the gist: two couples are enticed by a german dude to spend the last day of their mexican vacation gawking at the ruins of a mayan temple hidden in the jungle. as soon as they arrive at the site, they get a warm welcome from the locals: their greek companion takes an arrow to the shoulder and a bullet to the head. the terrified tourists are forced to climb the hill-like structure where a far worse enemy lurks, thirsting for their blood. dum-dum-dum!
word of advice, travellers: if you're going on a trip to a place where you've never been before and you're not familiar with the people, especially if it's jungle, do not watch this movie before the trip. really, it will murder your plans. it's been years since ive been into one, the taal volcano trek of doom, and i dont think i'd have agreed to it if i saw this movie beforehand. going off the beaten track into precarious terrain with gun-toting strangers? i'd be like, no, thanks, i'd like to keep the skin on my legs. anyways, this is a pretty fucked-up movie that'll will surely make non-outdoors people stay under their rocks and it's pretty hard to say anything about it without giving spoilers. mum's the word on the movie's antagonist...
(drumming fingers on desk) okay. so, this is kinda like hostel, foreigners experiencing the ultimate culture shock, except there's no machines or tools of gruesome death. well, there's a pulley but it's meant only to transport people in and out of the hill/temple. that place has got some nifty interiors, btw. gore fans (like me) will not be disappointed though, thanks to the leader dude who puts his med school knowledge to good, gory use. i find it a bit amusing though that this movie is basically about survival and the leader dude named jeff looked and was dressed like jeff probst, the host of survivor.
no scares, just nice tension between the characters and the proper amount of cringe-inducing gore, no celebs, except maybe for iceman who tried to disguise himself with an afro-ish haircut and beard, and also didnt use his super cool powers to defeat the enemy. there was a little t&a in the beginning, but it wasnt the cute chick with the glasses. i do think they could have made a better ending by solving the "problem" and then reveal that there's just a similar but bigger "problem" that exists a few blocks away. plus, you cant let those murderous mexicans just get away with their shit.
based on a book which i havent read, the ruins is a good little thriller sans a serial killer. not a horror movie per se, but it delivers in areas a lot of the recent fright flicks failed to. i suddenly remembered that weird scene from evil dead...
the good: tension, gore, story.
the bad: slow start.
the ugly: i squirmed when jeff made cuts to stacy's body to get the [spoiler] out.
the verdict: 7 phone rings.
the ruined.
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