I honestly felt more compassion for the computer-generated mammoths than I did any of the main characters.
As 10,000 B.C. begins, a narrator (Omar Sharif) sets up the storyline. A primitive hunter-gatherer tribe called the Yagahl are faced with starvation. The mammoths they hunt for food are beginning to become scarce. The chief of the tribe ventures off into the world to find a solution to their plight. His son, D’Leh (Steven Strait), grows up thinking his father abandoned his duties. A young girl named Evolet (Camilla Belle,) the last member of a neighboring tribe arrives in the camp. Her tribe was slaughtered by “four legged demons.” Her bright blue eyes set her apart from the other members of the Yagahl. D’Leh falls in love with Evolet but to officially “make her his own,” he must earn the honor of carrying the White Spear.
Fate intervenes when the “four legged demons” capture the Yagahl’s male hunters as well as Evolet. The “demons” are actually warriors on horseback. D’Leh and Tic’Tic (Cliff Curtis) manage to evade being captured and lead a rescue effort to save their fellow tribe members. D’Leh, of course, is most interested in saving Evolet. Their chase leads them through strange lands and into danger and conflict.
Unfortunately, that danger and conflict doesn’t translate into excitement for the viewer. Director Roland Emmerich’s 10,000 B.C. was marketed as a rousing action/adventure movie in its initial promotional campaign. Alas, the reality couldn’t be much further from the truth. Omar Sharif’s narration supplies most of the plot development between scenes of our heroes endlessly walking or occasionally coming into contact with CGI-created creatures. The story dabbles in mysticism, mythology, and historical incongruities but doesn’t use these elements to conjure up any thrills or creativity.
It doesn’t help that the main characters are completely one-note. D’Leh makes for a wishy-washy hero. Evolet is beautiful but otherwise uninteresting. Minor characters like Baku (Nathanael Baring,) a young Yagahl who tags along on the journey, and the creatively named Warlord (Affif Ben Badra,) the leader of the “four legged demons,” provide glimpses of possible places the story could have gone but doesn’t. With completely stale characters, the action scenes have no emotional weight. If someone dies, it doesn’t matter much because we had no real idea who they were anyway.
The special effects, used to create sprawling and occasionally impressive wide shots, are worth mentioning. The staggering amount of so-so quality CGI used doesn’t hamper the viewer’s suspension of disbelief anywhere near as much as the predictable story-line. I honestly felt more compassion for the computer-generated mammoths than I did any of the main characters.
10,000 B.C. could have been an interesting diversion from typical action fare. Sadly, it is not.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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