A Mammoth Mess

From the director who brought you the blockbusters Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 BC is also full of action and also lacking the substance necessary to carry the weight of such an epic attempt.

Rather than being engaged in a sweeping tale of heroicism and love set in prehistoric time, one is just left distracted by historical inaccuracies and bored by weak dialogue and unbelievable CGI effects.

Filled with mysticism and prophecy, the film draws on ancient ways of life mixed with the unchanging human condition. But along with his other Armageddon-like themed films, director Roland Emmerich fails to deliver the dramatic affinity the viewer should feel for the characters and their struggle.

Paralleled with the ending of the Ice Age, the film follows one village facing the challenges of keeping their people fed and a coming prophecy of “four-legged demons” that seek to destroy their way of life.

A band of non-English speaking horsemen do eventually raid the camp, taking many of their people as prisoners, including the beautiful, blue-eyed Evolet (Camilla Belle).

Evolet joined their village as a young girl after her own people were murdered by the same warlords. D'Leh (Steven Strait), a young hunter seeking her love, proceeds on a journey to the ends of the earth to rescue his “woman” and the fate of his people.

Awkward dialogue between the young D'Leh and Evolet lacks proper buildup and makes their love story feel somewhat contrived and unbelievable from one of the first scenes in the film. Rather than cheering for the success of their relationship, one is apathetic about it or even a little disappointed by its outcome.

A voice-over narration attempts to fill in the gaps that the meager dialogue leaves open, but only creates an unconvincing sense of importance. The dialogue, besides the fact that most of it is in English, isn't helped much by the actors whose short and sometimes random lines can never be taken too seriously.