The Ruins (Unrated Edition) - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Whether you consider plants a source of terror or not will ultimately determine how you feel about the grisly horror movie The Ruins, but director Carter Smith and his cast and crew certainly give their all in bringing the chills of Scott Smith's novel to the big screen. Jena Malone (Saved) and Shawn Ashmore (the X-Men franchise) are the name actors in a pair of American couples down Mexico way who are ambushed by hostile Mayans and forced to the top of an ancient temple, where a monstrous and diabolically clever entity awaits them. Director Smith and his talented crew (which includes cinematographer Darius Khondji of Se7en fame and composer Graeme Revell) create a visually impressive spookshow but can't quite deliver genuine suspense (gore, however, is handled capably), and Scott Smith's script boils away much of the character development and mounting terror in his book, which also strands the likeable cast. The movie's monster, so alarming and imaginative in the original novel, is likely to provoke as many laughs as screams from filmgoers, especially when it reveals its unique talent. -- Paul Gaita

Product Description
Based on the terrifying best-seller by Scott Smith "The Ruins" follows a group of friends who become entangled in a brutal struggle for survival after visiting a remote archaeological dig in the Mexican jungle where they discover something deadly living among the ruins. "The Ruins" stars Jonathan Tucker ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre" "The Black Donnellys") Jena Malone ("Pride and Prejudice" "Donnie Darko") Shawn Ashmore ("X-Men: The Last Stand") Laura Ramsey ("She's the Man") and Joe Anderson ("Across the Universe").System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/MONSTERS & MUTANTS Rating: UNRATED UPC: 097361385846 Manufacturer No: 138584

Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

The Ruins may not ruin your day, but it won't uplift it either. April 14, 2008
37 out of 45 found this review helpful

This rather bleak film is actually well acted, but not well paced and has an ending that is fairly predictable based upon how the story boxes itself in early.

The story is about two couples who get caught up into checking out some ancient Mayan ruins meet up with some weeds that have incredible abilities. We get enough background on the characters to care about them and it helps that they are all rather appealing even if somewhat flawed. They are refreshing nice young adults who are not the stereotypes we've been seeing in horror films lately. Their interactions with each other are very believable.

They discover an old temple/pyramid and hike into up and into it to discover that the locals will not let them leave it for fear of spreading what lurks in the ruins. This is a clever low-budget way of keeping the action in one or two locations (on top of the ruins and in the ruins), however, it also greatly limits the direction the story can go in and, thus, makes it predictable. There is a generous amount of old fashioned horror bloodshed and very brief nudity that is not gratuitous in any way (for a change). The violence is of the strong R variety and definitely not for the faint of heart. The effects are minimal, but good as is the make up which is quite graphic.

This movie is certainly not all it could have been and borrows heavily from better films like The Descent, The Day of the Triffids, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but it is very nicely acted by young people we do care about and there is enough in the tissue paper thin plot to keep us interested for it's brief 90 minutes. There is adequate suspense, but it is often ruined, pun intended, by the director's focus on the grisly stuff rather than leaving a bit more to our imagination.

I had some fun with this film, my nearly sixteen year old son less so, but it isn't as bad as some think, but it certainly isn't as good as others think as well. It is simply an okay film and with some of its jarring images, it isn't easily forgotten.

3 out of 5 stars

2 Stars: Not Exactly a "RUINED" Affair But it isn't exactly a Good one Either... July 25, 2008
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

Scientists have theorized that there are certain extinct plant life that can possibly induce partial mind control through their spores. They can cause anxiety, paranoia and fear to protect themselves from predators. Fossils have been found to support these theories and some plant life are even believed to be meat eaters and is capable of attracting prey. One plant that still exists today is the "Venus Flytrap" which is a predatory plant, so what do you think the possibilities are for a supposed extinct plant life to be able to prey on human beings?

THE RUINS is a film freely adapted from the novel by Scott Smith (Sam Raimi`s A Simple Plan), who is also responsible for this film's screenplay. Director Carter Smith is at the helm of this fright flick and he doesn't shy away from giving us a straight-forward monster film. Oh, yes, in some ways, "The Ruins" is a monster film but it also doesn't forget the horror of human nature.

Four college students (Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker and Laura Ramsey) are on vacation in Mexico, a long week of margaritas and white sand beaches. When a German tourist (Joe Anderson) mentions a site where an ancient Mayan Temple stands, the foursome decides to get away from all the fun stuff and embark on a little adventure a day before they have to leave. Once the group arrives at their destination, they find that they are not welcomed by the local townsfolk and ends up being trapped on top of the temple. Little do they know that the angry locales and potential starvation are the least of their worries as the flowers and vines almost have a mind of their own--and they have a taste for human blood.

Murderous flowers. Sounds real campy doesn't it? Well, the movie has a lot of flaws from the get-go with a script full of cliche, stereotypical characters, some nudity, the cast goes to secluded spot and nasty townsfolk traps them in a scary situation. The film does give off a lot of bad impressions that would cause us to roll our eyes immediately. The movie's set up is definitely unoriginal that it gave the impression that here's just another horror film that it doesn`t stand out. It would take some patience in order for one to at least see its good moments.

The film is more on cerebral torture and the sense of dread. Human nature is also displayed as embodied by the scared townsfolk that they would do anything to keep whatever it is they fear secluded and quarantined than to try to understand the problem. The way that the director displays the feeling of dread and mental torment is by having our protagonists knife their own flesh to keep the vines from invading their bodies. Yes, blood and gore is omnipresent as these group of young people even perform an amputation with a steak knife that shows the gory details.

The performance of its cast is a mixed bag. But Stacy (Laura Ramsey) does somewhat grab the spotlight as the only character who truly experiences the full assault by the killer plants; physical violation and paranoia is experienced head on by this girl. The film relies on displaying visual gore instead of the usual emotional hysteria. With its visuals, the blood and gore gives an uneasy feel, and they serve as the film's saving grace. The resulting self-inflicted despair and the panic from the vines is quite intense. It is rather frightening to have a `thing' invading your flesh to breed in your body. It also emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and underestimating nature itself. The scenes are reminiscent of the movie "Cabin Fever".

Unfortunately, after it achieves "shock value" through its sequences of human torment and the pain inflicted both psychologically and physically, the film becomes predictable again. The movie has already disconnected itself with its stereotypical characters and what makes it worse is its predictability near the climax. The proceedings had already displayed potential but it decided to go for the usual histrionics. The film should have also given more character development (ahem) to our "green" antagonist. The townsfolk seem to be a minor plot device to get everything going.

"The Ruins" is not by any means a bad movie. The film did manage to generate a feeling of dread and emotional torment that kept me interested for the most part. It is a little better than fair but comes a little short of being `good'. It is a modest attempt to emulate raw human horror and a lot more decent than the recent Hollywood remakes that has plagued us of late. It did manage to generate a feeling of claustrophobia and panic but its formulaic approach just kills whatever it manages to bring into bear. "The Ruins" isn't a total "ruin"; it's just rather uneven and forgettable.

Rental [2 Stars]
Note: The Unrated version has a bleaker climax than its theatrical release. The DVD contains 2 alternate endings and extended scenes of character development.

4 out of 5 stars

Good thing I'm not into gardening April 4, 2008
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

I never read the novel, but The Ruins is a worthy horror film for those with a strong stomach. There are two really disturbing scenes that put Hostel to shame and the camera doesn't shy away. I can't imagine what they cut out for the Unrated DVD (which you know is coming), but it probably isn't much. The cast is good overall (especially Laura Ramsey in a chilling performance) and there were only a couple of times when I sat shaking my head at the stupid things they said or did. A couple of times is not bad when compared to most horror films, besides it comes with the territory.

My only gripe is that the "creature" isn't shown enough (much like Cloverfield) which can add to the suspense, but by the end of the film I was hoping to see or learn just a little more about it.

All in all, The Ruins is one of the most shocking horror films I have seen in quite some time and worth a trip to the theater.

3 out of 5 stars

A bunch of vines that eats people... September 8, 2008
15 out of 17 found this review helpful

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this movie and having not read the book I was surprised to find it to be pretty decent. It starts off just like an original horror movie but shift as you get further into it. The Ruins takes place in Mexico with four college-age kids (Tucker, Malone, Ashmore and Ramsy) and another guy (Anderson), the latter who takes them to a Mayan temple where his brother is working supposedly on a dig. When they get there, a bunch of angry Mexican-Myans attack them, they scurry up to the top of the temple, and are basically quarantined with a host of virulent, monster-type plants and vines, who in typical horror fashion kill them off one by one. That's the basic premise, anyway, and if you know that and have seen the trailer you probably took a guess whether this is up your alley.

The film really came through for me and I was pleased with the outcome. The cast was pretty respectable and I really came to love Stacy's (Laura Ramsey) character in the end. The characters did have their brainless moments at times, but were believable and you could tell they were desperate to get down there. The film has it's shocking moments and those come about halfway throughout the film. There was one scene that stood out and made me at awe.

On the downside of it all I would have loved more character development and transition scenes between the characters. I hear there was a bit more of character development scenes that were cut. Why? Next, I got a very different vibe from the trailer than the actual film. Finally, I'm sure this is the most talked about negative and that would be the ending. It felt rushed and quick. The truth is it could have been so much stronger of a film if it had more of a psychological ending. I was hoping for one thing to happen and something else ended up happening. That's my biggest disappointment for the film.

"The Ruins" do get quite gory and brutal as the teens get infected in various ways and start losing their minds. There's some nudity, too. The story does stay away from some cliches, like a fiery conclusion or the anorexic girl hero who saves everyone by beating the bad guys to death. Perhaps most surprising was the villain of the story aside from that it's a watchable flick.

3 out of 5 stars

I loved the book but the new ending ruins "The Ruins" for me April 4, 2008
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

My wife and I both read Scott Smith's "The Ruins)" two summers back when it came out, which is why she did not go to the theater this afternoon to see the movie version. Previously she has left me sitting alone in the movie theater during showings of "Snakes on a Plane" and "Planet Terror," and I am pretty sure that there is some sort of third strike rule here that I need to stay clear of (for the record, she walked out of parts of "The Passion of the Christ" too, but she went with her mother and I was the chauffer and therefore not on a date). So I returned from seeing the opening showing of "The Ruins" this afternoon, and reported to her that yes, indeed, the scenes that she did not want to see and in the movie, so we was wise to stay eating popcorn in bed and watching episode after episode of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," because she would have fled the theater. Then she asked how the movie was, and I told her in one concise sentence was happens at the end. She frowned and said, "So they ruined it."

Down in Mexico on Yucatan peninsula a pair of American couples are nearing the end of their vacation. We have Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Amy (Jena Malone), along with Eric (Shawn Ashmore) and Stacy (Laura Ramsey). They meet up Mathias (Joe Anderson) and his friend Dimitri (Dimitri Baveas). Mathias is trying to track down his brother, who is working on an archeological dig in the area. The idea of seeing an ancient Mayan ruin that is not some sort of tourist trap is intriguing so they find a local taxi pickup truck and head out into the jungle. Once there they find the path to the ruin, but as soon as they touch the bottom step a group of Mayans show up brandishing guns and other weapons, demanding that the visitors keep going the direction they are going and not return. Once atop the ruins, the group is trapped. Then things get worse.

Reading the novel will tell you most of what happens in this movie, but in adapting his screenplay to the screen, Smith has decided to switch who things happen to in this version of the tale. Maybe this is just to surprise his readers, and maybe it is because some of these people look better in their underwear than others. I cannot say that these changes hurt the story, because they do not. Trying to cut out pieces of an insidious vine invading your body or doing major surgery with a rock and a knife is always going to make me cringe, and I have to think many people will feel the same way. The problem with most of the film is that why all of the choice parts of the novel remain, albeit somewhat recast, most of the connecting tissue has had to be excised to get this film in at 91 minutes. That means that one of the key aspects of the novel, the fact that these people are trapped for several days in the hot sun with next to nothing for food and water, is fast forwarded through in the movie. One of the things that made the novel effective was that you had a real sense for how these people were spending hours not doing anything but living in fear. Then every time they actually tried doing something, it only tended to make things worse. All of that is essentially lost in this movie, which is where we lose the first star.

It is the ending that costs "The Ruins" a second star. Yes, Smith wrote the screenplay, so it would seem that the finger of blame should be pointed in his direction, but I have seen way too many alternative endings (and multiple alternative endings), so I am well aware that directors and studios do not care about how good a book or a script is, they only care about what the test results tell them to think. Because this is the sort of ending that a test audience might like, but only because they did not read the book and they have no appreciation for what makes a great ending in a horror film. What allows hyperbolic copywriters to claim that "The Ruins" is the greatest horror novel of the 21st century (good to know that it is all downhill for the next 92 years) is that the ending of the book drives home the final nail in the coffin. When this movie gets to what is essentially the same final scene as the book, the context is all different because of one massively monumental and stupid change. That final shot is now rendered superfluous.

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