I went into this film not knowing what the main plot would be, all I knew was that it was horror and involved a set of Mayan ruins but it was definitely one of the best horror films I've seen recently.
The plot follows four American tourists - Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy on holiday in Mexico who go with Mathias - a German tourist whose brother is missing - to an old Mayan ruin covered in vines. the locals in the jungle don't want them to leave and they end up trapped in the ruins. it's eventually revealed the vines covering the ruin are a carnivorous plant that spreads fast, hence the natives trying to contain it. the plant can mimic a sound and it can grow on anything. this leads to a truly unnerving scene where Stacy starts screaming in hysteria only to calm down and the plants then mimic the sounds of her screaming so the group are forced to listen to it.
The characters are pretty well developed and likable enough (except for Amy who's a bit of a bitch) and outside the usual horror stereotypes. for example Jeff assumes control of the situation and tries to make most of the decisions for the group and they are realistic couples (ie not one slutty girl with a jerky guy and two nicer ones).
the movie has its share of gore but does have some restraint and avoids going down the Saw, Hostel, Chucky route and having senseless gore everywhere. it only reserves the gore for when it's needed. the movie relies a lot on atmosphere to create tension and is more about how the characters deal with their situation. it avoids being the predictable horror film as it waits for a good while before characters start dying so you end up hoping a few of them might make it out.
the movie does have some really powerful and freaky scenes, most notably where the Mayans shoot a little boy who touched the vines (Amy threw it at him) and another one where they find that the vines can start growing inside people which leads to Stacy becoming paranoid that the vines are inside her so she starts cutting herself up to try and get the vines out.
overall, a good horror flick and don't be put off by the fact that plants are the main villains. it's done pretty well and should be fun to watch.
The plot follows four American tourists - Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy on holiday in Mexico who go with Mathias - a German tourist whose brother is missing - to an old Mayan ruin covered in vines. the locals in the jungle don't want them to leave and they end up trapped in the ruins. it's eventually revealed the vines covering the ruin are a carnivorous plant that spreads fast, hence the natives trying to contain it. the plant can mimic a sound and it can grow on anything. this leads to a truly unnerving scene where Stacy starts screaming in hysteria only to calm down and the plants then mimic the sounds of her screaming so the group are forced to listen to it.
The characters are pretty well developed and likable enough (except for Amy who's a bit of a bitch) and outside the usual horror stereotypes. for example Jeff assumes control of the situation and tries to make most of the decisions for the group and they are realistic couples (ie not one slutty girl with a jerky guy and two nicer ones).
the movie has its share of gore but does have some restraint and avoids going down the Saw, Hostel, Chucky route and having senseless gore everywhere. it only reserves the gore for when it's needed. the movie relies a lot on atmosphere to create tension and is more about how the characters deal with their situation. it avoids being the predictable horror film as it waits for a good while before characters start dying so you end up hoping a few of them might make it out.
the movie does have some really powerful and freaky scenes, most notably where the Mayans shoot a little boy who touched the vines (Amy threw it at him) and another one where they find that the vines can start growing inside people which leads to Stacy becoming paranoid that the vines are inside her so she starts cutting herself up to try and get the vines out.
overall, a good horror flick and don't be put off by the fact that plants are the main villains. it's done pretty well and should be fun to watch.