Movie Review: 10000 BC

Friday night I saw the movie, 10,000 B.C. at the local theater. I don't see it as going on to become a classic, but it was worth going to see. It had some really good camera work and the music was done right. That is to say that I don't remember a time when the music intruded on the visuals. To me, that means that it was dead-on. Anytime I'm distracted from the action by the music, I feel that something went wrong. When it comes out on video I will probably buy this title.

The story is simple, but engaging. The main character is the son of the tribe's lead hunter. One day the father goes off on his own and gives up his place to another. He does it in such a way that the people are left to think that he was a coward, and this leaves a stain on his son, who was left behind. There is a girl who came from the outside. She is strange, but beautiful, and all of the men want her for a mate. The rivalry boils down to just two men, one of them is the shamed son of the former leader. Through a series of unintentional happenings he gets to claim the leadership and with it, the right to claim this girl. His sense of right and wrong do not allow him to retain either, but he earns them both back before the end.

Then, invaders come and take many of his people as slaves, carrying them far away, over the mountains. There are those who say that the invaders are demons and cannot be opposed, but our hero will not listen. He follows, with a few companions, and comes to strange lands. This small group endures danger and hardship, travelling through mountains, jungle and desert, gathering allies along the way. They finally come to the end of their journey and see that there are people from many lands being used as slaves to build a great pyramid. We're not really told why this great structure is being built, but it dwarfs anything in real life, and the slaves are driven unmercifully.

Of course, the hero wins out in the end, sets the slaves free and wins the girl.

There is a good bit of CGI stuff here, but it's done very well. I am impressed that film makers have come this far. I think the day is not far off when you will be hard-pressed to distinguish between CGI and live action. The fact that I could see it for what it was tells me that we're not quite there yet. There are several sequences where a sabre-toothed tiger is used and, at times, only my knowledge that no such creature lives today gave it away. The cat was very believable, with realistic movements and features. I was also impressed with the wooly mammoths.

I can recommend this to anyone who has an interest in pre-history or the fantastic. If you liked "Quest for Fire", any of the Conan movies, "Jurassic Park", or even the old stop-motion stuff out of the sixties, I think you will like this film. On the other hand, I couldn't get over comparing this to an older movie, "Beast Master," in my own mind. If you definately didn't like that one you may not care for this one either.