Review of The Ruins (2008) by Fraser M — 18 Feb 2011

Ruins offers a refreshing addition to the horror genre by avoiding the staple archetypes of the deranged killer or psychopathic room-mate, instead offering a Day of the Triffids-esque tale where nature fights back. An interesting premise, and a strong male cast set this film up to be a stand out title, but unfortunately a weak script and irritating female characters lead this to ruin.

The set up is fairly simple. A group of friends go off the beaten track in Mexico to explore ancient Mayan ruins, but when they find an ancient pyramid they are confronted by armed guardians none too pleased to be disturbed. Effectively quarantined, the group slowly discover why the temple is so violently secured, for it harbors a carnivorous vine that insidiously hunts its prey. As the body count rises and the gore levels increase it becomes apparent that (despite a short run time) Ruins starts to run out of juice. It might have worked better as a TV episode, or as a Hitchcockian suspense thriller rather than an all out bloody horror.

Ultimately, the weak script and unreasonably moronic characters deflate any interest the opening had garnered. Jeff (a stand-out performance by Jonathan Tucker) is the only character in the film employing any sense of logic or reason. The two female leads are so illogical and stupid that I was personally wanting them to meet a grizzly demise, something that a horror film ought to avoid. Characters respond to events in unbelievably stupid ways, falling into the trap of many weak horror films that beg for the body count to rise.

Ruins isn't gory enough to satisfy the morbid tastes of torture-porn aficionados, and it isn't clever enough to succeed as a suspenseful thriller. Idiotic characters, a weak script and a blase conclusion round off a disappointing addition to a genre that desperately needs an injection of originality and flare.