...gets bloodier as it goes along, substituting close-up gore for horror, grossness for fright.
4. Between Amy's stupid whining and the utter incompetence of the other young people, their predicament gets tiresome fast.
5. There is no semblance of reason or logic anywhere in sight. Why are the vines so deadly, how'd they get that way, and what exactly do they want? Has some evil possessed them? Do they have a mind of their own? Should we care?
6. Aside from one good, startling bit of business, the movie fails to generate much suspense, tension, or genuine terror.
7. The movie gets bloodier as it goes along, substituting close-up gore for horror, grossness for fright. I never saw the original R-rated theatrical version of this picture, but my guess is that I might have preferred it to this unrated version. Why? Because beyond a brief nude scene early on and a few naughty words, the unrated version seems to have added a ton of graphic butchery. Literally. There are scenes so repulsively blood-soaked, any civilized human being would have to look away.
8. The movie's ending leaves open the possibility of a "Ruins II." Oh, dear....
Video:
Good video for the most part. Especially good for a standard-definition release. The movie's got a wide, 2.35:1 anamorphic ratio, with colors that are bright yet natural. While contrasts, particularly those in brilliant, sunlit shots, are a bit too intense, the greens of the jungle look impressively realistic. And detailing and object delineation are reasonably OK, if a bit soft.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is explosive right from the start. It tends to settle down to a more normal output as the movie goes along, but it is never less than stirring. The range and impact are fine, and the surrounds produce a fairly all-encompassing set of jungle noises. Although I wouldn't say the audio overpowers the picture, it does complement the video nicely.
Extras:
DreamWorks include a fair share of their usual bonus items on the disc, starting with a routine audio commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt. Next, there are three featurettes:
"Making The Ruins," fourteen minutes; "Creeping Death," fifteen minutes; and "Building The Ruins," six minutes. Each featurette provides exactly what we expect of it. Then, there are five deleted scenes, most of them with optional director commentary, that include an alternate ending as well as the original theatrical ending.
Things finish up with a mere eleven scene selections and no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer that explains more about what's going on in the movie than the movie does; previews of other DreamWorks productions, including some that we also find at start-up; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Shots:
You say you saw "Turistas" and "Hostel," Parts I and II? Same thing here. Vacationers venture where they shouldn't and live (or die) to regret it. Of course, we regret it, too, having to watch their fate. In the unrated version of "The Ruins," the filmmakers subject us to so much cringe-inducing bloodshed, it might have been better if we ourselves got lost in the wilds of outer Slavonia without access to this disc.
5. There is no semblance of reason or logic anywhere in sight. Why are the vines so deadly, how'd they get that way, and what exactly do they want? Has some evil possessed them? Do they have a mind of their own? Should we care?
6. Aside from one good, startling bit of business, the movie fails to generate much suspense, tension, or genuine terror.
7. The movie gets bloodier as it goes along, substituting close-up gore for horror, grossness for fright. I never saw the original R-rated theatrical version of this picture, but my guess is that I might have preferred it to this unrated version. Why? Because beyond a brief nude scene early on and a few naughty words, the unrated version seems to have added a ton of graphic butchery. Literally. There are scenes so repulsively blood-soaked, any civilized human being would have to look away.
8. The movie's ending leaves open the possibility of a "Ruins II." Oh, dear....
Video:
Good video for the most part. Especially good for a standard-definition release. The movie's got a wide, 2.35:1 anamorphic ratio, with colors that are bright yet natural. While contrasts, particularly those in brilliant, sunlit shots, are a bit too intense, the greens of the jungle look impressively realistic. And detailing and object delineation are reasonably OK, if a bit soft.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is explosive right from the start. It tends to settle down to a more normal output as the movie goes along, but it is never less than stirring. The range and impact are fine, and the surrounds produce a fairly all-encompassing set of jungle noises. Although I wouldn't say the audio overpowers the picture, it does complement the video nicely.
Extras:
DreamWorks include a fair share of their usual bonus items on the disc, starting with a routine audio commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt. Next, there are three featurettes:
"Making The Ruins," fourteen minutes; "Creeping Death," fifteen minutes; and "Building The Ruins," six minutes. Each featurette provides exactly what we expect of it. Then, there are five deleted scenes, most of them with optional director commentary, that include an alternate ending as well as the original theatrical ending.
Things finish up with a mere eleven scene selections and no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer that explains more about what's going on in the movie than the movie does; previews of other DreamWorks productions, including some that we also find at start-up; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Shots:
You say you saw "Turistas" and "Hostel," Parts I and II? Same thing here. Vacationers venture where they shouldn't and live (or die) to regret it. Of course, we regret it, too, having to watch their fate. In the unrated version of "The Ruins," the filmmakers subject us to so much cringe-inducing bloodshed, it might have been better if we ourselves got lost in the wilds of outer Slavonia without access to this disc.
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[release]23963[/release]