2008 Woodie Awards
"The Ruins" avoids horror clichés
Ben Underwood
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Features
The new horror thriller "The Ruins" has just enough creeping, crawling and gore to get under the skin.
The new film based on the novel by Scott Smith enters a market saturated with dozens of other cookie-cutter gore fests and only briefly manages to rise above its predecessors.
The story follows the ill-fated vacation trip of two American couples relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Mexico. Photography buff Amy, (Jena Malone) and her medical student boyfriend Jeff, (Jonathan Tucker) travel with Amy's best friend Stacy (Laura Ramsey) and her boyfriend Eric (Shawn Ashmore).
The college students meet German tourist, Mathias (Joe Anderson) and agree to accompany him on a search for his missing bother. Mathias knows only that Heinrich left to visit an archeological dig on an ancient Mayan temple deep in the jungle and did not return on time.
The group sets out through the jungle and soon things begin to fall apart around them. The dig is strangely abandoned and the students find themselves prisoners of the local natives and victims of a much more sinister force in the temple.
The scares and gore escalate, as group understands the deeper menace hidden below their feet. "We're being quarantined here!" Amy exclaims when the motives of the Mayans become clear. The students fight to stay alive and not become another sacrifice to the ancient evil of the temple.
Although the concept of the trapped and tortured tourists is nothing new, the screenplay, also penned by Scott Smith, manages to avoid many horror clichés. The dialog is solid but certainly not groundbreaking.
The promising young cast plays their roles without breathing any new life into the genre. Jonathan Tucker's performance as the stoic leader is solid. Unfortunately Joe Anderson ("Across the Universe") is wasted in his small role.
Director Carter Smith handles the 91 minutes of action smoothly. The only memorable shots are the exotic locations and the claustrophobic darkness of the tunnels. The rest of the film passes without making any strides towards cinematic brilliance, but simply letting the action happen.
The creeping noises and ominous string music set the tone for fast track to the character's doom. The darkness of the tunnel grows steadily more intense as the slithering and scratching grow in volume all around the audience in the theater.
"The Ruins" is a forgettable thriller. The thrills and chills come and go, but Smith's screenplay never manages to achieve breathless suspense of his novel. "The Ruins" is not a waste, but the choice to investment the time in seeing it must be carefully weighed against the wealth of other options for a cheap thrill on the video store shelf.
The new film based on the novel by Scott Smith enters a market saturated with dozens of other cookie-cutter gore fests and only briefly manages to rise above its predecessors.
The story follows the ill-fated vacation trip of two American couples relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Mexico. Photography buff Amy, (Jena Malone) and her medical student boyfriend Jeff, (Jonathan Tucker) travel with Amy's best friend Stacy (Laura Ramsey) and her boyfriend Eric (Shawn Ashmore).
The college students meet German tourist, Mathias (Joe Anderson) and agree to accompany him on a search for his missing bother. Mathias knows only that Heinrich left to visit an archeological dig on an ancient Mayan temple deep in the jungle and did not return on time.
The group sets out through the jungle and soon things begin to fall apart around them. The dig is strangely abandoned and the students find themselves prisoners of the local natives and victims of a much more sinister force in the temple.
The scares and gore escalate, as group understands the deeper menace hidden below their feet. "We're being quarantined here!" Amy exclaims when the motives of the Mayans become clear. The students fight to stay alive and not become another sacrifice to the ancient evil of the temple.
Although the concept of the trapped and tortured tourists is nothing new, the screenplay, also penned by Scott Smith, manages to avoid many horror clichés. The dialog is solid but certainly not groundbreaking.
The promising young cast plays their roles without breathing any new life into the genre. Jonathan Tucker's performance as the stoic leader is solid. Unfortunately Joe Anderson ("Across the Universe") is wasted in his small role.
Director Carter Smith handles the 91 minutes of action smoothly. The only memorable shots are the exotic locations and the claustrophobic darkness of the tunnels. The rest of the film passes without making any strides towards cinematic brilliance, but simply letting the action happen.
The creeping noises and ominous string music set the tone for fast track to the character's doom. The darkness of the tunnel grows steadily more intense as the slithering and scratching grow in volume all around the audience in the theater.
"The Ruins" is a forgettable thriller. The thrills and chills come and go, but Smith's screenplay never manages to achieve breathless suspense of his novel. "The Ruins" is not a waste, but the choice to investment the time in seeing it must be carefully weighed against the wealth of other options for a cheap thrill on the video store shelf.
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