The Ruins is a horror movie that, despite the fact at it follows a plot that has been well traveled, is one of the best films to come from the genre in the last few years. It is an adaption of the film from the same name by Scott Smith, whom individuals may know from eir introductory book, A Simple Plan. A group of college students come up with the idea to visit an ancient Mayan ruin, after being transported there by a native that is very adverse to do so. Rather than take the advice of this taxi driver, they ultimately forge forward into certain danger.
After they are all in the titular place, the group figures out that they cannot leave, lest they be eviscerated by the Mayan soldiers that are present at any perceivable exit. A small injury leads to the infection of Stacy. This small cut, caused by glass, leads vines to begin to infect the different members of the group. The group comes to realize that the Mayans are not trying to kill or otherwise harm them, but are rather keeping the vines from leaving the ruins and infecting the whole of society. After losing a few of their group, one individual – Amy – is able to sneak away from the Mayans and leave the ruins. Whether Amy is or is not infected by the vines is dependent on which version that individuals watch, but at some point, viewers have to understand by the end of the film that there will easily be a sequel to the film. This is due to the fact that another group – related to the first – ultimately goes to the ruins.
There are a few extra features that are present on the Blu-Ray edition of The Ruins. Beyond the commentary that allows individuals to really get an idea of how Carter Smith (director) and Jeff Betancourt (editor) wanted individuals to properly understand and contextualize the movie. For those individuals that want to get a proper look into all of the work that was done in the building and construction of the titular object, “Building The Ruins†is an excellent featurette that is detailed enough that some of the points that are shown can then be seen at points during the film.
Rating: 7.8/10
The Ruins (Blu-Ray) / 2008 Dreamworks / 93 Minutes / http://www.dreamworks.com /