man looking for his brother and they decide to join him to check out a ruins not found on the tourist agenda. First they are accosted by locals in the jungle and then they only find the gear of the brother and archeologist he was with. From there it gets more frightening as they discover what at the ruins have the locals so upset and they are being attacked. Although I rate this three and a half stars I gave it four because it had some depth to it. I could see going back and watching this one again when I wouldn't the vast majority of hacker horror pumped out these days. Good quality DVD with decent replayability. If you enjoyed this catch "The Cave" and "The Descent".

CA Luster October 8, 2008

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