Rating of
1.5/4
A Prehistoric Tragedy
GeminiSixty6 - wrote on 03/16/08
I had really high expectations going into this film, but unfortunately within the first thirty minutes I realized my time would have better been spent learning historical information about 10,000 B.C. at the Smithsonian Institution. The film was way too hyped up. I remember seeing the first teaser trailer for it with all the words flashing up: Life, Death, Love, Betrayal, and etc. I’m sitting there with my mouth hanging open just anxious to see this one, and then Roland Emmerich pops up as the director, and I get even giddier. He has a very impressive resume: Stargate, Independence Day, and The Day After Tomorrow just to name a few.
So, back to movie time…I’m expecting this visual masterpiece since Mr. Emmerich was directing, and in all honesty he really didn’t disappoint me there. The film was impressive to look at, but to me it lacked in story and emotion. Yet again we have another young here in love, yet again he has to prove himself able to win her love, and yet again he sets off into the unknown to rescue her and accomplish it all. Now I think it would have worked better if they would have tried to stay more accurate with history. It was exaggerated way too much in my opinion. I walked in expecting a deeper story and seeing connections with all those words that popped up in the teaser trailer. Now they touched on most of them briefly but not as much as they should have, and hell I don’t even recall seeing anything resembling betrayal and that was one of my top ones. I guess I was expecting a little bit more of a love triangle type thing for that one, but oh well.
The only real solid part to me was a dialogue sequence between D’Leh, played by Steven Strait, and Tic’Tic, played by Cliff Curtis. Tic’Tic is explaining to D’Leh about a man’s circle and how some men draw theirs to only include the ones close to him, like his wife and children. Then how some other men, Like D’Leh’s father draw theirs to not only include the ones dear to him, but to include all others, for example the entire tribe. I thought that was a well done scene with a lot of heart, and a key turning point for D’Leh. Too bad there were not a couple of more like that to establish his character a little better. At least it wasn’t all about getting the girl to him at the end.
So, if you like visually appealing films, then you will not be disappointed here. Its mind numbing action in some parts, but it works. Just don’t expect a lot of anything else. There is enough action to keep one entertained, but if you were looking for a really good drawn out fight sequence with the tiger like everyone hoped for, then you will be sadly let down as I was. I do not recommend checking it out in the theater. Wait until it comes out on DVD, or hits the $3.99 bin at Circuit City.
