Tensions run wild in the Mexican jungle in this psychological thriller whcih sees a group of US tourists fighting off the ultimate persistent vine.
A group of four US backpackers join Mathias, a German tourist investigating the whereabouts of his friends who went to explore some archaeological ruins in this simple but clever thriller flick.
When the group arrive at the dig they’re confused by the hostile reactions of the locals and soon find themselves under siege at the top of the dig which seems to exist in a mobile phone blackspot conveniently (for the plot) leaving our team of friends are unable to call for help.
After a couple of false starts the group discover that a mobile ringtone they hoped would lead to their salvation is being deliberately generated by the flowering vines which surround them in an effort to capture and kill them.
If you can accept this plot point the rest of the film is pretty easy to swallow, if not you’re gong to be in for a long evening.
The only decently developed character is med school student Jeff played by Jonathan Tucker from TV’s “The Black Donnellys”, the rest of the gang are pretty 1-dimensional and exist essentially to show us what a resourceful chap Jeff is.
Whether bossing his friends around, rationing the water, finding food or amputating the odd limb using just a rock, penknife and warm frying pan to cauterise the stumps with, Jeff is just the man you need in a crisis. It’s just a pity he’s such a charisma-free zone.
The film treads a lot of familiar territory and there aren’t a lot of surprises to be had along the way but the performances are credible and the plot always manages to avoid straying into the absurd – pretty remarkable given the premise.
This is a pretty decent psychological thriller, the subject matter may put off some but it contains some genuine scares and thrills.
The Ruins is set to hit cinemas across London and the UK from June 20th.
