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10,000
B.C.
(2008)
 
Epic spectacle wizard Roland Emmerich follows
up such sci-fi/action films as Stargate, Independence
Day, and The Day After Tomorrow with the perfect
opportunity for filmgoers to witness
the de-evolution of cinema. Not only does 10,000 B.C. take
viewers back to a literal prehistoric heroic saga but it
tells one of the
most basic, primitive, and undeveloped story in a millennia. I
don't think anyone expects this to be more than a brainless
action film but it doesn't provide the stunning visuals
or adrenaline-fueled sequences to
compensate for its extreme lack of substance.
In a remote mountain village a tribe of mammoth hunters
live in peace until their village is attacked by slavers
from a distant land. Young hunter D'Leh (Stephen Strait)
sets out with the tribe's greatest warriors to rescue his
lover Evolet (Camilla Belle), a journey that takes him over
mountains, through jungles, and across deserts. Along
the way he amasses an army of followers set to topple the
ruthless slave empire and finds the power of his destiny.
Now, I can suspend disbelief and even my own elitist
film-snobbishness when entering a movie like this, but I really
struggled with accepting much of what was put forth in 10,000
B.C. The shear absurdity of most of the movie takes
it above and beyond the standard category of stupidity that
most spectacle action pictures fall into. I think I reached
my threshold when the wooly mammoths were used to build the
pyramids. Somehow, even while attempting to be at my most easily
entertained, Emmerich lost me with that one.
I was impressed with the overall metaphor of the film, as it follows
D'Leh less on a realistic geographical journey (because, let's face it, going
from the mountain tundra to the jungle, to the desert isn't the kind of journey
one makes on foot in a matter of days) but a trip through the early advances
of human civilization. As the movie progresses, humanity evolves from a hunter-gatherer
society to an agricultural oasis and finally into the pyramid-filled megalopolises
of Egypt. This meta journey is by far the most interesting and intelligent element
of the film, but it is explored so shallowly that it's impossible not to get
distracted by the resulting anachronisms. Whether their subtext was intentional
or not remains up to debate but it was a constant thought as I was watching what
was otherwise a pretty dumb film.
Add in some subtle racial dynamics and you've got yourself both a historical
and socially problematic film. It's certainly not overt, but one doesn't have
to dig very far to notice that the white people get attacked by the arabian-looking
ones, elicit the help of the warlike black tribes and then conquer the world.
I'm not saying it needs to be completely PC because, in reality, it is just an
action epic that didn't make the cut for a summer blockbuster release, but the
racial divisions and roles are far too clearly defined to go unnoticed. This
isn't to accuse anyone involved in the film of racism or anything, but it was
something that I noticed and it stuck with me after the movie ended, but that
could also be due to the fact that so much of the film was so dull that I forgot
it immediately.
I'll admit that the final battle was pretty exhilarating, and as over-the-top
as it was, I enjoyed it. Unfortunately this high was quickly negated by one of
the sappiest and most contrived endings of all time. I had high hopes of being
thoroughly entertained by 10,000 B.C., but all it really did was prove
that Roland Emmerich is perhaps the only filmmaker working in the action genre
that can give Michael Bay a run for the title of most formulaic and ineffective
directors in modern cinema. I don't want to plagiarize those now clichéd
Geico commercials, but directing an action movie is so easy that even a caveman
could do it...what does that say about Emmerich?
-Mark
Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2007 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Roland
Emmerich
Writer: Roland
Emmerich & Harald Kloser
Starring: Steven
Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Virgel, Affif Ben Badra,
Mo Zinal, Nathanael Baring, Mona Hammond, Omar Sharif
Distributor: Warner
Bros. Pictures
Runtime: 109
min
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: March
7, 2008
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