 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
10,000 B.C.
- Review Date: March 1, 2008
- PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2008
Common Sense Media says
Violent, poorly conceived prehistoric action.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this special effects-heavy action-adventure features lots of violent scenes that pit prehistoric tribesmen against large fierce animals and each other (sometimes in massive armies). Action scenes include hunts, chases, and fights; weapons include mallets, spears, nets, and huge knives (sometimes used to bloody effect). Several key characters are killed. There's also some minor cleavage and some questionable stereotyping.
What's the story?
10,000 B.C. begins amid the Yagahl tribe, with narrator Omar Sharif detailing the requisite legend (concerning a "child with blue eyes") and rough terrain. When a father leaves the tribe, his young son is taunted as the "son of a coward." The boy, D'Leh (who grows up to be played by Steven Strait), takes solace from his mentor, Tic'Tic (Cliff Curtis), who trains him to hunt giant mammoths and encourages him to keep faith in himself. A band of ferocious warlords arrives on horseback, kidnapping the blue-eyed Evolet (Camilla Belle), object of D'Leh's affection. He leads a small group across snowy mountains, jungles, and a gigantic desert until they find the villains driving slaves to build pyramids in worship of a man they call "God" (Tim Barlow). D'Leh has to muster his courage and lead a huge army -- his own few followers plus legions of desert dwellers -- in order to defeat the warlords and free the slaves.
Is it any good?
With its average plot, nondescript heroes, and stereotypical villains, 10,000 B.C. is a movie between a rock and a hard place. Indebted to director Roland Emmerich's own Stargate (1994), it offers little in the way of new ideas. While it's tedious enough that D'Leh is The One fated to free his people, he also turns out to be the savior for a large number of others. The other tribes are especially impressed that, fulfilling a longtime prophesy, D'Leh is "The one who speaks to the spear-tooth." (Yes, he literally speaks to an unconvincingly digitized saber-toothed tiger.)
Magical connection with felines notwithstanding, it's disconcerting that when light-skinned, movie-star handsome D'Leh arrives at the sandy site of his "destiny," he's surrounded by dark-skinned warriors who've apparently been waiting to be led to freedom and glory. Surely it's only coincidence that the sign of D'Leh's achievement is a White Spear. As if to emphasize this old-fashioned race dynamic, the villains -- especially the man who lusts after Evolet and his testy sidekick -- have large noses, dark skin, and terrible attitudes. That they must suffer mightily at the hands of the hero is no surprise; at least they don't have to witness the movie's utterly preposterous ending.
Kids looking for a fun movie with a prehistoric setting would be better served with Ice Age and its sequel.
What families can talk about
Families can discuss the film's accuracy. How much do we know about prehistoric life? How do you think the filmmakers decided on their version of the past? What parts do you think were sensationalized or fictionalized for impact? How could you find out more about the facts about this time in history if you wanted to? Families can also discuss whether they think the film plays on racial stereotypes. What parts of the movie might back up that theory? Does the movie rely on any other clichés? If so, what?
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AGE
Decent
Nothing spectacular, the movie is entertaining but no where near perfect. There is no language, no sex, and some violence. It has a poor plot.The beginning of the story is very exceting but the longer it goes on the more exhausting it becomes.
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AGE
Boring!
There is a great deal of fighting, but the movie is boring! I watched it with my 3 year old and he was talking about elephants-mammoths. I was only worried he's be scared that the animals would be killed, not the people.
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AGE
it got boring at times but other parts were action packed
ok truth, i thought the movie was going to be a little better than it was but still i didnt find myself that dissapointed in it. There were a couple scenes that were boring and they could have made a bit better but other parts were intense and action packed. So overall i liked it more than i dis liked it. I recomend to age 12+.
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AGE
awesome
very good! violent but not gorey! i loved it!
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AGE
Enjoyable
I will agree that this movie is not historically relevant, but that doesn't mean it's bad. First of all, how many people would you think would go see this movie if it was in some ancient Aztec language? I think the movie directors had them speak English for a reason.
Anyway, I thought this was a pretty enjoyable movie. It was fun to watch, and I loved seeing all of the places and costumes. I don't see why everyone hated it so much... but I would give this movie 3 1/2 stars, dispite it being historically incorrect.
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AGE
Not good, but not absolutely terrible
I really thought this movie was going to be better than it was. While I liked the fact that the main male lead was willing to risk it all for his one true love, the movie other than that just didn't do it for me. The plot really isn't that good, although there's not any bad language or sex in the movie which makes up for it a tiny bit.
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AGE
10,000 B.C. is a bore but there is nothing inappropriate for kids.
10,000 B.C. is a very mild film. The violence isn't a big issue but it's still concerning. There is no blood nor gore but there is a lot of intense action here. The language is extremely mild and there's hardly any here considering this is PG-13. There is no drugs/smoking in the film. There is no nudity, no sex, no sexual innuendo, no sexual references. Basically no sexual content. Overall don't worry about 10,000 B.C. being PG-13. It's very mild.
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Roland Emmerich |
| Cast: | Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Omar Sharif |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 109 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 6, 2008 |
| DVD release date: | June 23, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sequences of intense action and violence. |
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