The Ruins
| release date | April 4 2008 |
| studio | DreamWorks/Paramount |
| director | Carter Smith |
| writer | Scott Smith |
| starring | Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Caitlin Stasey, Joe Anderson |
| rating | R |
| site | ruinsmovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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One of the best stunning horror thriller I
This movie was excellent!! I loved it and it wasn’t all that scary but it was a definate thriller! It stayed true to the book sorta! and was overall one of the best thrillers i’ve seen! The ending wasn’t all that great but it was still good!
I thought this movie sucked. It had a few good parts, but overall I was not impressed.
The film was great up to the ending, then it fell apart. I’ve read in many places that they re-filmed the ending to make it better, but I can’t imagine it could be any worse than what I saw. The ending, for me, is one of the most important parts and this ending ruined the entire film for me.
great
this movie movie doesn’t need words other than great. everything was very superbly done except for the ending. a got-to-get when it comes out.
Saw it the first night it came out
fucking brilliant! It isn’t just a cheesy killer plant movie. When you really get in to the movie, and think about it, the villain isn’t really the vines, its the characters’ own human nature and how they were reacting to things going on around them. The movie played with the viewers’ psyches in ways that are alot more intriguing and sinister. I was beyond petrified. The mild use of sexuality and nudity made it more realistic in terms of real adolescents, not to mention the strong use of violence and gruesome images really get to you! The ending could of been been better, but over the movie was way intense. I couldn’t get over it. You can’t help but to think of yourself in that situation, and what the fuck you’d do. It really fucks you up 
It’s a definite MUST see and a MUST buy when released.
Good movie, it was really good in parts. I believe I would of enjoyed the movie better had I not read the book. It’s really ashame that Scott Smith wrote the script because that leaves absolutely no excuse. The movie could have been alot more disturbing and unsettling and if given the chance for a 2 hour running time it would gave tension a good amount of time to build. I could not believe how quick you were dropped into everything. Wham, Bam, thank you Sir. In parting I would just like to say if you are planning on reading the book before watching the movie you may want to flip that around. Watch the movie then read the book. You will thank me later.
The Ruins. While I had NOT read the book (unfortunately), I found the movie to be amazing in the beginning and middle: excellent cast, filming, etc. Unfortunately, the ending left alot to be desired and I felt wasted the casts talents. But it was entertaining, and did keep you in your seat.
Well it wasnt great but it had some great scenes. the story was a bit weak and you never really know why this place is the way it is. they dont really go into the history of the ruins whatsoever.
however it was creative and diff. from all the rest of the crap people are coming out w/ these days.
i deff. recomend seeing it though it is quite entertaining, and a bit comicable.
I feel sorry for the author of the book. He wrote a great book and the movie ending ruined Scott Smiths “The Ruins!! The book ending was what kept me up night after night just thinking about the book I read. It was the creepist ever. I went to the movie and walked out in disgust. The ending in no way, had anything what so ever to do with very begining of the movie, before the pool scene. An “F” for the movie editors
Outstanding. A great movie very differant than most of the recent horror movies that have came out saw it on opening day i went with two other people and we all love it. My only suggestion is either see it in the theaters or watch it with a very good surrond sound the sound effects are kick ass
great movie. awesome gore, story, actors. bad ending.
If this is the best horror movie of the year then I’m glad the year is still relatively young.
This was pretty much your standard horror flick. I didn’t read the book but it seems like there could have bee so much more here. Just because people are talking to each other does mean there is character development. I wasn’t invested in these people at all. One girl feels neglected by her boyfriend because she’s drunk and he wants to go to bed. She then acts like a whore with one of the other dudes and her friend has to stop her.
Whoa! That’s deep.
Torn on how to rate this film. Was not really scary at all but it was disturbing at times. I did not read the book but will now. I thought it started real slow and never really developed the characters in that slow start; I did not really care about the characters so the movie looses its impact. Its very watchable so I’ll rated a hair above average.
Meh, it wasn’t bad. I would’ve really liked the ideas that were brought up to be carried through a bit more, as it seemed like once things started goin bad it all wrapped up so fast that none of the interested ideas (such as the plant mimicing other sounds) were never fleshed out. Still pretty fun and quite disgusting, i MAY watch again one day.
I was surprised at the graphic scenes in this movie. I even cringed during the whole leg breaking and cutting scene. I wouldn’t get this movie but it was worth going to the theaters for. It just moves kinda slow and is boring at times keeping a medium pace and throwing in the few but worthy gore scenes. not amazing but go see it.
I wasn’t expecting that much from this film. I’ll say that right now. I just knew it was supposed to be horror and it was opening weekend…and I was down the road from the best theater in the state. Anyway, when it started, my immediate thought was “Turistas” which sucked.
Eventually it became obvious that this was no where near Hostel or Turistas, and was in fact better.
Prior to watching this, I rented Scott Smith’s other movie “A Simple Plan”, to get background on the mind behind this. An interesting and dark drama would be the best classification.
Now this, WOW. I haven’t seen many killer plants, so that was a plus for me as it seemed reasonable original. A couple of lame timings and “just happen to be’s” (med student, guys on horses), were I think the only bad things about this film ultimately.
I loved the storyline of the cell phone in the pyramid. I haven’t seen graphic mainstream gore since Hostel, and this kicked its ass (the non main stream being Hatchet, which I’ll get to again).
I am really starting to love endings like this. Again, this is right up there with Hatchet. Same context, but nothing else even close to being the same. It was good to see no horror personalities and seemingly almost fresh faces (aside from Shawn Ashmore, who I did enjoying seeing as someone other than Iceman).
I do encourage people to go to the Parental Advisory section of this movie on IMDB. Because a couple in front of me walked out after one of the more controversial parts of the film…that was in fact mentioned on IMDB. Don’t complain if you don’t do the research. It was day 2 nationwide and I knew to expect it.
All in all, great development. Good psychological stuff going on. Brilliant ending. I would really love to see more from Scott Smith.
To be clear, I wasn’t expecting much. I started out comparing it to Hostel and Turistas, but it comes out to be completely different…and different for the absolute best result.
I will say, not for the squeamish.
Just saw the film.I liked it.
Worst thing I have seen this year
The ruins was a very unique and original movie. It was very different than most movies you will see. Some of the reasons it was different were becuase the plants were the things who were killing the people. This movie also had me kicking the seat in front of me because I was getting so frustrated with the characters. The only actor that I really liked a lot was Jonathan Tucker who played Jeff. I loved what he kept doing for his girlfriend. He trusted her and did anything for her. His girlfriend Jena Malon who was played by Amy on the other hand was a little bit annoying and needed some work. Laura Ramsey who was played by Stacey was Erics girlfriend who was played by Shawn Ashmore did very good jobs acting as well. Stacey became a little bit crazy toward the end. This movie really makes you think what you would do if you were one of the four up there. I really liked some of the visuals of the place they were staying at. The place the movie took place at was Australlia. This had some very great gore scenes as well. I honestly havn’t seen some of the gore they showed in this movie. It was way more gore than I thought. Thier was some nudity which they didn’t need. They always throw it in the horror movies anyways. Overall this was a very well made creepy horror flick. It was also very intense and a very effective grusome horror thriller. I dont know why it didn’t do good at all. When I went to see it friday after noon thier was pretty much no body in the theatre. I was hoping it would have of done better. I think most of the reason was becuase teeneagers want to see it and they can’t since its rated R. Just go see this movie and give it a chance it was really awesome. Plus tons of great gore. A perfect guys movie to see.
Gory, original, and highly enjoyable. Absolutely loved it.
Jena Malone suprised me by playing a character that I didn’t like, but in the end I was rooting for her to survive. The other chick made a great psycho-self-mutilation-vine-harboring-victim. I usually hate Tucker, but he was alright in this.
Even though I thought the finale could’ve used some work the movie overall was a very intense, uneasy, but above all–fun experience.
Short very lacking in the gore department and making me wonder “WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T THEY BURN THE SHIT DOWN! they had the flammable liquid they had the chance to!!!”
The speech impediment on the med student became painfully obvious he did look very cool though especially at the end when he was going through with the final plan putting the girl down.
Now as for story you don’t know who the girl you see at the start is you have to assume it’s one person. The freaking plants produce sounds? that’s not scientifically accurate maybe scents from plants that make you think your hearing and seeing s*** but not actually hearing s***. Now as for the chick who went insane you knew she was a red shirt and since the fact the German guy wasn’t in the freaking trailers was a tell tale sign he wasn’t going to live
THE ENDING WAS GAY!!!
*SPOILERS*
the friends of one guy they meet who tells them about the ruins come to the ruins after everyone but the girl is dead
*END SPOILER*
impressive
awesome
Let me start this review by saying that I went into this movie extremely excited because The Ruins is one of my favorite books. I was disappointed by the movie adaptation of this great book. I wasn’t happy with certain details that they decided to leave out & I was also disappointed that they completely changed the ending. I don’t believe that a movie has to be true to the book in order to be good….for example I am Legend was very different than the book but still a great movie. An overall let down…..Smiths other novel turned movie…A Simple Plan was wonderful….so I guess 50% isn’t bad!
A breath of fresh air to the horror genre.. the most original, terrifying and thought-provoking horror film of the new century. A must-see.
One of the best films of 08 so far. It is very creepy and was great in every aspect you can imagine. Definetly recommended.
The production quality is very high. The special effects and the acting and directing are all good.
So know that when say this film was pretty disappointing, that I’m talking about the plot. Cause there really wasn’t one. At least in a slasher movie, you’re never quite sure how the next person will die or who it will be.
In this, there’s 5 kids on a temple. 1 dies. 4 kids. They go into the temple. they come back out. they cut legs off. 1 dies. some self mutilation. 2 die. 1 more dies. I liked the concept, and I can appreciate that the script wanted to approach the subject matter with a sense of realism, but there’s a fine line between suspense and tedium and the movie trampled all over it.
Disappointing.
DAME KIDS GONE EMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good movie, FINALLY A MOVIE WITH A KILLER PLANT. The sound the flowers made was creepy. The scene with the girl cutting herself was perfect.
This movie was great! Followed the book closely, obviously the book was better. As far as books to movies go, this one is definitely one of the better ones that I have seen. The acting was good, the character development was good…and the story was definitely good. This movie didn’t shy away from the gorier parts of the story, which I loved…because in today’s movie making, it’s usually all about the PG-13 rating. This one is worth seeing.
ausome killer plant movie
What can i say bout this little gem?
For starters it aint going to be anything bad. A movie like this one comes along every once in a while and surprises the hell outta people.
Who would’ve thought that plants could be so creepy?
I found myself watching this one in a state of total boredom, and yes the movie takes a little while to get started, character development and all that, but once it picks up a bit of speed, the shocks don’t stop.
The acting is great, the effects are absolutely awesome (plant and gore alike) and i found myself unable to find any predictability – which is a change for this genre.
For the rest of you BD junkie’s i truely believe this little gem will surprise you in unexpected ways.
I’m breaking out the weed killer at home tomorrow!!
Let me clarify by saying I only have seen part of the movie, but I read the entire book. Both were terrible. My review is divided into questions that you really should ask yourself:
1. Plants eating people have been done HUNDREDS of times. It’s been used by Nintendo in everything from Mario to Zelda to Metroid Prime. It’s been used in plenty of low-budget 50′s movies, on par with the lowest of the Godzilla franchise. And this brings it to a whole another level of cheese with plants that TALK. I’ve known no one who walked out, but I know a lot of people who absolutely broke out in hysteric laughing during parts of this movie. I was one of them. Doesn’t the horror genre deserve something a little better than this pile of laughable crap?
2. The characters easily could have been copy/pasted from Hostel or Wrong Turn or Wolf Creek or any other movie with collage kids with bad luck. Yet it’s called “characterizing” when the movie takes hours of your time to tell you clichés that hundreds of characters before have had? Don’t you ever wish a movie had characters that weren’t just forgettable pieces of meat with legs?
3. This was not gory. A guy cuts his skin off. Whoo-hoo. (Not.) A guy gets his legs broken. Oh my! Gasp! (Not.) I have shown movies like this to my 48-year-old mother who hates everything to do with horror because it makes her sick, and she said: “I’ve seen PG movies worse than that! Why was it rated R?” So, why was it rated R?
4. Here’s the only plot the movie/book has: collage kids drink, have sex, get naked, cruse, bleed, and eventually die. This is possibly the most typical example of a cheap, thoughtless horror movie, yet people call this “mature”? What the . . .?
5. I do not think I have ever seen something less original sense I watched A Beautiful Mind. Haven’t you ever sat there and wished the horror genre, easily the most diverse genre out there, would do something . . . well, diverse? Something truly original?
I just wish more horror movies would have actual horror, not just cheap collage parties put on film with a few splatters of fake blood tossed around.
this movie sucked
Great movie. Some parts made me squirm, which isn’t something most movies can do to me anymore, after years and years of horror viewing.
That was a good movie! I liked it when he got his legs cut off
Just picked up Unrated DVD Tuesday July 8th Wicked Good!
Veery nice, I didn’t expect it’ll be such a good movie. Keep up the good work, Carter Smith!
pretty good
Solid movie!! It was a sick as the descent!!
Not a bad film. I was expecting a lot worse. Original story line but I agree with a previous poster WHY DIDN’T THEY BURN THE SHIT DOWN!!??
“Are you as tired of seeing remakes and movies about the undead as I am? Well then here’s something a little different. Not original, but a change of pace. I haven’t read the book, but the trailer looked good and so did the cast list. Plus instead of young people being done in one by by zombies, vampires, or a masked slasher it’s a variation on the old man vs. nature idea, something not seen much recently and certainly not with so much blood and gore.
Pros: A talented and likable young cast. The scenery is lush and beautiful, as is the cinematography. Instead of just jumping right into the horror, the filmmakers try to create suspense and a little build-up. Moves at a pretty good pace. Plenty of moments and images that’ll make you cringe. Impressive gore and make-up effects, and plenty of the former. A good and subtle score that sounds like a creepy rumbling sound at times.
Cons: As good as the actors are, the characters they play are pretty underwritten, which makes it hard to really get to know them. The CGI is pretty poor. There’s really nothing we haven’t already seen before. Sometimes the characters do really stupid things. A few cheap boo scares.
Final thoughts: Not likely to be the best horror film of the year, but you could do much worse. It’s nice to see a horror film that isn’t so flashy, teen-friendly, and devoid of suspense, which is exactly what the remake of ‘Prom Night,’ which hit theatres a week after this, looks like. But I know you hardcore horror buffs know better than that.” –sgtking, imdb.com
I have just one problem with this movie, it makes the vines seem scarier than the actual ruins itself. Those vines could have been on some abandoned mansion and the result would be the same. Besides that, The Ruins is an incredibly awesome movie that is definitely gory, but most of all utterly disturbing. Like when they have to cut off Matthias’ legs off with what looks like a steak knife and when the blonde chick continuously cuts herself to get the vines out of her body. That stuff just made me cringe.
Should have been great but it didn’t decide on what it wanted to be. The vines weren’t in the movie enough to suggest them as an actual villan. I think that it should have taken a turn over to phycological. Especially when the blonde goes a little crazy. It opened up a whole new angle for the movie. But it opened to late. Its not the worst but far from the best.
So close to being great. I felt there was more story to be told but due to the shortness of the run-time we might have been robbed. Which made us care less for the characters, but I was definetly grossed out by the “pulling-of-the-weeds” as I will dub it, and for that I am applauding. Was I entertained? Absolutely..Impressed? Vaguely, I have a gripe to match every good comment on the film…perhaps the next thing from this writer will be even better, we’ll have to wait and see.
Really good movie i thought it was another hostel or turistas(like mr disgusting said)but turned out to be a mind blowing scary movie with great acting,no sex,bloody and gory and a really good adaptation of the book.
What surprised me most about this movie was the fact that it had one of the most intense gore scenes I’ve ever seen. The idea of killer plants kinda of caught me off guard at first but in the end I think the movie was very well done.
The Ruins was better than I expected it to be altough I did go into it a little optimistic. The ending could’ve been better. The best parts of the movie are when its focused on the four friends and their actions towards each other.
Better than I expected from a movie about killer vines.
This and The Strangers are the horror movies to beat for 2008.
My wife and I just finished the Ruins. It started off slow, typical “tourist” movie. Then, when they actually got to the actual ruins, it was still crawling. I really thought this was rather cliche to this point. The acting wasn’t that bad, which was a positive. When the vines started mimicing the cell phone, I shook my head and just laughed. I would have liked to see the vines send its victims after the four tourists in a zombie like state. That would have been a better direction in my opinion. If you go into this with low expectations, then you will probably not be dissapointed. The only thing that saved this movie was the excellent gore with the legs. That great gore gets points from me. It was just so-so, I was a bit dissapointed. At the end my wife described this as Little shop of Horrors meets Turistas, but its not funny at all.
.
The Ruins feels much more like a character study than a horror film. Many times during the film, I forgot that I was even watching a film about demoic plants, because the characters are really pretty interesting. There’s a whole lot to like here and it’s worth a watch for any serious horror fan.
Check it out!
Upon first viewing the movie I gotta admit I was a bit let down, it started off feeling very much like your typical Hollywood horror flick, actually a lot like “Turistas”. As we made our way into the film characters began to develop and I was slowly roped in, once the horror starts (and it takes awhile to get there) I was hooked. The film turned out to be much more horrific and outrageous than I ever thought it would be, so much so that It may be the best wide-release horror movie of 2008 (sadly that is still not a great achievement). The gore scenes are brutal; I love gore and this movie had me screaming at the television it was so intense. The acting for what it was is really good. Though not very original or ground breaking its still a memorable movie that will have me thinking back to it whenever I find myself in a plant infested situation. Eventually I’ll be adding this one to the collection, though admittedly it will have to be considerable cheaper first.
On a side note, all I could think of while watching Jonathan Tucker’s character in that blue shirt was Jeff Probst and Survivor. Those ruins would certainly make for one hell of a Survivor location.
i really liked this movie. it was crazy! i knew it was going to be able “killer plants” but i didnt know to what extent the director was gonna take it. but i loved the graphic scenes, though there were a few, they were good
amazing fun, the screams that Laura Ramsey is able to deliver are almost so real and upsetting that they’re felt by the audience. It’s a strange concept that sounds dumb if you try to explain it. It has to be seen to be understood. I also think those who haven’t read the book will like it much more than those who have. Was blown away (saw it before the hype, idk if that matters) but great nonetheless.
Unlike any horror movie ive ever seen before, and for originality is hard to come by in this genre as we all know, this movie kept me interested in start to it’s finish, excellent story, very intense, suspsensful and unpredictable, cast fairly well, alot of gore when needed, beautiful scenary, and very well directed, one of the underated horror films to come out this past few years!
Did better than (Possible Spoiler for the Happening) soultion to killing plants.
Action! Suspence! romance! and a Bunch of Pissed off Ruins!! I liked this movie. Because it follows the book. Well sort of. Some stuff is different right out. I loved where they choped off the german dudes legs off and then Graphicly Burn his wounds. CGI. crappy when their going inside “german dude”s mouth. It seemed really short though. Maybe its just me. It was weird in a way. Ruins imatating your voice. Its just f*cking creepy. I GIVE YOU!!!!!!! 7/10!! i pad you in the back ^_^
I finally saw this movie on dvd last night and I’m still not quite sure what to think of it.
I mean, it’s definitely a good movie, but it didn’t really get under my skin. And that’s too bad, ’cause I thought the premise was really cool, the directing was top-notch and some of the gore was pretty intense.
But what I missed here were some likeable characters. Now don’t get me wrong here, the actors were all really great, but I couldn’t care less for their characters. And that’s what spoiled it for me.
The movie wasn’t all that original too, so some of it was rather predictable.
But all in all, I had a fun time watching this and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again some time.
You may think The ruins is a typical horror movie where teens get drunk, act stupid, and die but actually it turned out to be a well-made horror film packed with scares and suspense. Though far from perfect, ‘The ruins’ definitely earns the 7 out of 10 skulls or 3 and a half skulls because it’s scary, it’s suspenseful, and the ending doesn’t have Hollywood written all over it.
I liked this film. I liked that you don’t know why the locals are so defensive until later in the film. They make you feel their emotions throughout the entire film. Good acting. Great plan of escape and nice to see there could be a sequel if someone chooses to do it.
I thought it was going to be another turistas when it started…i like turistas..more then this movie even..but you never want to see the same thing twice…anyways…I thought it contained good ideas, the next day they wake up the terror begins…the gore..damn..who would think that a scary movie about plants would be so damn gory…cutting the mans legs off, breaking the bones…fuckin gnarly…I just really wanted something else to be down in that cave, the plants werent enough.
Did you ever watch a movie and notice how fast the time went by, well I just finished watching the ruins and it is one of them movies. I enjoy movies like this where I can put myself in the postion of the characters and say WHAT IF THAT WAS ME!! where do I go, what do I do, theres no food or water, will I starve, will I die by something I dont know much about. Watcinhg horror movies and thinking to yourself consiously about being in a situation of the characters will creep you out just a little, try it!
I can’t believe all the good reviews for this movie on here. WTF? This movie was so shallow and lame, one of the worst I’ve seen in awhile. No suspense, weak characters, paper-thin plot and the “monster” was a joke, not scary at all. Wretched movie.
Horrible movie. I dont know whay people liked it but I thought it was stupid.
Finally something different. I haven’t been this uncomfortable in a theatre since The Ring remake, and before that it was a blind date in eighth grade. Now that’s scary!
Holy shit that was actually pretty fucking decent! started off as i would have expected, but the acting is great and the last half hour/45 minutes was phenomenal.
Wasnt a big fan of this movie
This could have been a hell of a movie but it of course it just falls in the average category. Parts of it were really good but at times it moved a little too slow for me. Good gore to go along with decent acting. Be aware of vines that make all kind of wierd noises. Definitely worth watching once.
Pretty good. Definitely a few unsettling parts that will make your skin crawl (no pun intended).
Film : The Ruins
Original Language : English
Subtitles : not needed
Duration : 1 hr 33 mins
Year : 2008
Style : steady cams and hand cams (i.e. normal film)
Cast : unrecognisable group of American teen douchebags
Mindset : reality, bit of ancient ritual in there
IMDB : 6/10 from 15,605 votes
Plot : A group of American teens on holiday in Mexico go to an ancient Mayan temple/Ruin in the middle of nowhere, and get forced to stay on the ruin, with horrible consequences.
***This summary will be riddled with spoiler alerts, so if you haven’t seen it and don’t want it ruined, stop reading now.***
Characters : We start out with two couples, a german guy and briefly, his brother.
Plot Progression : The sexy teens decide to visit a Mayan temple off the beaten track, but when they get there, they’re told to get to the top of the temple, at gun and arrow point. They’re stranded at the top of the temple, which has some dead foreigners at the top. Mishap after mishap, their numbers dwindle, pretty quick enough.
Originality: There’s nothing original about this film, although I haven’t seen a movie around an acient temple in a little while. The teens are gormless, run of the mill characters, and the “the plants are fighting back” schtick was done (really awfully I might add) by Shamalan’s The (Nothing) Happening.
Age rating : There’s one scene of gore (nasty but funny) but otherwise it’s a few cuts and what-not. Nudity-wise, there’s some big breasts and a big arse (lol) at the start, but otherwise it’s only the same girl wearing panties sometimes. One shot of each is enough for an 18s rating. Otherwise it’d be watchable for a(n informed) 13-year old.
Mindset : Reailty, what the hell is going on, we can’t wait for help.
***HUGE SPOILERS!***
Plot devices : The bloody grass vines are moving too quickly. It’s not possible. Plants don’t have smooth muscle to contract/expand that quickly. I’ll give u the “mimicking a cellphone ring” by the flower, but jesus, not the lashing out and grabbing at super-speed. Get out! They had some “oh my God it’s inside me” moments which I reckon why people went to watch the film. Twas alright. The first headshot comes out of nowhere, which is great. The mayan kids looking at them from across the pond is ominous and a nice touch.
***END OF HUGE SPOILERS***
Budget : Cheap as chips. I’d say they filmed this in 2 weeks. It looked like it. Once they get to the ruin, it’s all plain (and cost-effective) sailing from then on.
Special Effects : Just the headshots/gore and the moving vines, so a couple of shots. Maybe 30.
Overall : Pretty run-of-the-mill horror. Nothing ground-breaking or inspiring. If you love horror films you could give it a watch, but I won’t recommend it or defend it. Given the choice between this and something that got better than 6/10 for IMDB, I’d watch that.
Maybe check out this : http://thevaultofhorror.blogspot.com/2008/11/cyber-horror-elite-have-spoken.html and see if there isn’t something you’ve missed, and watch that instead.
Jay’s Verdict : OK (nothing special, for Horror buffs ONLY)
I found this to actually be quite good. It was at least different than most horror movies that have been released recently.
Amazing!What a breath of fresh air after watching Diary Of The Dead!This one really desearves a look, you will not be disapointed!Great acting and original story!
What a pleasant surprise. I wrote this film off after seeing the trailer in theaters. After seeing Stephen King put this on his top 10 list, I had to check it out–even if to just reaffirm my belief that Uncle Stevie has shitty taste in movies. ‘The Ruins’ was fairly brutal. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and was actually interested to see what became of the kiddies trapped on top of the pyramid. Some of the situations are laughable–but never boring. Again, I was pretty blown away by the brutality of it all. Way better than I ever imagined.
I liked this movie and it had a interesting plot and I dig the way the vines grew and could imitate sounds epecially when they needed to find out the cellphone was ringing….it was a good plot I say a must see.
The Ruins is scary, suspenseful, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It started off a little boring but upon arrival at The Ruins it started getting exciting. Many scenes will shock you till the point of laughter because what happened was so unexpected. It had a small setting in which it was so secluded and still it was thrilling.
The plot was so simple and so thrilling you couldn’t look away.sitting down looking at evry inch of the screen for any clues about what will happen. Every detail was unexpected. The gore was something I was dreading as so many horror films these days over do the gore factor. The gore scenes in this film were bloody at a realistic level which i loved. The only main plot hole i wanted to see more of was the inside of the temple which was only seen for a thrilling five minutes.
The acting would be best described as average. The character of Stacey would be hard to portray as she is so needy and can’t handle anything, but her portrayer did just that. The acting isn’t outstanding but some of the cast could be seen from this and play bigger roles in bigger movies.
Overall The Ruins, is shocking, thrilling, suspenseful, and best of all SCARY. My rating is 3.5/5
KILLER VINES IN MEXICO IN: THE RUINS
Produced by Ben Stiller and filmed in Australia on a low budget of $8,000,000 (well, that is low by today’s standards) this well paced little film based on a book by Scott B. Smith, while not without the usual faults that plague most horror movies, is entertaining enough to recommend. I am not very familiar with the faces of the cast for the most part but they did all a good job. Over all the film is well acted and directed and the only real issue with the film, for me, was with the “creature” the group of curious hikers must face: killer weeds. I just have always had an issue with plants being scary. They usually are not and in this movie rather than have the entire focus center on some sort of walking plant monster the tension stays chiefly focused on the group of friends who find themselves trapped on top of an ancient Mayan pyramid with no escape from the elements or their gun-totting captors.
A group of American college students (okay, it is a tried and tested to death formula but else would we expect, middle aged Shriners?) are vacationing in southern Mexico and decide to accompany their new found friend from Germany, Mathias, on a small trip to locate his brother who is on an archeological dig in some desolate Mayan ruins. They follow the directions scrawled out on a hand drawn map and when the group, along with a young Greek man who is searching for his friends as well, arrive they are confronted by angry local Mayans. There are communications problems and the Greek kid is shot first with an arrow to the chest then gets a bullet to his skull. The group quickly flee up to the top of the pyramid and there find an abandoned archeological camp. The villagers surround the base of the temple and seem to just be waiting and certainly are going to allow the group to leave alive.The panicky youths cannot get a cell phone signal but soon begin to hear a cell phone ringing from inside a shaft that leads down into the temple. In desperation Mathias, claiming it is his brother’s phone, descends. A little later he is lying on the temple floor with a broken back and when one of the girls, Stacy (the very cute Laura Ramsey), descends to help him she herself is injured when she falls and punctures her leg.
They eventually remove the Mathias and when the two females descend yet again into the shaft to find the cell phone they find not only a dead girl but also that the cell phone ring tone is being mimicked by the vines in the dungeon like chamber from which they barely escape. The tension gets worse now as the Mathias’ legs are infested with the vines and they burrow down to his marrow. Stacy has issues as well when the vines appear to be crawling throughout her body. Med student Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) amputates Matias’ legs using a rock and hunting knife. The scene is pretty effective. Later Stacy is found delirious, trying to cut the vines out of her body and when they others try to help her she cuts Jeff’s hand and stabs her boyfriend Eric (Shawn Ashmore) in the chest.
Unfortunately we are left with the standard modern horror movie ending really where the last survivor, Jeff’s girl friend Amy (Jena Malone) almost escapes but feels the vines squirming around her eye as she is driving away in a jeep. So no one survives and as the film fades the Greek guy’s friends come walking up to the temple looking for him. Get it? The cycle continues. I just knew that was going to happen too. Anyway, there as no big surprises, or no surprises at all, except that the acting and dialog is great and the scenes are well shot. There is enough gore and violence to give the film some life and yet it is not overdone. Again, what can you really do with plants as the thing that is pursuing you? And maybe more could have been done really. The plants are never scary and even seem to remain on the sideline of the story. The real threats seem to be the Mayan villagers and the scorching sun and lack of water. I think if the malevolent plants had been on screen more and ripped someone limb from limb it would have been more exciting, but I can still recommend this one.
really like the concept. good feeling of entrapment
It is nice to see there is still some originality in Hollywood, this film was a nice change of pace from the trendy remake boom in Horror right now. I wish more writers would try to come out with original concepts for great horror films. Great film period.
the movie is alright, the only thing i didnt like was that girl with the glasses.when those bad guys didnt want them to take pictures what does she do, she takes more freakin pictures!if it wasnt for her that guy would still be alive.i hope that girl dies at the end.
This is just another “kids on vacation and spooky stuff happens” movie. A few good moments, but generally devoid of suspense or tension. Also, it’s absolutely impossible to have any empathy whatsover with the characters in this movie, which ultimately makes it a huge bore.
not as bad as expected movie about killer plants at some mayan temple with some decent gore.
its was something that i had never seen before
i love this film. LOVE it.
Not as good as the book for pretty faithful in the events. Characters have been switched around but it made it new to those of us who had read it. Had some very talented acting. You truly did feel for these characters and the terror they where able to play with in the daylight. Not since THHE remake has a horror film been done so nicley filmed during the daylight hours.
I enjoyed this movie. Very well shot and the performances were good.
Not very original but full of good actors and brillant gore. I had a lotta fun watching it!
This was really cool. I like the vines and plants. Plus when the flowers imitate sounds. That was creepy.
I liked this movie. Although it wasn’t what i was really expecting. But i still liked it. It was different, it kinda reminded me of “evil dead” in a way. I liked this movie.
I thought this movie was hilarious because it was so ridiculous. Every horror cliche was in it and it became very predictable. Very. There were some nasty scenes with the vines which were fun though.
this movie crawls under your skin.
very scary, pretty intense, and very suspenseful.
the plants and vines were ingenious and genuinely frightening. this is a very good movie. check it out.
very good movie. the cgi/special effects were incredible. i could watch this movie over and over and over. Very gross. It will make you cringe
Great film it really kept me going and made me cringe alot.
A brilliant, nasty horror/thriller that was memorable and has a strong cast that was great. This one had me on the edge of my seat and turning my head at the same time but I wish it would of had a more climatic ending but maybe there will be a sequel on the way. Overall this is a must see if you like movies like The Descent or Turistas. See it!
I think the BD review for this is spot on. Very intense, character driven horror film with very good acting and plenty of gore without being over the top. If you can suspend disbelief about parasitic plants that attack humans, then you will find this movie to be very realistic as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie… after viewing it once in the theater, and twice on DVD (in its Unrated form). I say it has an original story, and delivery. I think this is one of the best horror movies of ’08.
Here is a major release horror movie that actually is solid. Set in the Yucatan, lots of the film’s photography gets its inspiration from the exoticism of the locale, much like “Turistas.” The catch with this film though, of course, is the strange situation the characters find themselves trapped in.
good but not great. the concept of this movie is original and well executed
I have to say I wan’t sure what to expect when I first watched this film, but have since watched it several times as I liked it so much. I thought it was a fresh and new idea in the horror genre and breathed a new life into the genre. I loved the premise and found it both satisfyingly gory and creepy. I would definatelty recommend this film and although the acting isn’t world class it’s believable and thats the main thing. Overall I thought it was a really good film and one I will watch again and again with satisfaction.
Wasnt a fan of this movie at all.
very good film
The Ruins was quite interesting! I thought the actors did a great job, the characters were realistic, and not too stereotypical (something which ruins most horror these days). I felt the special effects were extremely well done…the scenes of vines being pulled out of the body were wonderfully hard to watch! The concept was a little silly with the cell phone mimicking plants, and the way they moved around like they had animal muscles…but it was so well done it didn’t really matter. It was a surprisingly good horror film
one of the best of the 2000s
Ohh i liked this movie i rented this one it was awesome:0 good story line, really good acting,had me on the hedge of my seat the hole movie the begining was good and creepy:0
The Ruins gets under your skin and all throughout your blood stream. Its very intense and disturbing. This film is not for squirmish.
A pleasant surprise!Good story,solid acting,and some good creepy plant action.Getting shot by arrows never looked better on screen.
Finally Caught this flick – Glad I did – Very Original and creepy-
Brutal at times- Great Sense of Dread and Desperation – Actors did a great job all around – Two Stumps UP!
It was a very original film and I really did enjoy watching it.
“The Ruins” is author Scott Smith’s second novel to be made into a feature film, with the first being Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan” in 1998. Whether a movie ever lives up to the book is always up for debate. Some of the things from the book are shifted around and changed but it does still keep its framework and essence.
“The Ruins” is the story of four American college kids who are vacationing in Mexico, when they decide to go with a few others to visit some ancient Mayan ruins. These ruins are covered with a green flowering plant that seems to be alive. Director Carter Smith and the filmmakers had the tough job of making these plants scary. With any horror movie it’s only as scary as your killer, case and point Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers. So how do you make plants scary? Sound effects, CGI, and some pretty decent acting.
As the group reaches the sacred ruins they are surrounded by a bunch of angry and armed locals who since they came in contact with the plants are not allowed to leave. The locals scream at them in a language they don’t understand. Just like in Eli Roth’s Hostel movies, the filmmakers really make the point that today’s young Americans that venture into other countries have this cocky air of invincibility. When things start to go wrong they basically think, somebody has to be looking for us, were Americans. And people wonder why some countries around the world hate us.
They are suppose to be meeting there German friend Mathias’s brother, who is researching the ruins. His stuff is there but he isn’t. There is a pulley system to lower people down into the darkened abyss of the ruins and when they hear a cell phone ring, Mathias is convinced it’s his brothers. As he is lowered down the rope breaks, we then come upon what I’ve said before is my favorite disgusting injury, the compound fracture. This is where the real horror starts as they wake up the next morning to realize that the plants vines are slithering into their wounds. The vines act like parasitic leeches drawn to blood. They move just under your skin like worms. Eeeewwww! Then the real blood and gore is put into motion. They cut of Mathias’s legs with nothing more than an oversized pocket knife. Another girl is obsessed with cutting out the vines from her body, making a horribly bloody mess of herself. Being in the deep jungle these civilized people slowly turn into barbaric savages who will do anything to stay alive, with little or no hope of rescue. They did tack on a typical Hollywood ending that will allow for a possible sequel. Overall this was a pretty decent movie, the gore effects were top notch, and I’ve got to say they did a pretty good job with the plants. I mean who isn’t afraid of homicidal parasites. It’s a pretty bleak movie, but hey its horror.
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A good evil grapevine movie
Great Horror film literally gets under your skin.
took me completely by surprise!! I was expecting teens go exploring some ancient ruins and the further in they go, the more shit they get themselves into!! I was not expecting a tense survival horror with so much impending doom.
Although a slow burner to start “The Ruins” does keep your interest until the final frame. A quietly original well executed shocker. Far from perfect but enjoyable all the same.
Skip this boring.
No I didn’t like this much at all. First of all it was slow, it took 40 minutes for the action and vines to get going, and there wasn’t really much of the vines at all, it was just them sitting at the top of that temple thing moaning and crying all the time! All the characters were unlikable and stupid, so I didn’t really care what was going to happen to them. The ending was also unsatisfying as it was so easy! Why didn’t they do that in the first place?
Apart from a few tense and great gory scenes, this is a boring, unlikable and slow horror film.
I rented this movie and it was good it’s about people on a vacation and they go and visit the temple and evil thing’s start to happen. One of the people on the vacation trip was looking for their missing brother. Even though it took 20 minutes for something to happen it was still good. This movie is 1 hour and 30 minutes long. I thing every horror fan should see this movie. I Rate it 8/10 because it wasn’t the best.
An excellent horror film!
Crazy idea and great execution.
It IS a little slow in the beginning so it does require you to invest some time with the characters before it all goes to hell but I like that.
Hobo Approved(TM)
big disappointment. I felt like I was watching an episode of Survivor. Seriously, it was like the plants were invisible, all we saw mostly was the group’s bickering. Huge let down.
Not bad, didn’t think much when I saw the cover, but actually quite entertaining.
Great movie, some unforgettable moments
Awesome movie, it’s quite entertaining.
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The Ultimate Movie Review! – http://tss5078.blogspot.com – @tss5078 – Based on one of the best selling graphic novels of all-time, The Ruins, has a lot to like, and a lot to dislike. Following the classic horror movie format, there is a ton of eye candy and gore, always a good thing. The plot isn’t very strong thou. It was a great book and there was a lot to go on, but sadly the movie ignores it. You see a lot of things, but unlike the book, nothing is really explained. This movie is all visual. They focus almost entirely on the gore, and not the story, making The Ruins just another typical horror movie. A good horror movie mixes a truly scary story, with shock, awe, and beautiful people. That’s the formula, and while The Ruins should have been all those things, it really wasn’t.