Review: Movie makes a scary statement

As I sat in the dark theater last week, munching buttery popcorn while watching “The Ruins,” a new horror movie about man-eating plants, I thought to myself: Can vegetation really be scary?

The conclusion I came to was: No, plants are not scary, even if they have the ability to eat you.

That’s the ultimate problem with “The Ruins” — it takes itself too seriously when there are plenty of missed opportunities for campy fun.

The great killer-plant movies of the past were well aware of their absurdity. The best known among these is probably “Little Shop of Horrors,” the movie-musical about a giant Venus-human-trap that gives love advice and belts out numbers such as “Feed Me!” and “Mean Green Mother from Outer Space.”

Then there are the lesser-known classics like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (about alien plants that take over the earth), “Day of the Triffids” (more aliens), and the entire “Killer Tomato” series, which include “Return of the Killer Tomatoes,” “Killer Tomatoes Strikes Back,” and “Killer Tomatoes Eat France!”

“The Ruins” is no such fun, but IS entertaining in a so-bad-it’s-good kind of way. You’ve got to give credit to a plot that involves reckless college students vacationing in Mexico, an ancient Mayan temple hidden deep in the rainforest, and slithering, snake-like killer vines cursed by said Mayans.

Master-of-Horror Steven King is even a fan of the premise, and wrote that the 2006 Carter Smith novel it was based on would “do for vacations in Mexico what “Jaws” did for beach weekends on Long Island.”

While I wouldn’t take my praise that far, I will bet that many a viewer will now think twice before poking around forboding ancient ruins in foreign countries, especially in dark jungles with no cell-phone reception.

And yet hidden within this silly fluff of a movie is a tiny glimpse of a real and thought-provoking message.

The Americans in “The Ruins” presumed their Mexican taxi-driver would know English, snapped photos of local children like they were cute creatures in a zoo, and partied away their vacation with no desire for any real cultural interaction — until they embarked on their ill-fated adventure, that is.

“We’re four Americans on vacation!” screamed one petrified backpacker. “This can’t happen to us, we can’t just disappear!”

Even with its flaws, I commend the movie for making a statement about the “invincibility” of youth and also the arrogance of Americans, who, when out of their element, are forced to realize that their citizenship guarantees them no special privileges in the wilds of nature.

Especially when man-eating plants are hungry for lunch.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726