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As the movie’s title says, this is story of a mountain hunting tribe long before the dawn of history. A young blue-eyed girl, Evolet, is predicted by the high priestess to have a crucial role in the future of the tribe. Attracted to her is a young boy, D’Leh, whose father is known as a coward, having abandoned the tribe to save himself. Young as they are, the two believe that they are destined to be a pair. Years later, the young man D’Leh (Steven Strait) slays a mammoth singlehandedly, prompting the chieftain to bequeath to him the white staff, the symbol of tribal leadership. Soon after a band of warlords on horseback raid the village for slaves, and one of them fancies Evolet. Learning about the abduction, D’Leh decides to rescue her alone, but two other hunters join him. From now on, they say, they would be warriors, not hunters; soon they discover a teenage boy following them, wanting to join them. This unlikely band of four then brave the harsh winter in the wilderness in pursuit of the marauders. In the process they discover a lost civilization.
Realistic is the word that keeps popping up as one views the movie. The mammoths—hairy elephants with long curved tusks—are definitely CGI (computer generated images), since they died out more than 10,000 years ago. Unlike other CGI-aided movies that bank on wizards, people flying and all sorts of phenomena possible only in the realm of the imagination, 10,000 BC simply pits mere humans against fantabulous animals. First the mammoths that could kill you with a flap of their ear; then the giant birds that look like oversized ostriches but have a taste for human flesh. Add to that the saber-toothed tiger four times the size of the zoo variety but which is so intelligent it can honor a debt of gratitude. It is to these CGI creatures that the movie owes it appeal. The non-Hollywood actors are relative unknowns although they deliver a fair performance. All other technical aspects like cinematography, music, sound effects, editing, etc. also contribute to the movie’s overall acceptability.
Values that may be gleaned from the story are loyalty, self-confidence, self-respect, bravery, perseverance, reverence for the unseen power. Teenagers may benefit from discussion with elders on topics like courage and responsibility: how can one tell when one is being truly courageous or merely impulsive? Ponder, too, how the people’s actions are dictated, and lives are shaped, by oracles and signs from the heavens. The hero here is motivated by gut feel, whether he is promising undying love to a girl he hardly knows, or is negotiating a deal with a tiger ten times his size. The story may satisfy the teen crowd or moviegoers who can enjoy a screen adventure that doesn’t burden its audience with profundity.
(Date Reviewed: 06 March 2008)
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