Don't worry, I got it covered!
Photo: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Back in April I gave The Ruins a C+, saying, "For the majority of its 90 minute runtime The Ruins really works, and it only loses its appeal once; in the moments leading up to the finale where it almost seems like the filmmakers just gave up on how to get themselves out of the situation."

I don't know if it is because I already saw the film and knew what to expect, or if it just worked better for me the second time around, but I would probably bump that C+ up to a B- at the very least as I think this is a very satisfying horror flick and the unrated version adds a little more gore and even gives naysayers about the ending a little bit more direct approach to the ending.

You may believe that to look at A Simple Plan and The Ruins in the same piece is a little silly and that the fact that they were written by the same fella is too loose a tie to bind them. Ha, you would be dead wrong on that front my little friend. Whereas A Simple Plan is a dark drama and The Ruins is an all out killer vine horror these two films are very much alike when you dig into their guts.

A Simple Plan turns on the idea of what people will do when put into an extraordinary situation. It's an exercise in evaluating human behavior. Well, guess what, The Ruins is the exact same thing and almost more so.

Okay, who had the leg?
Photo: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Sure, The Ruins in its marketing is about a vine that feeds on human blood, but the story itself is the way humans react when confronted with such a situation. Four American tourists and one German counterpart suddenly find themselves going from happy hikers to caged animals. One thing worth noticing about The Ruins is that the killer vines never actually kill anyone. All deaths can be contributed to the hands of humans. [highlight blacked out text to reveal spoiler]

I have not read any of Scott Smith's books, but I think I am going to add "The Ruins" to my reading list since I have been told the ending is different (read as "darker") and the characters have been switched around as in what happens to Stacey in the film actually happened to Jeff, etc. I may also have to pick up a couple other Smith books and see if they also delve so deeply into the human psyche, because it really is what makes The Ruins so unique in the horror genre. You can find his works here.

On top of that, it appears we may have a new director to keep our eye on in Carter Smith (if anyone has Bugcrush let me know). Looking at the film as is you may not think Smith has pulled off any great feat, but when you watch the deleted scenes you will be thankful he was the one at the helm as an entire storyline involving hope-giving rain was cut from the film for pacing reasons. Perfect call Carter.

Is there something in my eye?
Photo: DreamWorks Home Entertainment

Also included in the deleted scenes is a second alternate ending. The film itself has a slightly alternate ending than the theatrical release did, but it is like I said, just a little more straight-forward for the idiots that thought the ending was too "happy". Well, the alternate ending included in the deleted scenes could be considered an extension on the original theatrical ending had the naysayers actually thought things out. And since this is the unrated version, the original ending is also included in the deleted scenes bin.

The featurettes included also go into the making of the film in some great detail and considering the lengths they went to not to use CGI it is a pretty good gallery of making-ofs.

So, my night with Scott Smith flicks was a .500 night. Or, to be fair I will say .600 since I did find a little something to take away from A Simple Plan. In my position I put myself and my opinions out there and I was ready to write a retraction and say I liked A Simple Plan after all, but it appears the past ten years couldn't change my opinion on that one. However, that isn't stopping me from taking people's advice. I already watched Mean Streets, read "The Road" and have Bottle Rocket in the player right now (a film I am 98% positive I will not like, but still going to give it a shot). If you don't listen to the passionate cry of others you may miss out on a lot of good shit. I also have Clint Eastwood's Bird sitting on the coffee table and I am waiting for a free 160 minutes before I pop that into the player.

So, if you ever see/read me bashing a film and you disagree, please don't hesitate to chime in. Who knows, maybe I will have to give it a second chance and join your club.

Related post categories: Cinematic Revival, Editorials, Home Video News, Movie News, Reviews : A Simple Plan, Carter Smith, Sam Raimi, Scott Smith, The Ruins

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