Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Ruins’

Written by Scott Edwards

While vacationing, it is hard to turn down a good time, especially if fun is being offered by a new friend. There are so many things that you can find, see and do that are off the beaten path, that the normal tours may seem pretty boring in comparison. You never know what you are going to get and most of the time it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so it is difficult to say no. Just make sure you have some sort of idea what you are getting into, because if something goes wrong, you can only depend on yourself, especially if nobody knows where you are.

Jeff, Amy, Stacy and Eric are on the final day of their trip to Mexico and have been offered a once in a lifetime experience. Their new friend Mathias has invited them to join him and his friends on an archeological excavation of a newly found Mayan ruin. Jumping at the opportunity, the group packs up their day bags, along with the tequila and are ready to make their trek. When arriving in a small village and trying to find transportation to their next point, the taxi driver tells them that they do not want to travel to their destination. But being a persistent group, they bribe the driver to take them there anyway. 

Getting out of the cab and taking an eleven-mile hike, the group is getting tired, but find the trail that will lead them to the ruins. Not thinking much about the entrance of the trail being hidden from those who may be passing by, they move on and when they reach the bottom of the massive structure, they are greeted by some very upset Mayans. Being held at bow and gun point, the group quickly find out that these people do not want money or anything else, they simply do not want visitors around the temple at all. When Mathias’ friend Dimitri steps on the vines covering the temple and then backs off to try and talk to their captors, he is shot in the head. Not understanding what is happening, the group runs up the ancient structure to safety and see that they are not being followed.

Watching as the Mayans set up camp at the base of the temple, the group continually hears a cell phone ringing and are desperate to find it to call for help. Mathias is having a hard time figuring out what happened to his brother and heads down the into the main cavern to see what is happening and get the cell phone as well. When the rope breaks and Mathias is stuck in the dark cavern, Jeff comes up with a plan to get him back up. Sending the girls down into the hole, Amy and Stacy are in charge of their new friend’s wellbeing and are starting to find out that this ancient temple is much more than overgrow and rock, it is alive. When trying to find the cell phone, Amy makes the discovery that the flowers on the vine that covers the entire temple are able to vibrate and make sounds, and now she knows that it is time to be on their way. Stacy also has a feeling that the vine is alive when the cut on her leg is penetrated by the overgrow and she continues to complain that the vine is inside of her. As the hours pass by and the group is coming to grips that they will not be rescued, they are forced to come up with a plan to battle the Mayans down below and the vine that is surrounding them.

This is a movie I have wanted to see for a long while now. I loved the book by Scott B. Smith, and I am actually delighted with the movie adaptation of it. If I were to change anything about the movie, it would have to do with a couple of the vine effects that took place, some of them were just not frightening, but when you get deeper into the movie, you can see where the budget went. As far as characters go, it is hard to choose just one that I fell in love with, but if I had to give props to someone it would have to be Stacy as she is battling with becoming the vine’s first victim. Watching as she is tormented with and nobody believing her that the vine is still present in her body, she takes it a step further than anyone could have expected to make sure she is safe from its wrath. I would recommend that you read the book before you watch the movie, since the book is brilliant, and you will have a couple more scenes in it. And even though they are not in the movie, you can visualize how they would look, and it makes the experience that much more enjoyable. P.S., not going to investigate any Mayan ruins now, just saying. Stay Scared!

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