jviramontez
Not sure why this received so many "accuracy" insults... at no point does the movie claim to be based in fact...Howeve, for those of us looking for a great story, impressive acting, great CG, and fast paced action, it really doesn't get much better than this...Highly recommended
romanorum1
Creating a period piece based upon the Stone Age is very dubious because little is well known about prehistoric times, even with some evidence like fossils and cave men drawings. Nevertheless it can be safely stated that Roland Emmerich's "10,000 BC" fails on many levels. And the problems go way beyond the historical blunders, which include Iron Age items (swords, cages, chains), pyramids, gilded metallic pyramid top, stirrups, fabric clothing/sails with bright colors, and copper telescope. Note that the Iron Age commenced only around 1200 BC; the Copper Age began around two thousand years or so earlier. We even see a fairly accurate early modern map of the western world, including eastern South America (!). Where did these ancients get the appropriate nautical instruments for map-making? Even domesticated woolly mammoths are shown restrained by iron chain in the DESERT heat. Could not the director use Computer Generated Imagery to create mastodons instead? Hey, you can't have everything! Anyway, it is nice to learn that folks had such full and white sets of teeth then, while some women had beautiful coiffed hair and skin without scars, cuts, and scratches (even after a grueling forced march). It was interesting to learn that the Africans dined on South American chili in 10,000 BC. Beyond these fantastic facts, the movie is problematic with odd language use (unnatural English) for the era. Another annoyance is the expression "white rain" for snow. One would think that early man had used a simple word for "snow" at it is a common occurrence among mountain people. Other problems include dreadful scripting, poor pacing, ill-timed editing, and unremarkable acting. The whole muddle would have been better known as a fantasy or dream.The film, which becomes more ludicrous as it progresses, is narrated throughout by Omar Sharif. A Yagahl mountain clan of woolly mammoth hunters ekes out a meager existence (to make some sense of location, maybe they inhabit the Mt. Ararat area in eastern Turkey). But as the narrator says, before long the tribe will morph into warriors. The main character, D'Leh (Steven Strait), is looked down upon by some as his late father was unfairly perceived as a coward. The kinfolk are attacked and pillaged by prehistoric Arabic-looking slavers on horseback while two dozen or so survivors are taken prisoner (including D'Leh's love, Evolet = Camilla Belle). D'Leh and three companions quickly assemble to track the invaders. They trudge across nearly impassable mountains and thick jungles and scorching deserts. But to obtain a few slaves the ancient Arabs certainly made a cost-prohibitive and long and arduous trek (coming and going), which seems to consume about half of the feature. Along the way people encounter three types of prehistoric mammals: (1) more woolly mammoths from the Cenozoic Era's Pleistocene Period, (2) Diatrymas (large flightless birds from the Eocene), and (3) a Pleistocene saber-toothed cat (Smilodon), whose upper canines are disproportionately large and so long that the poor animal can barely extent his lower jaw beyond them! Anyway, D'Leh frees the dangerous cat, who repays him by not eating him. Because he handled himself well with the Smilodon (known as "spear-tooth" by natives), D'Leh is acknowledged as leader of the growing expedition by the prehistoric black Africans. At trek's finale D'Leh observes a super-advanced civilization (very very early Egyptian) under a man-god who commands the building of pyramids. The ruling nobles are prehistoric Asiatic Indians. Despite his unifying of North African warriors, D'Leh realizes that he is still outnumbered. If only he can free the captive slaves working the pyramids! Will the captured slaves even help them? Guess. The CGI is passable, and the sweep shots of the pyramids are well done. A positive element is that the use of gratuitous violence is somewhat controlled. Not that there is no carnage, but the camera cuts do spare us the potential grisly segments. Would including these scenes improve the film? Well, go back and read the first paragraph. On a typically more negative note, the movie does present some strange quotes. Here are just three of them:• "I understand your pain."• "Don't forget to chew."• 'Tell him I am older than I look."A defender of Director Emmerich may say that he creates movies to please crowds and make money for the major studios. While that may be, it is difficult to find those above adolescent age who would appreciate this preposterous mess. You may get through it if you do not care much about history. But it is recommended only for the incarcerated, intoxicated, deranged, and the drugged.
