MOVIE: 10000 BC

I honestly think the value of certain movies is dictated by a) Your pre-conceived expectations, and b) Who you watch the movie with.

I went to see 10000 BC with my eight year old future-Mega-Pope and son, Liam. I knew it was going to be loosely based on reality and I knew there were no big-named-stars in it. So I had great company, but significantly low expectations.

And I loved it!

It isn't going to win any awards for acting or direction or music or anything else other than possibly special effects. But that doesn't men I didn't enoy it. It actually had a very subtle level of originality and it didn't spell out all its secrets to the viewers. I actually liked the plot. And the pacing was beyond what I expected. The effects were very well done. Some of the sweeping panoramic shorts were extremely impressive, especially toward the final battle. And I don't recall anything blatantly cheesy enough to make me roll my eyes.

10000 BC appears to have been well thought out and a serious effort put into make a semi-plausible revisionist version of history. I honestly enjoyed the suggestion that space traveling pharaohs fashioned the pyramids. I like the completely un-elaborated myth of Orion lurking in the background. And that the star pattern really was the constellation of the Hunter: Orion, complete his belt and shield. And I liked the protagonists tribe being based around the migration of mammoths, while revering them and selectively trying to only trap one of them per season.

Liam loved it, too. He had all kinds of great questions. And thought up some of his own theories. He was digging all of it and told him Mom that he had a great time.

Would I have enjoyed it with Cindy? Nope. With my friends? Probably not. With my parents or my brother? Probably not.

But Liam and I give it four thumbs up!