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"10,000 B.C."

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis

Directed by Roland Emmerich

109 min.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"10,000 B.C." is as epic as it is predictable. When the warriors set foot on their journey, the end is obvious, but the story is presented in a way worth watching.

The prehistoric epic follows the life of D'Leh (Steven Strait) and his remote mountain tribe as he battles against the four-legged demons to save the woman he loves. But the battle is not be easy, even for a group of men who kill gigantic woolly mammoths.

When D'Leh was young, a blue-eyed girl named Evolet (Camilla Belle) arrived after demons ravaged her tribe. The demons are actually horsemen who capture slaves for an advanced civilization.

The two grow up and fall in love, so much so that when the demons do come and steal her, D'Leh is determined to stop at nothing to save her.

That's the predictable part.

However, the strength of the film comes from the composite fight scenes, the detailed CGI world, and the amount of imagination put into each tribe the hunter encounters along the way.

The detail put into each tribe's costume and identity is nothing short of amazing. D'Leh's tribe is the most primitive, with dirt, dreads and animal skins. As he moves through different climates, he encounters more tribes, each adorned with their own mark of originality, from people hiding behind painted tree bark masks to prairie grass camouflage.

There are a few fight scenes that are suspenseful enough to push the movie forward when the rest of the journey seems too long and slow. The battle in the jungle between giant ostrich-looking birds and tiny little men is creepy, and while hundreds of people die, the movie isn't anything close to gory.

Some critics attacked this film because it was unrealistic and far from historically accurate. Those looking to enjoy this film need to be armed with a large sense of suspension of disbelief. If this isn't something viewers are willing to do, it's best to steer clear of this movie.

Hollywood isn't a history book, and remembering that makes "10,000 B.C." a fun movie to watch, even if the mammoths are too big.

Julie Engler can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275 or julie86@siu.edu

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