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Starring: Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Bar Paly

Director: Carter Smith

Writer(s): Scott B. Smith

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Rating: Review Done on Unrated Version

Official Bar Score: 

So it’s that time of year again that some random horror movie is released that the previews make you think “eh, maybe it’ll be decent” and like so many films before it the Ruins can’t even live up to the hype of being a decent film. In a way this film is very similar to last year’s Turistas, though dare I say Turistas was a little better. While the plot lines take our good guys into a different direction the basis for each is similar, though the Ruins features a far less realistic and absurd concept.

The plot revolves around four Americans on vacation in Mexico, using the old two guys two girls formula and wouldn’t you know it they run into a German tourist who is planning on meeting up with his brother at an archeological dig that isn’t anywhere on the map. Upon arriving at the temple the locals attack the tourists and force them onto the roof of the temple refusing to let them down.

This is where the film suffers the most, it’s just plain boring. The bulk of the film is spend with the Americans and their new German friend stuck atop this temple and rather than risk their lives against the locals they stay put in a move that pretty much guarantees death. As the film progresses and you finally understand that the locals are actually trying to quarantine the tourists the movie gets even more ridiculous. Spoilers ahead….

You see the “killer” is this vines and flowers that grow on the temple. Of course if the concept of flowers that kill isn’t enough, then how about flowers that now only kill but also have the ability to mimic voices and cell phones as well. They also feed on flesh and contaminate those who they come in contact with. Needless to say the film went from boring to “what the fuck” real quick.

Let’s just say you aren’t sold on this movie being bad just yet, ok, well how about a poorly written script. Let’s excuse the concept, and just focus on two parts one at the beginning and one towards the end. First they go out of their way to mention that they only have enough water to last a day tops and more or less if they don’t do something they will all die of dehydration. Makes sense, but what doesn’t make sense is the fact that they have no problem living a good 2-3 days on top of the temple. I mean why mention the water unless something would come of it? If they hadn’t brought it up I wouldn’t even be thinking about it, but it’s almost as if they went out of their way to bring it up which just leaves me completely puzzled.

Secondly there’s the issue of a certain guy who murders his girlfriend’s best friend to which of course she becomes very frightened only to feature the boyfriend talking to his girlfriend all nice like nothing happened in the next scene. Call me crazy but if my significant other just killed my best friend for no reason I doubt I’d be too calm a minute later.

I think the biggest disappointment of the film is that I really didn’t have unreasonable hopes for this film, yet it couldn’t even manage to deliver on those. There is a decent scene about mid movie that involves someone getting their legs cut off that is pretty good but other than that even those looking for nothing more than gore should avoid this film.

I guess on the bright side it’s only the second worst film that involves plants killing people this year.

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