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10,000 BC is directed by Roland Emmerich, and narrated
by Omar Sharif. The film stars Steven Strait, Camilla Belle,
and Cliff Curtis. The musical score is composed by Harald
Kloser and Thomas Wander. ***
10,000 BC is set in the era the title implies. Societies
are tribal, and largely based around hunting. When a rival
tribe attacks, an outcast must strike back against these
newfound invaders, in an attempt to rescue his fellow tribesmen
who have been captured and taken away. ***
Director Roland Emmerich's previous directorial credits
include Stargate, Independence Day, the 1998 version of
Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow. To put it simply,
Emmerich is great at making popcorn movies, but nothing
beyond that. His resume so far is a hit-and-miss one, with
only the former two films really being of any value. He's
had his share of disappointments, and regretfully, 10000
BC does nothing to change this. In fact, this may be his
worst film to date, despite the huge production values that
went into creating it. ***
10000 BC gets so bogged down in issues that there are
very few redeeming qualities - so few, in fact, that I can't
even quite recommend it on a “guilty pleasure” level. The
characters are all clichés, the acting wooden, the feel
of the film cheesy and campy throughout, there are historic
anachronisms galore…. You get the idea. There are some exciting
moments, and the CGI looks fantastic, but moments of greatness
can't make up for nearly two hours worth of, well, I don't
exactly know what to call it. ***
This is arguably the worst Roland Emmerich film to
date. But, I'm not arguing with the man's potential talent
as a director. There are a lot of misses on his resume,
but I have no doubt he'll release some better film in the
next few years and redeem himself, bouncing right back.
Just don't bother with 10,000 BC. ---
Image And Sound: Seriously, I have no problems with
the DVD transfer of this film. While a weak film, I won't
argue that it LOOKS fantastic, and this comes across beautifully
on the DVD. Images are strongly detailed, with minimal grain,
and the audio quality is superb as well. ***
Additionally, Warner Bros. continues their recent trend
of offering both versions of the movie, full screen and
anamorphic widescreen, on a single disc, thanks to dual-sided
disc technology.
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