To anyone who has ever yearned to see woolly mammoths in full stampede across the Alps, 10,000 BC can be heartily recommended. There's also a flock of "terror birds"--lethal ostriches on steroids--in a steaming jungle only a splice away from the heroes' snow-dusted alpine habitat. And lo, somewhere in the vastness of the North African desert lies a city whose slave inhabitants alternately teem like the crowds in Quo Vadis during the burning of Rome and trudge in hieratic ally menacing formations like the workers in Metropolis. That's pretty much it for the cool stuff. Setting movies in prehistoric times is dicey. Apart from the "Dawn of Man" sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, only Quest for Fire makes the grade, and its creators had the good sense to limit the duologue to grunts and moans. 10,000 BC boasts a quasi-biblical narrator (Omar Sharif) and characters who speak in formed, albeit uninteresting, sentences--including a New Age–y "I understand your pain." But let no one say the storytelling isn't primitive. The narrator speaks of "the legend of the child with the blue eyes" and bingo, here's the kid now. When, grown up to be Camilla Belle, she's carried off by "four-legged demons"--guys on horseback to you--the neighbor boy (Steven Strait) who hankers to make myth with her leads a rescue mission into the great unknown world beyond their mountaintop. His name is D'Leh, which is Held, the German for "knight," spelled backward. So yes, there is some hidden meaning after all. 10,000 BC is the latest triumph of the ersatz from writer-director Roland Emmerich. Like Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004) before it, it's shamelessly cobbled together out of every movie Emmerich can remember to pilfer from (though to be fair, the section in per-ancient Egypt harks back to his own Stargate). Emmerich's saving grace is that his films' cheesiness is so flagrant, his narratives so geared for instant gratification, he can seem like a kid simultaneously improvising and acting out a story in his backyard: "P'tend there's this alien ... p'tend maybe he came from Atlantis or something...." Just don't p'tend it has anything to do with real movie-making.

Starring: Steven Strait, Camilla Belle, Cliff Cirtus, Joel Virgel. Director: Roland Emmerich.

I must be easily impressed. I am convinced of it or maybe I just love movies too much although there are plenty that I hate. This movie is getting skewered by professional critics and IMDb critics alike and it really does make me second guess my judgment but I've never let the crowd tell me which way to go and I'm not going to start now. I had meager expectations of 10'000 BC, not really sure what to expect and I'm also a HUGE History buff and studied Sumerian religion and culture a lot in High School (yes Sumerian NOT Egyptians like everyone is calling them on here.) More than anything else 10'000 BC is a stunning, jaw dropping spectacle from the hunting of the Mammoths to the incredible pyramid building and battles. If there was ONE thing wrong with this film it was it's rating. I am all for a family film, and I'm not some nasty dude who wants blood, guts and gore in everything I see but this film needed adult content. You needed to see the battle, the ruggedness of their lives and the violence, much like Apocalypto but I do understand wanting to keep options open to make more money. I do believe that 10'000 BC was made not as a historical grand epic that would take home awards but to make money period and it will do that I believe. There is also some common place plot holes and weird little things that could be picked apart but just sit back and watch this spectacle and just enjoy it because I think it's a masterpiece in it's own right.

The cast is adequate, I don't think anyone person really stuns or amazes but they are good in their respective roles. Relative newcomer Steven Strait plays the lead hero. A man who grew up believing his father abandoned his people but discovers he is destined to lead his own. He's good and watchable but doesn't light up the screen or anything and doesn't really command and huge presence on screen. Camilla Belle plays his love interest and she is stunning, she really is beautiful especially with those eyes (which are fake) but she really is nothing more than eye candy and a damsel in distress and I think she is or could be better than that. Character actor Cliff Curtis is the elder who longs to teach Strait's character and befriends him. His character could be a lot more important and in the forefront but he's kind of quiet and foreboding and loses a lot because of it. Same goes for Affif Ben Badra who plays a villain that is taken by the lovely Belle. I almost expected some sort of redemption for his character but it never happens, quite the opposite in fact. Oscar nominated veteran actor Omar Sharif is the narrator and they don't use him very much which is unfortunate.

It seems like when it comes to the cast they underused a lot of potential exchanging it for visual effects but that works because the CGI is incredible. The saber-tooth tiger, the stunning Mammoths, the pyramids, the main villain or god at the Pyramids was as disturbing as ever. As for historical inaccuracy...I really don't think the film was trying for that BUT it's not as inaccurate as everyone is crying about. The villains in the film are NOT Egyptians, they are Sumerians which a lot of history is mostly legend and lore and I think they do an incredible job at covering that. They even make mention of the possibility of them being from Atlantis, and give a whole actual visual on them putting together the pyramids and the original face of the Sphinx (which looked awful and cartoony but still...) The film is about as PG as you can get, never showing any skin, using foul language or any brutal violence. The battle scenes are still very cool but you'll never see a close up of anyone dying so you can bring your tweens and up to see it which is good. A different spin on historical epic for everyone. Director Roland Emmerich who has done some really incredible stuff (Independence Day) and some very disappointing average stuff (Godzilla) has a real desire to do monstrous things with a budget and sometimes it will work and sometimes it won't. Don't chastise him for wanting to entertain us. He's a good director and you can see it in his style and desire to entertain. I say fight against the harsh critics because if this is the beginning of a summer blockbuster it's pretty incredible!! I loved it!! 9/10

When the child of blue eyes called Evolet is found holding the hands of her dead mother by the tribe of the mammoth hunters Yagahl, their Old Mother (Mona Hammond) tells that the little girl will fulfill an ancient prophecy, marrying the owner of the White Spear and bringing life to their people. Years after, Evolet (Camilla Belle) and the outcast hunter D'Leh (Steven Strait) are in love for each other and D'Leh should dispute the White Spear and Evolet with his rival Ka'Ren (Mo Zainal). However Evolet and many hunters are abducted by the Four-Legged Demons warlords to work as slaves in their distant fields. D'Leh, together with the owner of the White Spear Tic'Tic (Cliff Curtis), Ka'Ren and the boy Baku (Nathanael Baring) track the tribe of warriors trying to rescue Evolet and the Yagahl hunters in a dangerous journey through unknown lands. When D'Leh saves a saber-toothed tiger from death, he becomes the leader of oppressed tribes that help him in his quest for freedom, life and love.

I was reluctant to see "10,000 BC" because of the low IMDb Rating and many bad reviews. However, as a big fan of Camille Belle, I fortunately decided to see this underrated adventure. The entertaining story is a combination of "Apocalypto", "Quest for Fire" and "Stargate" with a romantic situation, supported by magnificent CGI and action scenes. It is funny to read reviews of people that expect historic accuracy in this type of movie; I recommend that they never watch "A Nightmare on Elm Street", for example, otherwise they may have trouble to sleep… My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "10.000 A.C." ("10,000 BC")