Director M. Night Shyamalan couldn’t make audiences afraid of the wind in “The Happening.”
But the folks behind “The Ruins” have better luck with an overgrown patch of vines – for a spell.
“The Ruins” isn’t your average horror romp, even if it resorts to “Hostel” style shenanigans to keep our stomachs roiling. The cast acquits itself better than a film of this ilk requires, and the gorgeous scenery contrasts sharply against the blood-splattered action. Those qualities ebb as the film flounders toward its lackluster finish.
Let’s be grateful there’s no talk of a “Ruins: Part II.”
Two attractive couples on a Mexican holiday embark on a last-minute trek to some Mayan ruins they hear about through a German tourist. The ruins aren’t on your standard Mexican brochure, which gives the outing a whiff of excitement. If “The Descent” taught us anything, it’s never to follow adventure when it heads off the map.
“It’s a little culture before we leave,” explains Jeff (Jonathan Tucker), who just so happens to be a pre-med student. In horror movies, that’s what’s called “not a coincidence.’
They arrive at an impressive Mayan structure but find themselves surrounded by angry, well armed locals. They scamper up its stone steps to escape and end up trapped atop the titular “Ruins.” And that’s where the horrors begin.
“The Ruins” establishes some interesting physical challenges for the couples early on. The characters don’t fall into horror movie archetypes, although you could argue Amy (Jena Malone) is the unofficial stick in the mud. If they listened to her they wouldn’t end up at the mercy of some aggressive foliage.
The couples make the kind of boneheaded decisions that keep horror movie plots hopping. But they win our sympathies all the same, especially the foursome’s German guide (Joe Anderson, “The Crazies”).
Director Carter Smith, working from a screenplay by Steve B. Smith (no relation) from his novel of the same name, establishes a realistic tone missing from many genre efforts. But the screenplay lets the cast and crew down. Amy’s promiscuous tendencies are milked for some extraneous drama, and none of the interpersonal relationships enrich the story.
The killer weeds lurking within these ruins spark some novel horror shocks, the best involving a trick even horror junkies won’t see coming. But killer plants demand a master’s touch to scare us, and “The Ruins” falls back on gore tactics to keep the final reel rocking. The more flesh is cut, the quick it’s clear “The Ruins” has nothing original left to say.
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