(2008) ***1/2See JSP's excellent review here for additional information!
When this movie was coming out a few people here mentioned how good the book was so I picked it up. I agree that it was quite good. And I think, on the whole, that the movie held up to the feelings of helplessness and suspense that you felt reading the book.
Two couples, (Amy, best friends with Stacey - and their boyfriends Jeff and Eric, respectively) along with Mathias and Dimitri set off with very little information for what they are thinking is a day trip to some "off the map" Mayan ruins. Mathias is looking for his brother who has traveled there with an archeologist. When they finally arrive at the site, things go downhill quickly as they are surrounded by locals who are shouting at them and waving pistols and threatening them with bows and arrows. Amy, trying to take yet another picture, steps on some of the vines covering the ruins and the natives instantly freak out and make them go up the stone stairs of the ruins - proving how serious they are, they kill Dimitri outright.
Events go from bad to worse as people are injured, starving, and generally losing their shit. I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did. I enjoyed the book, even though I agree with the consensus that I didn't really care about any of them.
Hey Amy, can I have some water?However, it usually doesn't translate well for me when material I have read is made into a movie. But they succeeded in making you feel the total futility of these peoples' situation. The creepiness of the evil that surrounds the ruins is effective and there were some really good jumpy as well as gory moments. I had an issue with the variation in the ending, I get the feeling "Hollywood" stepped in on that one. But I agree with JSP - it was a nice departure from the current trend.
3 comments:
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So I didn't really notice a happy Hollywood ending. It was kind of ambiguous but I pretty much chalked her up as dead, no?
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Well, possibly - but since they all died in the book, I thought it was kind of weak to give the vague impression that she was going off into the sunset so to speak.
SPOILER AL-- well, if you read the other two, I hardly think this is a problem.
Didn't read the book, so I had no standard to apply. I didn't think survivor girl was necessarily dead, because I'm pretty sure she wasn't wounded and therefore didn't have any vines under her skin. Am I right?
I know the Iceman guy notices it's growing on them and the natives were wary of any contact, but I still didn't think she was necessarily dead. Plus, I like Jena Malone.
Here's my thing about this movie: once they saw the little kid get shot because a clump of vine hit him, I would've been breaking off and throwing clumps left and right. Take some of those bastards out with me.
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