Tuesday, March 11, 2008

10,000 BC, A Mammoth Tale


Unless you’ve been living under pile of mammoth dung, you’ve probably seen trailers for 10,000 BC. Often when a movie is hyped to the point of complete market saturation, the studio has spent major dollars on a flop and is trying to fill as many seats as they can on opening day. I am pleased to report that is NOT the case with 10,000 BC. I must admit I had my doubts when I saw it last night.

The plot takes you on a wild journey across hundreds of miles during a time before the pyramids. If you’re one of those type that says, “that could never happen,” out loud at a movie, stay home (or at least don’t sit by me)! However, if you can let go of reality, you will have a lot of fun with this flick. This is a nice action adventure story with all of the common elements of an epic tale: Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Himself, an obligatory romance and, of course, giant man-eating emus.

I am a bit of a snot when it comes to special FX and I have a low tolerance for cheesy FX. I found 10k BC to be visually and audibly spectacular. The CGI is well rendered and all but one character is completely believable. The sound effects are completely immersive and not once did I find myself distracted by the score. That is not to say the music is memorable. I couldn’t hum a single bar if I had to.

I’d give it 3.5 out of 5. If you’re an FX nut like me, definitely see it at the theater. If you’re looking for an art film with a boat load of Oscar nods keep looking. 10k BC is sure to have you engaged until the surprising end.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I won't see it. I'm allergic to cats. Particularly large saber-toothed varieties. They say they are extinct, but you never know.....