...Blu-ray's clearer, sharper high definition only made me want to turn my head away from the TV screen all the more.
5. There is no semblance of logic or reason 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? Are they really talking? Do they have a mind of their own? Should we care?
6. Aside from a couple good, startling bits of business, the movie fails to generate much suspense, tension, or genuine terror. In fact, the movie's biggest scare comes from a dog jumping out of the back of a pickup truck. The first quarter of the story is dull, and the last three-quarters are gory and dull.
7. The movie gets bloodier as it goes along, substituting close-up butchery for horror, grossness for fright. I never saw the original R-rated theatrical version of this picture, but, as I've said, I might have preferred it to this unrated version. Beyond a brief nude scene early on and a few naughty words, the unrated version adds several graphically repulsive shots. These are scenes so revoltingly blood-soaked, any civilized human being would have to look away. Well, I did at least.
8. Finally, the movie's ending leaves open the possibility of a "Ruins II." Oh, dear....
Video:
The movie's already decent standard-definition video is made all the better in a 1080p, VC-1, BD50 transfer. Colors in this wide, 2.35:1 ratio picture are bright yet natural. While contrasts, particularly those in radiant sunlit shots, are a bit too intense, the greens of the jungle look quite realistic and show up in impressive detail and delineation. Also on the plus side, there is hardly a trace of grain, normal or otherwise. On the minus side, the general quality of the picture is a tad soft and glossy, and darkest areas of the screen don't always allow for the best detail. Then, in a few shots that I examined closely, I noticed a touch of haloing around darker objects placed against brilliant backgrounds. Close enough.
Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is just as explosive at the start as its lossy Dolby Digital counterpart, but this time the bass is marginally tauter. The soundtrack tends to settle down to a more normal output as the movie goes along, but it is never less than stirring. There is a wide frequency range and a strong dynamic impact, with the surrounds producing a fairly all-encompassing set of jungle noises. Again, I wouldn't say the audio overpowers the picture, but it does complement the video nicely.
Extras:
The Blu-ray disc's bonus items carry over from the standard-def edition, only this time they are largely in high definition. They start with a routine audio commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt. Next, there are three featurettes: "Making The Ruins" (HD), about fourteen minutes; "Creeping Death" (HD), about fifteen minutes; and "Building The Ruins" (HD), about 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 (HD) that explains more about what's going on in the movie than the movie does; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired. Additionally, because it's a DreamWorks Blu-ray disc, we get pop-up menus, bookmarks, and a guide to elapsed time.
Parting Shots:
If you saw "Turistas" or "Hostel," Parts I and II, you'll find the same things 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, made all the more graphic in high-def, that it might have been better if we had gotten lost in the wilds of outer Slavonia without access to this disc.
6. Aside from a couple good, startling bits of business, the movie fails to generate much suspense, tension, or genuine terror. In fact, the movie's biggest scare comes from a dog jumping out of the back of a pickup truck. The first quarter of the story is dull, and the last three-quarters are gory and dull.
7. The movie gets bloodier as it goes along, substituting close-up butchery for horror, grossness for fright. I never saw the original R-rated theatrical version of this picture, but, as I've said, I might have preferred it to this unrated version. Beyond a brief nude scene early on and a few naughty words, the unrated version adds several graphically repulsive shots. These are scenes so revoltingly blood-soaked, any civilized human being would have to look away. Well, I did at least.
8. Finally, the movie's ending leaves open the possibility of a "Ruins II." Oh, dear....
Video:
The movie's already decent standard-definition video is made all the better in a 1080p, VC-1, BD50 transfer. Colors in this wide, 2.35:1 ratio picture are bright yet natural. While contrasts, particularly those in radiant sunlit shots, are a bit too intense, the greens of the jungle look quite realistic and show up in impressive detail and delineation. Also on the plus side, there is hardly a trace of grain, normal or otherwise. On the minus side, the general quality of the picture is a tad soft and glossy, and darkest areas of the screen don't always allow for the best detail. Then, in a few shots that I examined closely, I noticed a touch of haloing around darker objects placed against brilliant backgrounds. Close enough.
Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is just as explosive at the start as its lossy Dolby Digital counterpart, but this time the bass is marginally tauter. The soundtrack tends to settle down to a more normal output as the movie goes along, but it is never less than stirring. There is a wide frequency range and a strong dynamic impact, with the surrounds producing a fairly all-encompassing set of jungle noises. Again, I wouldn't say the audio overpowers the picture, but it does complement the video nicely.
Extras:
The Blu-ray disc's bonus items carry over from the standard-def edition, only this time they are largely in high definition. They start with a routine audio commentary by director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt. Next, there are three featurettes: "Making The Ruins" (HD), about fourteen minutes; "Creeping Death" (HD), about fifteen minutes; and "Building The Ruins" (HD), about 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 (HD) that explains more about what's going on in the movie than the movie does; English as the only spoken language; and English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired. Additionally, because it's a DreamWorks Blu-ray disc, we get pop-up menus, bookmarks, and a guide to elapsed time.
Parting Shots:
If you saw "Turistas" or "Hostel," Parts I and II, you'll find the same things 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, made all the more graphic in high-def, that it might have been better if we had gotten lost in the wilds of outer Slavonia without access to this disc.
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[release]23962[/release]