Director: Roland Emmerich (ID4, Godzilla, The Patriot, Day After Tomorrow)
Writers: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser
Producers: Mark Gordon, Roland Emmerich, Michael Wimer
Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Virgel, Affif Ben Badra
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 109 min
Don’t believe everything you hear from the critics on this one. Is it a good movie? Certainly not, but it’s far from the trash heap that many have been stacking it upon – let’s reserve that for films like The Covenant. It’s got some neat looking scenes, decent effects and the acting isn’t nearly as horrible as I was led to believe. Still, am I going to recommend this to many people? Decidedly no.
A small, peaceful tribe of villagers live in the upper mountains of somewhere. When a young girl shows up, the high priestess (or witch doctor if you will) informs her people that the girl is someone special who, along with an unknown hero, will help lead the people to peace and freedom after an attack by the “four-legged demons.” While the people don’t know it yet, the audience knows that this hero is D’Leh; a young man who’s scorned by peers as a coward because his father left the village years ago for some reason which we still haven’t had explained to us.
At some point the four legged demons (aka men on horses) do attack the village, ransacking everything and taking many prisoners; including Evolet (the young girl of whom the prophesy spoke). D’Leh and a few others head out in search of the group who stole their friends and family. Along the way they meet other tribes in similar peril and together, they must try to stop the band of evil doers who ravage the land.
The one thing the movie had going for it was the neat looking effects in the trailer. Several of us around here mentioned that it has woolly mammoths, so right there it’s probably worth the price of admission. I’d have to say that that statement is almost accurate. The mammoth scenes are fairly short, but they’re used quite well and are fun and exciting scenes. Worth the price of admission? Not quite, but definitely worth a look.
