Not since Neil Marshall threw his rough 'n' tumble women into an unexplored cave in 2005's The Descent has a film fully and capably explored the hopeless fear of entrapment with no means of escape as the new movie The Ruins.
Based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Scott B. Smith(who also adapted the screenplay), the film follows four American twentysomethings vacationing in Cancun, who have a chance meeting with a likewise vacationing German. The young man, Mathias(Joe Anderson), invites the four pals to come with him to visit an archaeological dig at a Mayan temple off the beaten path, where his brother and a friend are working. With only one day left in town, the friends agree --and along with Mathias' Greek friend Dimitri(Dimitri Baveas in his acting debut), head off to have a look around.
The four American friends are Jonathan Tucker(Pulse, Sleepers) as Jeff, Jena Malone(Contact, Into the Wild) as his girlfriend Amy, Shawn Ashmore(X-Men trilogy, Smallville) as Eric and Laura Ramsey(The Days, The Covenant) as his girlfriend Stacy. All give very believable performances in a film which allows them--especially Ashmore--to flex a little more acting muscle than what's typically allowed in a film of this nature.
The Ruins is not entirely without flaw, however. While it does follow the plot of the novel very closely, with the excep-tions of some personal traits and actions being switched between the characters, with the exception of the fact that Jeff is a medical student being essential to the plot, we never truly get a grasp of who the other main friends are. Amy and Stacy exist simply to be "the girlfriends", while Eric is just another guy, whom it seems might not actually be that fond of his pal Jeff after all. Such ciphers are simple stock characters in horror films these days, but list the classic "ten little indi-ans" of great films past: Alien I & II, Dawn of the Dead(the original), The Fog(the original), A Nightmare on Elm Street and others. Not only did we get a sense of who each person to come under the knife, chainsaw or fang was, we cared when they died. This is the biggest flaw(and an odd type of strength) The Ruins has, is that we care about these charac-ters when one dies not because of who they are, but because of the situation itself. The reason we care at all is chiefly because of Smith's script and the direction by(unrelat-ed) Carter Smith(Me and Max, Bugcrush), the combination of which makes the terror of what they face quite believable.
Speaking of believability, I won't reveal--for the benefit of those who haven't read the book--what it is the friends face upon reaching the temple. Suffice to say that a bit more of the ability to suspend disbelief than usual might be needed. In the context of this story, it makes sense and is in its own way, more horrifying than a creature from another planet. But it's understandable if some would scoff upon realizing what the threat is. Still, in some ways nothing is more terrifying than the oddities which exist within nature, especially when evolution doesn't flow upon its expected or "normal" path (again, see The Descent).
Once the group reaches the temple, they are mystified that they can't find Mathias' brother, although what appears to be a ringing cell phone can be heard wafting up from inside the entry of the Mayan temple, which can only be accessed by a descent via winch into a deep, black drop. After a group of superstitious villagers discover Jeff and his pals at the temple, one of the group is killed as warning that they must stay in the temple...if they attempt to leave, they will obviously also be killed. The trailer for The Ruins is really not a good one, and makes the story seem overly simplistic. It's not; while working as a gripping horror piece with ever-spiraling drops into fear and madness, it also works on a subconscious level as an allegory for us naive Americans, who feel we can bumble around into other countries older than ours, and not succumb to things which we just don't understand. It also plays to our jingoistic ego when Jeff tries to assure his friends that because they are "four Americans" who disappear on holiday, someone will come looking for them. In today's world, anyone can disappear without hope of ever being found, no matter what their perceived station in life.
Allegories and parables aside however, The Ruins works. It's one of those rare confluences where a strong and well-written script, solid direction and believable performances align to produce a work that could stand the test of time, if welcomed and appreciated by an accepting audience. If only its trailer didn't seem to make it fit into the lesser pack, it might stand more of a chance at becoming the #1 box office pick this weekend, as it well deserves. Even the score by Graeme Revell(The Crow, Sin City) helps to augment the palpability of the terror, and offset the inexplicable hideous end title song("Phenomena" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). While the film's ending also owes a nod to The Descent, this is one of the more original--and definitely the best--horror film to come out in quite some time.
Dreamworks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment are to be commended for not bowing to the standard Hollywood groupthink that every studio must make their horror movies PG-13 in order to get 'tweens and their dollars into seats. There are still those of us who prefer our horror to be pres-ented to us with an R attached, so we can feel our skin crawl with honesty instead of being forced into a market niche. Plus, with many theaters beginning to enforce the R barrier in keeping said young'uns out, you as an audience member won't have to be annoyed by all the nonsense, and can enjoy having your spine tingled in earnest.
Official Archives of LanceReviews...
Rocking Ruins
Finally, light shines in the darkness for the horror genre...
The next great dig: The Ruins is a surprising combo of horror and good old fashioned suspense.
Left to right: Tucker, Malone, Ramsey and Ashmore play four friends who had no idea what terrors awaited them at the dig.
With no other avenue of escape, Amy(Malone) and Stacy (Ramsey) descend into the pit to find help...and are the first to encounter the thing that waits for them.
The pit is waiting for you. Care to drop in...?
