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10,000 B.C. Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
This is a sweeping odyssey into a mythical age of prophesies and gods, when spirits rule the land and mighty mammoths shake the earth. In a remote mountain tribe, the young hunter, D'Leh (Steven Strait), has found his heart's passion—the beautiful Evolet (Camilla Belle). When a band of mysterious warlords raid his village and kidnap Evolet, D'Leh is forced to lead a small group of hunters to pursue the warlords to the end of the world to save her. Driven by destiny, the unlikely band of warriors must battle saber-tooth tigers and prehistoric predators, and at their heroic journey's end, they uncover a Lost Civilization. Their ultimate fate lies in an empire beyond imagination, where great pyramids reach into the skies. Here they will take their stand against a powerful god who has brutally enslaved their people.
For more about 10,000 B.C. and the 10,000 B.C. Blu-ray release, see 10,000 B.C. Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on June 30, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.
Only time can teach us what is truth and what is legend.
If I were to agree that 10,000 BC was as bad as I had heard it was, what would that
make movies like One Missed Call and
Meet the Spartans?
What about the various gems that play on the Sci-Fi Channel that I had the displeasure of
viewing
over the weekend, like Reptilian and Manticore? Compared to all of that dreck,
10,000 BC is a fantastic movie. Those aforementioned films are so bad, however, that
by "fantastic," I mean a solid 2-2.5/5 type of movie. Perhaps comparing any Hollywood film that
is considered an A-list movie from an A-list studio to a couple of Sci-Fi Channel train wrecks, the
worst parody I've ever seen, and a completely worthless horror flick, is the proverbial
apples-to-oranges comparison, but at the end of the day, each of these is still a movie that
someone thought was going to be good enough or, at the very least, as I believe was the case
with
Meet the Spartans, had the potential to earn enough money to turn a profit, to bother
producing. At least
10,000 BC offers viewers a competently made and acted movie with a real musical score,
solid production values, impressive set pieces, and very good special effects. It is simply a far
superior movie to any of the film's I've graded with our lowest scores, but it is by no means a
"great" or even "good" film, either.
The hero shot.
10,000 BC is a simple story with some mystical undertones that don't add all that much
to the story itself. A prophesy (there is always a prophesy) foretells of a warrior and his woman
who will lead the tribe from hunger, but not before some four-legged demons bring an end to the
world they know. That warrior is D'Leh (Steven Strait, The Covenant); his
woman is Evolet (Camilla Belle, When a Stranger Calls); and those demons are simply
members of a more advanced civilization with crude body armor and horses. These bad guys
(and many other aspects of the movie, for that matter) reminded me of Pathfinder. D'Leh
must win the right to be with Evolet by obtaining the tribe's sought-after white spear by killing a
mammoth. D'Leh, of course, kills it, but because he is a man of good conscience, he instead
leaves
the spear with fellow tribesman Tic'Tic (Cliff Curtis, Sunshine), for D'Leh
feels he did not kill the beast fairly. When the prophesy enters its fulfillment stage and Evolet is
kidnapped by the four-legged demons, D'Leh, Tic'Tic, and others venture out to exotic lands to
find her, meeting new tribes and fulfilling even more prophesies along the way. Will D'Leh find
his true love and fulfill his destiny, or does fate have other plans?
As I mentioned in the open of this review, 10,000 BC isn't the finest movie ever made,
but it looks and
sounds terrific. It's certainly not bad enough to be labeled as a "disaster," due in large part to the
spit and polish applied to the end product. Underneath all the glitzy effects, admittedly
impressive
set pieces, and the above-average score by Harald Kloser (Alien Vs. Predator)
and
Thomas Wanker (The Day After
Tomorrow), 10,000 BC has a wholly generic feel to it. It's not
always a completely predictable movie, but it's never surprising in its actions or resolutions,
either. All of the chase and action scenes are well-staged but not all that exciting. I think that's
the genesis of the main problem with this movie. For as novel as the idea for the film is, the
novelty wears off quickly; it becomes a standard-fare movie with a plot line that would fit into
most any movie of this style, set in any era or with any civilization several hundred years ago or
later, or
even involving a modern era tribe, yet albeit a still-undeveloped one. Scene after scene reminded
me of the superior Apocalypto.
10,000 BC, so many times, feels like the kid brother to that movie. It's far less violent, a
bit underdeveloped, slightly less coherent, and as a result, this Roland Emmerich (The Patriot)-directed
film is decidedly geared more towards mass audiences in every aspect of its existence than is
Apocalypto.
This unoriginality truly is the bane of 10,000 BC's existence. I could probably think of
dozens of movies that might feel ripped off by this one, from the aforementioned
Pathfinder and Apocalypto to even Battlefield Earth, Alien3 (the
famous scene where the alien gets in Ripley's face) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom. 10,000 BC even features the ubiquitous Braveheart rip-off when
D'Leh gives a "rally the troops" speech before the final confrontation. There is narration
from the legendary Omar Sharif (Hidalgo) that sounds
like it's straight out of a bedtime story, mostly because of the put-the-kids-to-sleep tone of his
delivery.
Despite the broad range
of movies that 10,000 BC manages to borrow from, it's still a fairly entertaining movie in
its own right. It's well-paced and is over before you know it, which is probably one of its finest
assets. Still, I'm not sure what the point of the movie was at the end of the day. It's a good
concept that is almost completely ruined by its lack of originality (even if its setting was ripe for a
fairly original adventure) but remains oddly watchable nevertheless.
10,000 BC takes a bite out of Blu-ray with its mostly impressive 1080p, 2.40:1 video
transfer. Background detail in this image is only moderately good, but foreground detail fares
much better. It's not the most detailed or best-looking disc on the market today, but it's
certainly
far better than adequate. We cannot only see the caked-on mud and paint on faces, but we are
privy to the chunks flaking off as well in close-up shots. All of the adornments worn by the
characters look excellent, as does the bamboo armor worn by some characters. Every line,
groove, and knot in the wood on
the side of boats looks marvelous in high definition. Detail in
faces in well-lit scenes is excellent as well. The film's numerous bright, outdoor scenes
fare the best; we can even see the cracks on character's lips as they traverse the desert and their
dehydrated condition begins to show, physically. The snowy mountainsides seen during the film's
first half are marvelously reproduced. Flesh tones appear to be handled expertly, and colors in
general are excellent. The red of the "birds" stands out as pleasing and
natural, a more muted but realistic shade that plays in stark contrast to many of the reds
seen in Drillbit Taylor. Black
levels are solid but not perfect, and it is in the film's darkest scenes where film grain becomes
visible. Otherwise, I failed to notice the presence of grain in the film's better-lit scenes. All the
same, this transfer is a solid one, and despite the movie's generally earthy-toned colors and lack
of fine background detail, it's overall appearance is a fine one.
10,000 BC has come to Blu-ray with an engaging Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround
sound mix. The first time we hear more than basic dialogue and a bit of music comes in chapter
three during the first hunt of the film. Each step a mammoth takes results in some good, deep
bass. As the herd runs from the hunters, the effect is greatly multiplied, and while it doesn't
quite sound like they are stampeding through the entertainment room, the effect is a good one.
Bass
rattles the couch, and the herd can be heard moving through every one of the speakers
connected to the sound system. In fact, bass is definitely one of this soundtrack's
strengths. It'll rattle and wallop time and again, greatly enhancing some otherwise tedious action
sequences. Dialogue is occasionally hard to decipher during the film's louder action sequences
but is generally reproduced with clarity and finesse. There is also some excellent use of the rear
channels, featuring the panning of sound as movement is heard through the brush in one
particular scene; it moves completely across the rear soundstage causing one of those "look over
your shoulder" moments. Nighttime ambience, including the chirping of insects and other
natural wonders, permeates the rears at just the right volume to alert us to its presence but not
enough to overwhelm our senses and leave us focused on anything but the primary action or
dialogue seen on-screen. Although a wonderful soundtrack, this one isn't quite as polished and
mesmerizing as the finest tracks we've heard so far, but this lossless soundtrack is certainly the
crowning jewel on this disc.
10,000 BC doesn't leave viewers in the stone age of home video releases with no
supplements to speak of. There isn't much here, but we do have a few goodies, including a digital
copy of the film which is found on the same disc as the high definition feature itself. A Wild and
Wooly Ride (480p, 13:18) takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the making of some of the
important effects and set pieces seen in the film, focusing on the pyramids and the animals.
Interviews with various cast and crew members are thrown in. Inspiring an Epic (480p,
12:57) takes a look at the real-life events of this tumultuous period in human history and the
influence of Graham Hancock's novel, Fingerprints of the Gods, in the making of the film.
Once again,
interview clips
with cast and crew (as well as Hancock), not to mention clips from the movie, are scattered
throughout. Finally, an alternate ending to the film (480p, 3:07) and nine deleted scenes (480p,
9:56) round out the special features department.
10,000 BC may be the ultimate "woulda, coulda, shoulda" movie. There was (and still is,
thanks to the lackluster final product seen here) a world of potential for a film set in this time
period. I believe the filmmaker's hearts and minds were in the right place with 10,000 BC,
but they failed to achieve the success that could have been. I'm a fan of director Roland
Emmerich's work (Stargate, Independence Day,
The Patriot, Universal Soldier), but he missed the mark with this one. That's
alright; everyone has an off-day (or an off-movie, in this case) now and then. Despite my
disappointment in this film, it's far better than many of the worthless, tired, and downright terrible
movies coming out of Hollywood today, and chances are good that Emmerich will be back with
another solid, entertaining picture in his next go-round. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of
10,000 BC is a passable one, with an above-average video quality and an exciting lossless
soundtrack, but only a handful of throwaway supplements. 10,000 BC is probably best
experienced on Blu-ray as a Saturday night rental.
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Warner Home Video has announced that they will release the action blockbuster '10,000 B.C.' for Blu-ray on June 24th, day-and-date with the DVD release. Video will be presented in 1080p VC-1 accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Extras include an alternative ...
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