MOVIE REVIEW - The Ruins

There's big trouble at the ancient Mayan Ruins! The Ruins is the new horror flick produced by Ben Stiller, and it's in theaters now.

Six college students on a Mexican vacation decide to go explore a forgotten Mayan ruin. This is not the run-of-the-mill ruin, but a ruin no one knows about. Upon arrival they are swarmed by some killer, renegade locals who don't speak English or Spanish, and won't let them leave. Our hero's scale the ancient pyramid and wait for help. Trouble is, there are flesh eating vines that surround the pyramid and hot are on their tail. So the horror is on.

One by one, the students are picked off or picked over, and The Ruins turns into a mild gore fest. I will admit I was not bored by this fiasco, but was not compelled either. The idea was fair at it's inception, but I would have loved to have known who these forgotten locals were, and where these flesh eating vines came from, and what the whole deal was with this whole scene down there anyway! But they don't go there. They take the predictable path, cutting off limbs, blood everywhere, lots of screaming and crying, vines crawling down throats and the like... I'm actually okay with that. It just would be better if there was a story to go along with this are-we-going-to-get-eaten fest.

The Ruins does have some intense moments and there are a few compelling scenes, but The Ruins makes a big mistake and takes the easy way out - quick blood, and a lot of cussing. I think it's a rental in 90 days at best.