Based on Scott B. Smith’s much-lauded horror novel, THE RUINS appears to be just another HOSTEL-like dead teenager film. Though it never rises to greatness, it is a solid entry within the dead teenager sub-genre. It’s a horror story that doesn’t rush into its gruesome moments, allowing use to meet its character before they start descending into madness.
Jeff (Jonathan Tucker, HOSTAGE) is a medical student who has gone on vacation to a Mexican resort with his heavy partying girlfriend Amy (Jena Malone, SAVED!), her best friend Stacy (Laura Ramsey, LORDS OF DOGTOWN) and Stacy’s boyfriend Eric (Shawn Ashmore, X-MEN). When German tourist Mathias (Joe Anderson, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE) present them with the proposition to travel to an off-the-map Mayan ruin, Jeff jumps at the chance to get some culture into their trip. However when they arrive, they encounter hostile natives, who surround them, forcing them to flee onto the summit of the ruins, where they discover why the villagers are so scared of the ancient temple.
What sets the film apart from the many films that have a similar premise is that this film is more interested in the dynamic between the four friends, rather than the visceral thrill of picking each of them off one by one. Jeff is far more reserved than the others while Amy is a free-spirit. Their opposite personalities make us wonder about their relationship and how it will survive when the goings get rough. Stacy is a paranoid person by nature and when things start getting hairy, her fears only worsen. In turn, Eric has long come to accept that his girl is paranoid, but as they say, just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.
All of the character nuances come from Scott Smith’s adaptation of his book. Carter Smith is an adequate director, but shoots the page. As the creatures that plague the young stars, the direction needs to be organic and Carter Smith is more mechanic, losing most of the subtext. As of writing this review, I have yet to read Scott Smith’s book, but from reliable sources, the novel delves deep into the psyche of its characters. Carter Smith only skims the surface. A perfect example of the director undermining the material is the placement of the first injured character on the ruins. They don’t want to move him, but once the threat comes, rethinking that plan might be something worth doing. This problem comes down to following the page and poorly staging it. I keep thinking back to Sam Raimi’s adaptation of Scott B. Smith’s A SIMPLE PLAN, and how that crime thriller was driven by the moral choices its characters were forced to make. THE RUINS could have been that.
Despite its weaknesses, THE RUINS does present a chilling spiral into madness. The standard set up is just that a set-up; it’s the way that it plays out and the tough choices that the characters must make that make the film chilling. While so many are ruled by plot, this one follows its characters, who act according to their well-defined nature. There are some great gruesome moments in store for the gore hounds, but they all go back to the tough choices the characters must make. THE RUINS is more than it seems, which is very, very rare in the horror genre.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
