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The Ruins (R, 2008)

common sense media says

Tourists vs. flesh-eating vines; guess who wins?

parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this gory horror movie features grisly violence, with sound effects and close-up images of broken bones, gashed flesh, and amputation (this last is particularly gruesome, with explicit gore, bone, blood, and sound). In another brutal, very bloody sequence, a girl who's tormented by vines that have invaded her body cuts her leg, torso, and head to pull the plant out. Weapons include arrows, guns, and knives. Girls show lots of skin in early scenes (one appears naked as she's dressing; her breasts are visible in profile, her bottom from the back), and there's a brief shot of a young man's naked bottom from the back. Drinking includes margaritas, beer, and tequila; language includes frequent uses of "f--k."

Positive messages: Tourists make wrong decisions, betray and argue with one another. Mexican locals are portrayed as scary throughout.
Violence: Lots of violence, rendered in extremely visceral forms. A frightened girl is whisked off screen by an unseen monster. Weapons include guns, arrows, and knives. A character is shot in the head (graphic and explicit; half his head flies off); a small boy is shot in the chest. Other violence includes falls resulting in broken bones, penetration of bodies by vines, the brutal amputation of two legs (bones broken with a rock, legs hacked off with a hunting knife, bloody stumps visible, lots of screaming). Broken glass inside a wound (lots of blood). A girl starts cutting vines out of her own body, which yields even more blood. A girl accidentally stabs her boyfriend in the chest. A mercy killing is heard but not seen. A boy smears blood on his girlfriend to disguise her as a corpse.
Sex: Early scenes show girls in bikinis and couples being interested in sex. Drunk, a girl tries to kiss a young man but is rebuffed. A young couple makes a bet with oral sex as the payoff; the next morning, after rising from bed and stripping naked (breasts and torso visible in profile, bottom visible from back), the girl agrees to deliver on the bet, and the film cuts away as she straddles her partner (she's wearing a camisole and underpants at that point). A young man steps out of shower (shown first with towel around waist, then brief shot of naked bottom from rear). Later scenes show the girls in underpants and skimpy, increasingly raggedy tops (occasional shots show cleavage). Kiss at end of ordeal.
Language: Lots of uses of "f--k," as well as other language, like "s--t," "hell," and "ass."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Several scenes show drinking (margaritas, tequila, beer); when a character has his legs amputated, he's given liquor to kill the pain.
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More on The Ruins

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the appeal of grisly horror movies. Do you think they're trying to make a point underneath all the bloodshed? If so, what? What do you think about the trend of tourists as modern slasher movie victims (as opposed to, say, babysitters during the '80s)? Is that a commentary about politics or other bigger issues around the world?

What's the story?

What's the story?
THE RUINS offers up yet another group of pretty, white American tourists whose blithe, privileged confidence is about to hit a big snag. Two couples on vacation in Mexico -- Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) and Amy (Jena Malone) and Stacy (Laura Ramsey) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) -- accept an invitation from Mathias (Joe Anderson), a German traveler they've just met, to check out an "archeological dig." But at the temple deep in the jungle, they find only scary-looking, armed villagers ... and flesh-eating vines. The tourists more or less proceed to get picked off one by one, as much through their own arguments, betrayals, and bad decisions as by the exceedingly insidious and strangely intelligent vine.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The disintegrations of the couples' relationships parallel their turns to brutality. Their fights and frustrations lead directly to ugly violence. Jeff, an aspiring doctor, diagnoses injuries, decides on "treatments" ("Keep his legs clean," he says of a comrade with a broken back and gashed legs), and protests their situation ("This doesn't happen," Jeff blusters, "Four Americans on vacation don't just disappear"). While the others are less convinced that someone will come save them, they do go along with his decision to amputate the legs of the comrade with the broken back. This leads to excruciating pain and gruesome imagery, as they break the legs with a rock and cut them with a hunting knife.

In another sequence, when one girl believes the vines are inside her body, she begs Jeff to cut them out. Though he agrees to a couple of efforts -- horrified as he pulls out the long, green, trembling cables -- at last he has to stop. "There's no more cutting," he says flatly, "We can't keep cutting." In this, the film achieves something like a metaphor, as the tourists' fears have infected their very beings, vine-like, and their decisions are increasingly ineffective precisely because they're based on fear and ignorance.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: DreamWorks
Director: Carter Smith
Cast: Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, Shawn Ashmore
Genre: Horror
Run time: 91 minutes
Theatrical release: April 4, 2008
DVD release: July 7, 2008
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong violence and gruesome images, language, some sexuality and nudity.
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This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs
 
 

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What parents & educators say

17
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say sexual content is an issue
  • 33% say language is an issue
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Most useful reviews by all members

SACYUC
teen, 15 years old
17
 
Bad
Pretty bad, the sex ruined the movie.
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WVMSWOLF
teen, 15 years old
13
 
This was one to the sickest movies I seen but if your into that kind of stuff then go for it !
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NoParentEmail
kid, 12 years old
17
 
k
k
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meowski
adult
 
It was ok.
This was an okay movie, alot of gore and violence though. I would say it is definately not for children under 17.
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YOUTUBEYAY
parent of 12 year old
17
 
DONT WATCH IT
well, the vines eating people sounds cool (i love canniballism) and porn is cool, but GORE? EEEKKK!!!
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Joey1356
kid, 12 years old
17
 
OK movie.
I would of rated off for 16 and under if there were no sexual content. Very grusome and bloody. Alot of language and sexual content. Mild drinking.
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Jnic
teen, 18 years old
17
 
Regret Watching It
I have regretted watching this film ever since I saw it two years ago. Definitely not a smart pick for viewers who are relatively new to the horror genre. Experiencing this as my first R-rated film, I know this movie seriously upset me and I would never chose to see it again. Extremely violent, graphic, gory and disturbing. There is also a significant amount of sex related material, including male and female nudity. Unless you are already very desensitized and get a thrill out of chilling terror and intense gore, I would not recommend this movie to anybody.
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coolboy22
teen, 14 years old
17
 
Perfect for adults
very bloody movie: NOT FOR KIDS
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mattthemovieman
teen, 17 years old
13
 
stupid stupid stupid
its like the director just made indiana jones spring break gone horibly rong
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leva
kid, 9 years old
17
 
ugli scary movie
too scary
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nickthedude1313
teen, 17 years old
15
 
My Mom took me to see it on my 14th b-day
After I watched it I knew it was something a little out of my age level, and I also think this isn't worth watching again. But it does make you jump at some points
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TXSnoot
adult
 
Don't Waste Your Time, and certainly not for kids!
Don't Waste Your Time, and certainly not for kids!
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CSM Screen ...
teen, 14 years old
 
The ruins is a very scary picture but definitely not for children.
Honestly if your kids haven't seen any R rated material this is not age appropriate. The violence is a major issue. Two people have to break a guy's leg off with a rock and burn the skin with cooking oil. A girl cuts herself. There is more graphic violence. The sexual content is very iffy. I didn't say it was off because it's not the worst I've seen but still there is some nudity that's partially explicit and some sexual references. The language is a big issue. There's like 20 something f words and its derivatives, anatomical terms, scatological terms, religious exclamations and profanities. Overall not for the kids.
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cerealkiller189
teen, 13 years old
13
 
Urghhhhh"...............
Awww sh*t.I just wasted 2 hours of my life I won't be getting back anytime soon watching this with my dad at the movies yesterday.Extremely brutal and graphic.For those of you who want to know if this is a cannibal movie,no.This is no Cannibal Holocaust ,definitely NO Cannibal Ferox(both of which I regret watching.)A guy gets his leg tangled in vines and has to saw it off in huge amounts of resultant blood,we see flesh,muscle,bone and tendos. INCREDIBLY GRAPHIC.This was only to give you a brief description.It looks real worse out there on the screen,let me promise you.Stay 100 miles away from this if you can't handle gore.*regrets letting 10 year old brother watch.*Uhhh,by the way if anyone knows an unrated or uncut version of this coming out on DVD,please tell me.Gonna watch it with my dad just to see of there's any differences from the theatrical version.
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