'The Ruins' was clearly meant to be simply another horror story starring young, scantily-clad people put in mortal danger in the hot, steamy jungle. What escapes from that rather unoriginal set-up is more than the studio could have expected – legitimate scares and a novel, unexplored tale. Your fear in this film comes as much from the group of friends trapped together near a Mayan temple as from the creatures that inhabit the temple. While “The Ruins” still trips up on certain horror story conventions – like unexplained moments when the group “lets their guard down,” or the fact that individual characters are relatively interchangeable – it is still a cut above the genre average.
A group of young adults have traveled to Mexico for vacation, spending most of their time either on the beach or by the pool at a resort. They meet another group of foreigners from Europe, who have a hand-drawn map of a Mayan temple that doesn’t appear on any tourist information. Jeff (Jonathan Tucker; “In the Valley of Elah”) convinces his girlfriend, Amy (Jena Malone; “Into the Wild”) and friends Stacy and Eric (Shawn Ashmore; “X-men: The Last Stand”) to take a trip into the jungle to find and explore the ruins. The group finds more than they bargained for and may not be allowed to leave, by both human and more mystifying forces.
The screenplay was written by Scott Smith (writer of the brilliant “A Simple Plan”) and is based on his own book. The story is the strongest aspect of the film, exploring the relatively rare concept of plants that pose a danger to humans. The director, a Maine native, does a sufficient job of scaring the viewer within the dark recesses of the temple, as well as touching upon the conflicts between people who have been pushed to the edge. The actors aren’t up to the task of thoroughly exploring the emotions of being trapped and turning on one another, leading to some inconsistent performances. The violence is from the school of the “Saw” films and is unflinchingly graphic, though restricted by the tools available.
If you enjoy teen horror films and an example of extreme “Survivor,” then “The Ruins” is worth a gander.
