Two American couples on spring break in Mexico join their newfound German friends Mathias and Dimitri on a trek to an ancient Mayan temple. The intention is to meet up with Mathias’s brother as well as soak in a little culture before heading back to the states. Using only a crudely drawn map as a guide they ignore the taxi driver’s warning that their destination is a “bad place” and hit the trails. The adventure quickly becomes a living hell when they finally reach the ruins. Stacy (the weakest and whiniest of the lot) triggers a series of horrific events when she accidentally tramples some of the surrounding plantlife. The Mayan villagers who previously only pleaded with the group to leave suddenly turn hostile. After a brief altercation augmented by the inability to communicate properly, they kill Dimitri with a bullet to the head. The villagers then force the others at gunpoint (and arrowpoint) to the top of the temple where the real horror commences.
On top of the ruins they locate the tent of Mathias’s brother and his corpse soon thereafter. Their only clue/hope for escape is the cell phone they hear ringing from a deep, dark pit. As they confront the gravity of their predicament, the strengths and weaknesses of the characters quickly become apparent. Jeff - who is studying to become a doctor, does not hesitate to assume the leadership role as his companions quickly break down when things start to look bleak. He is faced with the dual task of devising an escape plan and keeping the others from endangering all their lives through their stupidity. Aside from the armed natives who would just as soon kill them as look at them (and whose numbers increase making a run for it less and less realistic), the other enemies they face include the oppressive sun, the lack of food and water and the temple itself which seems to have a life of its own.
I’m frankly shocked at some of the negative reactions to this movie. I found this situational horror (or sit-hor if you will) tale to be a refreshing change from the J-horror ripoffs and the torture porn flicks that are churned out on the assembly line these days. It was also a damn fine relatively faithful adaptation of the source material. (But because the book has more time to work with the audience is able to feel the desperation and hunger pains more effectively.) The loudest nerd complaint is the unlikeability of the characters and while I would agree with that, I still found them all to be very realistic and I did sympathize with them as a result. Stacy for example reveals her true self as utterly useless and panic stricken when shit goes down and yet I still did not wish her to die. Isn’t that nice of me?
5 comments:
I liked this too.
Excellent! I liked this movie as well and I'm happy you didn't "ruin" a major part of the story. Good stuff! This was one of the only horror movies I watched this year outside of October because I had just finished the book.
Maybe it's cause I didn't read the book but I would have given this a solid ***½ myself. I hated Stacy, she annoyed me thoroughly and yes, I wanted her to die!
Oooo, you just reminded me of this movie! Which I had wanted to watch for this Thon. I read the book based on several recommendations from you guys. (And agree about the unlikeable characters.)
Definitely want to check this out.
I seem to remember teasing JPX about his comment on the unlikable characters, saying that he just hated all teenagers. But yeah, when Stacy was on the way out I recall breathing a sigh of relief.
The other girl is played by Jena Malone from Donnie Darko. She rocks.
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