The Ruins (2008) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

U.S., Australia 2008
Director: Carter Smith
Cast: Laura Ramsey, Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Joe Anderson, Sergio Calderon
Rating: R
Release Date: April 4th 2008
Running Time: 1 hour 33 mins 17 secs

The Movie Review

The Ruins film still 1


THE RUINS
Storyline:
Cast:
Ending:
Overall:

Producing a movie, sometimes, aside from amusing the audience and earning revenue, would also stir up controversy...and even more, people's anger. We have seen this happening in Turistas where the people of Brazil objected greatly to their country being pictured in the wrong way, in Hostel, Slovakia has her share, and even in Wrong Turn 2 where several government people of Virginia, U.S. also objected for their place being tarnished with horror figures roaming the area, not to forget Indonesia in Welcome to the Jungle and Australia in Wolf Creek or Mexico in Borderland. However, from the majority of moviegoers' standpoint, those places are just the perfect place to be the stage of horror. Because probably we feel that we get the best from both worlds, exotic places and daunting storyline.

If you do like that premise, then rejoice! The Ruins serves to thicken the list. This time we fly to Mexico (again) to be the witness of a good horror movie, a horror movie based on a novel written by Scott Smith who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. The Ruins storyline centers on a couple of friends who eventually decide to go on an adventure searching for the lost temple in Mexico. Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) with his girlfriend Amy (Jena Malone) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) with his girlfriend Stacy (Laura Ramsey) are initially just having fun by simply sunbathing and teasing each other. But then they meet a new German friend by the pool, Mathias (Joe Anderson) who intrigues the couples to follow him looking for his brother who studies a Mayan temple. Off they go then for a new adventure, just when they start to take pictures and admire the majesty of the temple, several villagers arrive and shouts furiously to them. Confused and panicked, our young couples just make things worse that they eventually have to climb up to the top of the temple to flee from the angry locals.

But the strange thing is, why do the Mayans seem contented seeing the guys fled to the top of the temple and stop their pursuing? Does the temple hold some kind of terrifying secret? Is it deadly? And could Jeff and his friends go back to their home?

With The Ruins, the movie world once again states that being a tourist may not as jolly as it seems. However it also proofs that choosing exotic location is needed to amuse the audience. I certainly welcome any Travel-Thriller like this, we got to see the movie and other parts of the world as well. Both The Ruins and Turistas present breath-taking views in their respective country (even though The Ruins actually was filmed in Australia), but the horror and the tension are different from one another. Whereas Turistas won in the Water department which instills the terror beneath the water combined with chasing scenes, The Ruins instill the terror by delivering the feeling of trapped, unable to go anywhere and to deal with the intense mystery that the temple holds! The victims in The Ruins is more helpless than in Turistas. The Ruins could give us the irony through the characters' perspective that they are actually standing on the tallest spot in the area but at the same time the cave in the shaft would make the audience feel claustrophobic. I even ask myself, if I were they, how would I ever get out of that temple? The "enemy" is so simple yet extremely frightening.

-- Start of Spoiler Possibility Alert --
The enemy is not animals, or mutated creatures, and talking about serial killer is a joke. The enemy is none other than ancient vines, deadly crawling vines that cover almost all area of the temple.
-- End of Spoiler Possibility Alert --

As expected, that great side of this horror film doesn't grow to the brain territory of the characters as well, we still have generic dumb teenagers who willing to risk their life for something so distant. If you ask me just how dumb they are (and the script), well, one of them even got to say this line "We're on a hidden path deep in the jungle!", alright there man, the audience can see that too you know. But a movie like this does need stupid kids, otherwise we might not get to see action coming. I was just hoping that the script would be slightly better than average. Besides Jena Malone's annoying character doesn't help us to completely care about them. Luckily, overall-acting-quality speaking, the cast are top notch in delivering their screaming and in making excellent facial expressions... especially Stacy (Laura Ramsey). Yes, she is the real star of this movie, and she deserves an acclaim for giving all out both ways. For gracing the screen with her 'sensuality' and for her great acting. She would make most male audience gasp staring the scene intensely when she gets dressed after a shower and she would also make you gasp with fear when she does something with her knife. Brrrr, I still shiver recalling this scene. I'm pretty sure most of the bloody scenes in this horror movie would make even seasoned horror aficionados at least cringe! They're not humanly-sadistic, not brutal, not mean-spirited, it's just.... man! Brrr.. brrr.. shiverrr. Even though that particular knife scene could be categorized as a sadistic act of its own.

There aren't many horror movies that could make me cringe, at least not in these recent years, but this one here just made me impulsively raise my hand to cover my eyes to avoid the cringing and I still cringed. Man! Talking about the word horror… See it with your buddies and bring along some squirmy friends, I believe many of you won't be sitting comfy on your couch. Hunt this movie down and go have some squirmy fun time!