10,000 B.C.
GRADE: C-
REVIEWED BY DNA SMITH Special to Florida Weekly

King Features

Time: 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13

"10,000 B.C." is the latest special-effects epic from Roland "Independence Day" Emmerich. It's a story about an outcast caveman who takes a small group of his tribemates on a rescue mission to save the woman he loves and other tribe members from a marauding band of slavers from a much more technologically advanced people.

Most of the criticism being leveled at "10,000 B.C." is that it's historically inaccurate - which is true. "Quest For Fire" it ain't. Heck, "The Flintstones" were more true to history than "10,000 B.C."

So what?

I loved "300" BECAUSE it wasn't The History Channel. I loved all the over-thetop effects, the bombast and its wonderful self-indulgence. But "10,000 B.C." doesn't have the same sense of fun as "300" did. It tries too hard to take itself seriously, when it should've been a full-on, pedalto the-metal joyride.

Sure, the film does attempt some ridiculous fun, like during the scene where the group of cavemen are attacked in an African jungle by a flock of enormous chickens. Yes, chickens. What should've been a fun, over-the-top action scene, sadly, is played seriously, like we're supposed to be on the edge of our seats worried that our heroes are in actual danger.

The film isn't a total disaster, thank God. There is a breathtakingly exciting mammoth-hunting sequence early in the film that is a pure adrenaline rush. And the final battle is darned good. The problem is the entire movie should've been like that, instead of trying so hard to be epic and coming off as yabba-dabbadumb.

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.