The problem with "The Ruins" is a similar problem I’ve been seen in horror recently, like "Them (Ils)", is its all set-up and no payoff. "Them (Ils)" is an experiment in pure terror and suspense, light on gore, but you’ll be captivated till the climax, which whimpers out. "The Ruins" is a subject of bad character choices that lead to far more horrific endings that what the secret of the ruins has and again peters out in the final minutes. So it really comes down to the ending; if it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, then you’ll be disappointed by the whole film, no matter what good things happened prior. But if you don’t mind it, then you’ll enjoy "The Ruins". For the first two/thirds of both of those films (you’ll have to seek "Them (Ils)" out on DVD at Best Buy), I’d highly recommend them, but you might just want to close your eyes and cover your ears so you won’t know the endings. You’ll be better off.

"The Ruins" begins when a German guy befriends some Americans students on vacation, somewhere in Mexico. Wanting some culture, they set off with him (who hopes to find out why his brother hasn’t come back from the archeological dig), and come across a beautifully preserved (apparent) Mayan temple. Quickly, the locals surrounded them and forcefully, trap them on top of the temple. Why are the locals so angry at some tourists visiting a historic place? Where’s the archeological team? And what’s making that noise?

That’s the set up and what’s appreciated is that the film is far more interested in the groups collapse from bad decisions than bloody demises. Not to say the film lacks gore, because it does and in quite seat-squirming detail, but it’s from a choice rather than a "killer". Characters must start making serious choices for the better of the group fast, because something wants them dead and the locals won’t let them leave. If they try to, then they will be shot dead, as the locals demonstrated earlier. Hot, tense, and the lack of food all plays apart here. While this is the premise of the film from almost start to finish, the kind of classic "group trapped in one place scenario" (see "Night of the Living Dead, 1968), I was hoping they keep pushing it further and further. As some decisions are made they quickly agreed upon. The film, I should mention, is based on a book, a rather long tome, so maybe I’ll get want I wanted there. But some decisions like amputation and cutting are quickly handled, when simple questions the audience has are never addressed.

Why don’t they burn down the vines? What was the reasoning for tricking the locals with what they do at the climax then and not sooner? The film has a few payoffs, but when you create tension, you need a valve release for the audience, like a bloody death or slight humor; the film has no humor (which is okay) and little death. The climax doesn’t reach the high you’re expecting either, and the film ends with a shrug of the audiences shoulders.

While I am being vague about the "killer" in the film, for the sake of those still wanting to see it, "The Ruins" is a nice fresh break from the "Saws" and remakes of the horror world. If they ended on a high note, the exciting middle act would have made he film a bigger hit, but like the recent hyped "Them (Ils)", it is all set up and no payoff. For that, it is a mild matinee diversion.