10,000 B.C.

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PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr, 49 min
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle
Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures

(*NOTE* Some SPOILERS)

A simple tribe of prehistoric hunters finds its way of life threatened when attacked by “four-legged demons.” Homes are burned and people taken to lands unknown. The village’s best hunters take off in pursuit, becoming, as the narrator says, hunters no longer, but warriors.

D’Leh, the lead character played by Steven Strait, is determined to rescue Evolet, the love of his life, along with the other hunters who were taken from the tribe, and without whom the people will starve. Thrust into the unasked-for role of Hero, D’Leh leads an army of many tribes to liberate thousands of captives–now slaves.

Visually, this is a decent film. CG effects are well blended with the action, and the cast acted out their roles in an acceptable manner. That said, this movie left a lot to be desired. The plot is based on a tired storyline with predictable turns: Hero’s village is attacked; Hero must rescue people; Hero displays special ability or fits prophecy; Hero faces danger; Hero wins, with minimal losses.

One thing that annoyed me was that D’Leh seemed to care more about getting his girl back than anything else around him. He pulls it out in the end and even manages to care, but until that point, he is very one-dimensional.

Hollywood loves its beasties. The production team behind 10,000 B.C. is no exception, with massive prehistoric monstrosities, which was the most impressive part of the movie. Mastodons (“Mannak”), a saber-toothed tiger (“Spear Tooth”), and a herd of two-story carnivorous emu-like birds provide some action-oriented eye candy. Other than that, however, the entire movies comes off flat.

It’s not horrible, but it’s not great. If you have Netflix, go for it. Is it worth buying a copy? Not on my dime.

3 Discs

Appleseed Ex Machina

John Woo and Shinji Aramaki’s futuristic tale of cyborgs, bioroids, and humans spotlights the E.S.W.A.T. force of Olympus, a post-apocalyptic city.

Governments from around the world are about to join in a massive satellite-sharing operation. Terrorists attack from unexpected directions, causing turmoil in the city. The core of the E.S.W.A.T. team faces not only their biggest mission, but their most intimate challenge ever. Deunan, a hard-charging human, Briareos, her cyborg partner and love interest, and Tereus, the bioroid fashioned from Briareos’s DNA must overcome excruciating obstacles to ensure the peace and safety of not only Olympus, but the world.

The motion-capture technology used for this film is much improved from earlier incarnations. Characters’ body movements were the most natural I’ve seen so far. Unfortunately, the animation style felt far more appropriate to a gaming environment than a movie. My fingers got twitchy in expectation of game play that, of course, never happened. This blended animation style continually pulled me from the story so I could check out where they splurged or skimped on detail (ie: fine facial movements verses chunky locks of hair).

As to the story, I found the love triangle an interesting byplay to the larger situation. A conflicted Deunan deals with two versions of the same man. Set within the bigger frame of a terrifying social meltdown, this emotional situation adds tension to an already difficult day.

For the most part, the story was believable. Certain elements were predictable, but they were presented in a manner that will leave anime fans satisfied.

Hardcore fans might find this film a bit off the pace at times, but, overall, it’ll be a fun title to add to your collection.

One other note for people who use CC: The captions are severely lacking. They don’t

4 out of 5 Discs