10,000 B.C. was a magical cinematical experience. It's been a while since I had so much fun in the theater while watching what I would normally regard as a shitty film.
I saw it at KLCC on Friday (7th of March). It was a rowdy crowd. People laughed at the most inappropriate moments (but then, the film IS full of unintentional hilarity) and made amusing comments as the film went on. Like the few women behind me, where I would overheard lines like:
"Waaah! Fesyen 10,000 B.C. sangat seksi la! (The fashion from 10,000 B.C. is so sexy!)"
Or
"Ooyoh, dia akan matikah? (Oh no, is she going to die?)"
"Tak lah, itu Old Mother akan guna magic! You tengok lah! (Nah, the Old Mother's gonna use her magic, just watch!)"
Or
"Eeeeheheh, dia orang jahat, tetapi sangat gentle terhadap perempuan lah! Not bad lah! (He's a villain, but he's gentle towards women, not bad!)"
Audiences were imitating the grunting noises (dialogue) from some of the tribes in the film, giggling when some characters were posing manfully, laughing at this old shaman woman's weirdness, and gasping out loud when a key character died in a generic manner. It's almost like watching Rocky Horror Show.
We have our heroic caveman D'leh (and woolly mammoth-hunter) chasing after his love after she got kidnapped by armoured villains on mounts. Thus he starts traversing through foreign lands with some fellow tribesmen (where we got your cliched swooping camera of people running through majestic landscapes that you have seen so often in the Lord of the Rings films) Then running into other tribes, magical creatures (er, more woolly mammoths, killer dodos and sabretooth tigers)
Before they finally reach their ultimate destination, a massive city where the seemingly more technologically advanced baddies have brutally enslaved thousands to build a pyramid, and they are ruled over by a god-like figure that reminds me of... that tall and girly bad dude in 300. But then, in many ways, 10,000 B.C. is a 300 rip-off (see how hero D'leh exposes the god-like figure). Just that seriously, the glistening manly cavemen ain't really as cool as the awesome Spartans.
10,000 B.C. is rousing stuff. To see the underdogs breaching seemingly unsurmountable odds to fight against untouchable godlike figures who rule using the weapon of fear and blind belief, to finally make changes with their own hands.
It's almost like yesterday's election day. I don't think I need to tell you the results.
When I walked out of the cinema, I overheard a bunch of teenage girls talking. One was moved to tears by the film, her friends were heckling her then. I was wondering what was she crying at then. But I think I understand now.
Highly recommended to those who want to see it as a silly allegory of our own political climate, don't watch this if you intend to take it seriously.
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