For The Ruins, the gulf between expectation and execution is great – as is the movie. Who knew?
After all, the Netflix description – “an idyllic vacation in Cancun takes a dangerous turn for four young Americans when a mysterious tourist persuades them to join an archaeological dig” at surface level, reads like you’d be in for a standard bikini stalk-and-slash. Or maybe even a cursed Mayan artifact film, perhaps along the lines of a dopy Dolly Dearest or if you’re lucky, something a little more cerebral a la La Llorona.
The first 15 minutes features fit bodies and loads of tequila.
But instead of the same old, same old…an eyeroll becomes a real eye-opener: The Ruins first takes an Italian cannibal detour, then veers into survivalist horror and then the supernatural – borrowing liberally from multiple genres and against all odds, picking from the best of each.
Surprisingly, for a bunch of seemingly two dimensional Spring Break knuckleheads, the characters demonstrate a strong will to live, courage in spades and resourcefulness that belies their central casting appearance.
The Ruins is at times brutal and harrowing, with scares self-inflicted, often shown in daylight, and incredible use of a dense jungle setting.
If there’s a better horror sitting at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, we’re not aware of it.
***3/4 (out of 5)
Really Awful Movies 