Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Pyramid’

Written by Scott Edwards

If you are like me, you like everything there is about Egypt and the history that goes along with it. An ancient civilization that was able to erect massive structures with no heavy machinery just amazes me, but there is something else as well. Their religion has fascinated me since I was a young boy and knowing that there is still more to learn about their beliefs and what made them want to preserve their history is just something that I can never let go of. From what the history books say, it was a great culture, but from reading between the lines, there was much more treachery going on than anyone would really like to bring to light. 

Nora and her father Dr. Holden have made a discovery for the ages. While digging in Egypt, they have found a three-sided pyramid. Although the use of technology had a part in it, Dr. Holden needs to relay the message that real archeologists still dig to find their discoveries and computers are not to thank for everything that they find. But Nora is utilizing the technology that is at her fingertips and when the entrance of the pyramid is uncovered, she has the perfect way to see what secrets it is hiding, without ever having to step inside this ancient relic.

After opening the entrance and having an ancient booby-trap take out one of the workers, the father/daughter team is not ready to give up, but when they get a call from the university saying that the dig is off, they have to make a decision. With the unrest in Cairo, everyone is concerned about what will happen to the Americans who are digging on their land. Being told to evacuate the area, the team wants to take a quick look inside of the old tomb and be able to take credit for their find. Utilizing a Mars Rover for their benefit, the group gets a quick look inside of the pyramid, until something happens to the unit.

After seeing the Mars Rover be destroyed, the group has to head into the pyramid to retrieve it. With oxygen masks in hand to keep the toxic air at bay, Nora, her father, their film crew and Michael Zahir enter the darkness of the ancient tomb. Finding a piece of the rover, the group finds a shaft that takes them up a level to a chamber that is out of place. But when they return to the main level, they find that they are turned around and do not know which way to head to make it back to sunlight. As they search through the pyramid to find their way out, they find that all of the ancient booby-traps are still active, but that is the least of their worries as they are up against something out of the history books that is looking for its way out of the tomb as well.

As a lover of all things to do with the ancient Egyptians, I think that this movie did itself right. I like how the history made its way into the movie, along with plenty of the rituals and beliefs. The only complaint I have about this movie is the changing camera work that took place, going from first person to third to those who were not in the pyramid with the group. I only spoke about the father/daughter pair in this review, but when you watch the movie you will love Fitzie, the camera man from the film crew that is tagging along in the death tomb. Fitzie only wants one thing, and that is to get out of the tomb before he and the group become permanent members of it for the rest of eternity. This movie might also highlight why I am not a fan of cats, besides being allergic to them, they are evil and only want to feed on the living when the lights are off. I knew at a young age that legends are more than stories, they could be based on facts, and this movie gives you every reason to believe in what the Egyptians did, especially in the final act. Stay Scared.

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