Too much ambition and not enough action are the primary weaknesses of this pseudo-intellectual horror movie, adapted by Scott Smith from his own bestselling novel, and directed by Carter Smith. While vacationing in Mexico, Amy (Jena Malone) and Stacy (Laura Ramsey) are persuaded to join their boyfriends—serious med student Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and fun-loving slacker Eric (Shawn Ashmore)—on a trek to an off-the-beaten-path Mayan ruins site, where German tourist Mathias (Joe Anderson) hopes to find his missing brother. Their adventure takes a frightening turn when armed natives force them to climb to the top of a vine-covered pyramid where something evil resides…and stay there. Without revealing the specific nature of the threat, the story's true horror lies in the tourists' reactions to their plight, with a combination of paranoia and genuine danger playing equal roles in the gradual warping of their psyches. Unfortunately, The Ruins suffers from self-imposed claustrophobia and we're-so-much-smarter-than-the-average-horror-flick ‘tude, and since there is no back story nor any convincing motivation for the series of events precipitating the crisis, viewers are left trying to figure out the situation rather than react to it. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt, a 14-minute “making-of” featurette, 12 minutes of deleted scenes, a “Building The Ruins” production featurette (6 min.), and trailers. The Blu-ray exclusive featurette is “Creeping Death,” focusing on the film’s “monster” (15 min.). Bottom line: a decent extras package for a somewhat disappointing film.](E. Hulse)
The Ruins
Paramount, 90 min., avail. in R or unrated versions, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, July 8 Volume 23, Issue 4
The Ruins
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