Official Synopsis:
From Roland Emmerich, director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow comes an awesome new adventure about a time when mammoths shook the earth and mystical spirits shaped human fates. This special effects spectacle is an eye filling tale of the first hero (Steven Strait), who sets out an a hold trek to rescue his kidnapped beloved (Camilla Belle) and to fulfill his prophetic destiny. Battling a saber toothed tiger and prehistoric predators, he'll cross uncharted realms, form an army and discover an advanced lost civilization. There, he will lead a fight for her liberation - and become the champion of the time when legend began.

  
Our Take:
Accuracy, shmaccuracy.

There sure was a lot of press surrounding the release of 10,000 B.C. and how factually inaccurate it was. What, you mean cavemen weren’t all pretty warriors who hunted mammoths and were attacked by dinosaur-like bird creatures? And god-like humans didn’t harness mammoths to build pyramids and huge cities? So the guy who brought us Godzilla, Independence Day, Stargate, and The Day After Tomorrow, which were all clearly steeped in scientific fact, wasn’t making a documentary? Really? Thanks for that news update.

Personally, I could have cared less about how completely fictional the world of 10,000 B.C. is; I didn’t go to the film for a history lesson. I went because Roland Emmerich makes larger-than-life movies that are usually enjoyable on at least a purely popcorn level. Plus, I really love mammoths. What bothered me much more is just how lackluster the movie is. It’s the type of thing where I can’t really put my finger on what went wrong: the action sequences are pretty cool, the special effects are terrific, the acting is capable, and the climax of the film is actually really exciting. But somewhere along the way to getting to that climax, the film just decides to plod along rather than hit any really exciting notes. I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece here, but I thought I would be more entertained than I was.

I’m a little surprised by Warner’s treatment of the film on DVD as well. Granted, it wasn’t a blockbuster smash, but for a film that grossed about $100 million, I expected a little bit more.

* Alternate Ending – Like most alternate endings, it’s not that exciting.
* Additional Scenes – Ten minutes worth of deleted scenes.

10,000 B.C. is the kind of movie that’s fun to watch, but the minute it’s over you’ll completely forget it even existed. There’s just nothing memorable about it at all

Overall Picture:
Movie: C+
DVD: C+

- Mike Spring

Editor