10,000 B.C. (Limited Edition)

 

 

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When marauders on horseback raid a peaceful mountain village in 10,000 BC, a young hunter named D'Leh (Steven Strait) travels to the ends of the earth to rescue the kidnapped members of his clan, including his azure-eyed love Evolet (Camilla Belle). Along the way, he encounters a variety of exotic (primarily African-looking) tribes, and battles creatures including woolly mammoths, a sabre-toothed tiger, and a flock of phorusrhacids (carnivorous terror birds). In the end, he must take a stand against a powerful empire and lead his people from enslavement.

Director Roland Emmerich, known for special effects extravaganzas (Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow), tries hard to create an epic adventure, but seems to have lost interest along the way. Each sequence promises to deliver a grand spectacle, but then culminates in a feeble and hurried resolution. Even the climactic battle disappoints with its myriad of missed opportunities.

Emmerich's screenplay, co-written by Harald Kloser in a departure from his usual role as composer, is a complete bastardization of history. The biblical parallels to Moses and the Exodus are admirable, but a clichéd subplot about D'Leh's long-lost father and narration by Omar Sharif merely complicate the story. Further, the script fails to explore the intriguing concept of an untamed world on the verge of civilization. In fact, the protagonists' values are so 20th-century, it seems they have little to embrace but the invention of the iPod. Sprinkling the script with a hint of mysticism and prophecy does little to remove the proceedings from contemporary life.

Yet, to convince an audience that the members of the Yagahl tribe existed long ago, the actors speak in a variety of bewildering accents ranging from Slavic to Jamaican. And the production department has dressed them in Rastafarian dreadlocks and castoff costumes from Dances with Wolves to further the image. Of course, most of the cast is far too attractive to portray believable Cro-Magnons.

As the reluctant hero, Strait has a charisma that may signal a promising career, but the ineffectual Belle looks like a palaeolithic Avril Lavigne with her heavy eyeliner. The villainous raiders, meanwhile, both look and sound Arab, which is sure to offend minority groups.

From permafrost wastelands to vast desert-scapes, the film does offer occasional breathtaking cinematography. However, poor lighting for some exterior shots suggests indoor sets were used, and the bamboo 'jungle' looks extremely synthetic. Indeed, the film seems merely an excuse to apply CGI to prehistoric beasts, but they all look suspiciously cloudy.

Whereas 1981's Quest for Fire was a groundbreaking and compelling look at our ancestors' struggle for survival in a harsh environment, 10,000 BC is a boring saga that never draws you in. Rating: 4 out of 10.

Les hommes réunit peuvent faire de très grandes choses, c'est fou ce que la volonté d'un seul homme aidé par quelques camarades, le destin et de fort vieilles prophéties peuvent donner comme résultat !

Ici nous avons droit à un histoire tout à fait grandiose, les décors sont magnifiques, les paysages a coupé le souffle et l'histoire captivante ce qui est loin d'être pour gâcher le tout ! On remonte comme le titre nous l'indique au temps des hommes "sauvages" mais ayant tellement de coeur, de croyances et de volonté qu'il est tout a fait normal de ce demandé ce que nous avons de plus qu'eux pour ne pas être nous même des "sauvages"...

Certes c'est légèrement fignolé autour de l'ignorance des gens de ce temps, mais il est tout a fait possible qu'une telle histoire est puis se passer dans ce temps voir même bien plus grand que cela, il y a toujours eu des peuples pour suivre des hommes charismatique et cela a bien souvent changer l'histoire d'un peuple pour ne pas dire la face du monde tout entier... on voie tout simplement ici une possibilité parmi tant d'autres !

Un grand film a voir si vous aimer le genre des possibilités, les grands espaces à faire rêver et que vous croyez encore que les peuples peuvent s'unir pour réaliser un but commun sans aucune arrière pensée...

As I said many,many times, I was shocked and surprised by the negative reviews I would see on the web, I thought this film was awesome! who would of thought the prehistoric era can be thrilling and exciting (also films about it); and I love the ethnic drums in the soundtrack.

The film starts in a remote central Eurasian mountain range, home to a tribe of hunter-gatherers called the Yaghal, who survive by trapping and killing mammoths. Here, the young hunter D'Leh who had found his heart's desire - the beautiful companion named Evolet (I like the sound of that name). When another band of mysterious horse-riding warlords raid the Yaghal camp and kidnapped Evolet (along with many others from the village), D'Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters south to pursue the warlords to the end of their known world to save her. Driven by destiny, the unlikely band of rescuing warriors must battle terror birds in the Levant, and D'Leh saved a saber-toothed cat from a hunter's pit. Along their journey they meet other tribes of warriors, who have also had loved ones kidnapped by the marauding horsemen. Together they form a coalition and march in pursuit of the captors. At their heroic journey's end through a vast desert, they discover a mysterious civilization ruled by a enigmatic god-like figure (known as the Almighty) who is said to be the last survivor of his kind. Their ultimate fate lies in a city of slaves who toil to serve a being regarded as a living god, the Almighty, who has ordered the construction of three colossal pyramids. D'Leh manages to rally them together and the slaves join him and his army who have infiltrated the city in a revolt against the Almighty.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A fantasy prehistoric film..Not the Discovery channel
Well, this is a fantasy prehistoric film, loved the scenaries, the actors, the legend story, much was said about it, the people who gave it a negative reviews are watching the... Read more

Published 19 months ago by R. Daoud

1.0 out of 5 stars Another frisbee!
This movie was so stupid I find it difficult even to think about it. Again a movie with potential that resulted in a huge disappointment. Read more

Published on Feb 2 2010 by Reid Tucker

3.0 out of 5 stars great bonus disc, flawed film
There is a great bonus disc included in this limited edition, National Geographic's Prehistoric Predators Sabertooth (approx. 45min.), which makes the set worth owning. Read more

Published on Nov 28 2009 by Cheryl

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining
Well I only know a little about prehistory, and am presently reading more, and with that small knowledge I found a few aspects of the film questionable, however that didn't... Read more

Published on Feb 10 2009 by Estrild

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a Documentary
Ok, Ok, historical accuracy is non-existent here, we get the picture. But is it entertaining, beyond that?

Published on Jun 27 2008 by Michael Wideski

2.0 out of 5 stars The Prehistoric Guide to History and Geography
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. People in 10,000 BC looked just like us, except dirtier - and some even copied hairstyles from American Idol's Jason Castro... Read more

Published on May 2 2008 by Amanda Richards

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