The Ruins DVD Film Review

The Ruins is a quiet little film (that was hardly a blip on the radar when it came out), but packs a big punch. And that’s too bad, because it’s suspenseful, scary and offers an intriguing story that draws viewers in. The film is about two couples comprised four Americans, Jeff and Amy, and Stacey and Eric, all college students on vacation in Mexico and looking for a little adventure off the beaten path before they go back to their humdrum lives.

While partying poolside, they meet a German tourist, Mathias, who tells them about his brother, an archeologist working on some hidden Mayan ruins in the area. Mathias and his friend invite the couples to join them, and the six head out on an adventure. When the group finds the temple, they also encounter some nasty, protective natives and soon find themselves trapped and fighting to survive.

The Ruins was adapted for the screen by writer Scott B. Smith, who penned the book by the same name (he also wrote A Simple Plan). While I have not read the book, I plan to now that I’ve seen the film.

The film’s director, Carter Smith, takes his time with the story, toying with the viewers and never giving too much away for shock value—even the gory scenes are tasteful.

Acting is solid in the film, with the four leads going to Jonathan Tucker (In the Valley of Elah, “The Black Donnellys”) as Jeff, Jena Malone (Into the Wild, Saved!) as Amy, Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: The Last Stand, The Quiet) as Eric, and Laura Ramsey (Lords of Dogtown) as Stacey, as well as Joe Anderson (Across the Universe, Becoming Jane) as Mathias.

In the vein of Turistas and the Hostel franchise, The Ruins plays on the fear of the unknown and being a foreigner in a strange land where you don’t speak the language and don’t understand the customs. While Hostel, and to a lesser extent, Turistas, veer into the unbelievable, The Ruins manages to stay just believable enough to make you want to cancel your vacation plans to that remote area you heard about through a friend of a friend.

The Ruins is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen image, which brings the jungle to life and, although shot in Australia, captures the beautiful “Mexico” setting. Sound is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, with English, Spanish, and French subtitles included.

Extras include commentary by director Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt; a collection of deleted scenes; an alternate ending; the original theatrical ending; “Making ‘The Ruins’”, which covers interviews with cast and crew (including executive producer Ben Stiller) regarding–you guessed it–the making of the film; the featurette “Creeping Death”, which addresses the art of making plants scary; and the featurette “Building the Ruins”, which allows production designer Grant Major to discuss the making of the sets.

I saw the unrated version of the film, which does include sexual content not suitable for kids. The violence and horror aspects of the film also warrant this to be a film for mature audiences.

I thought The Ruins was entertaining, and for that I give it three out of five stars.