I just watched a caveman flick. Ok, technically, it probably was not meant to be as such, but it really is hard to think otherwise (what, with all those mammoths and prehistoric birds). Anyway, the film has its fair bit of standard Hollywood action. I'm not entirely sure how much I like the way the protagonist turned out to really be more of an accidental hero whose exploits were the result of blind luck rather than any measure of heroic effort or skill.
Of course, this is not to mention that the geography's really rather messed up, what having tribals moving from snowy peaks to tropical (apparently) jungles and then into the desert. Really quite a journey for people on foot. Better yet, it leaves me wondering why slavers would go to such lengths to gather a handful of slaves from such distant lands. Seems quite counter-intuitive for me, but I am ever-willing to suspend my disbelief.
Unfortunately, the film also bears the marks of inadequate visual narrative. The constant presence of a disembodied narrator is pretty much a hallmark of a film that cannot stand alone without explication. Moreover, there was evidence of throwaway characters and melodrama. There is such a thing as having too much drama in a single scene. Falling into a pit of spikes that is getting flooded while having vultures pecking at meat overhead while having a sabertooth tiger below (and actually taking the time to free it) is pushing the limits of even my willing suspension of disbelief.
Overall, I felt the film was pretty run of the mill and that means it does not get more than a 6/10 from me. It was an interesting take on the lives of people in the past, but could really have saved themselves a lot of trouble by not giving the film a specific date as a title, since that would only cause erudites to question its historical accuracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment