How to ruin 'The Ruins'
MOVIE REVIEW
by TIMOTHY CHIPP Reporter

Laura Ramsey and Shawn Ashmore star in "The Ruins," now playing in local movie theaters.

So what should you do in Mexico when on vacation with a small group of friends? Or rather, what shouldn't you do?

In the same way "Hostel" made it nearly impossible to stay at one of the European inns ever again, the new horror/thriller "The Ruins" answers that question, but it could have been a better movie.

While it wasn't short of jumpy moments, bloody injuries or characters who break down mentally under stressful situations, the movie's problem was the ending.

It lacked any kind of final punch. It really did seem as if the credits came 10 minutes too soon, something not really experienced in movies these days.

Directed by Carter Smith, "The Ruins" is based on a book by Scott Smith and was developed by the author for the big screen.

The movie stars four relatively talented 20-something actors - Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore and Laura Ramsey - as a group of friends looking for adventure on the last day of their Mexican vacation.

While lounging at the pool of their resort, they are approached by a German, Mathias, who is heading to a Mayan temple ruin in search of his missing archeologist brother.

The group of vacationers agrees to join him but when they arrive, they are greeted by weapon-toting Mayan villagers dead set against them leaving.

The gruesome story gets going when the descent into the pyramid goes awry, and the rope holding the German some 30 feet in the air snaps and he plummets to the ground below.

Panicking, the group decides to lower Stacy (Ramsey) using the rest of the rope. Needless to say, it all goes wrong from there, as it does in most psychological thr illers.

Injured in her descent, Stacy must rescue Mathias, who is lying paralyzed but still alive on the ruin floor.

It's here that the movie's villain, some blood-thirsty plants, makes an appearance.

Stacy and Mathias ( Joe Anderson) are soon attacked by the vines, which drive themselves through the open wounds and begin to destroy their minds.

Adding to the insanity is the flower of the vine and its ability to mimic any sound vibration it comes across, even voices.

However, the ending is truly disappointing for a movie that is well-written and well-acted.

Ramsey ("The Covenant") does a fantastic job unraveling before the camera, and she steals the show from her more famous co-stars.

That isn't to say the other three are slouches. Ashmore ("The X-Men" movies) plays her boyfriend, Eric. He has to deal with her destruction from a different place than the other two companions.

Jeff (Tucker of TV's "The Black Donnellys" fame) falls into the role of the leader with his medical school background. He's the pillar of strength next to the collapse of Stacy, taking most hardships on himself to shield the others.

Malone ("Saved!") plays Amy, the party girl who is dragged along despite her hangover. She is the one who deals with the horror of the plants first, as she attempts to find a cell phone ringing in the ruins.

There is resolution in the story, but the finality of it all just seemed rushed, something the book doesn't do.

I felt there could have been more panic and more story to tell once the ruin story was resolved.

The movie itself was well-shot, with great visuals of the Mayan ruin covered in vines. There is considerable gore in the movie, though, and it is not for the squeamish. Most notable is a double leg amputation by means of a rock.

I guess I want a different ending - something closer to the book's finale that isn't a cop-out in favor of feel-good movie-making.

Had it not been for the ending, the movie would have been perfect.