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Last Updated: Apr 15th, 2008 - 09:53:28 |
It is difficult to pick what is worse about the new action film “10,000 B.C.”
Is it the White folks in bad “dreadlock” wigs? Is it the creation of a new Tarzan who tames African tribes? Is it the warping of Egyptian history to include a non-existent White king 10,000 years before the birth of Christ? Or is it the fact that this is another epic about rescuing a valued White woman?
At least in “The Day After Tomorrow,” German-born director Roland Emmerich tackled a serious topic and, in that movie as well as in “Independence Day,” offered amazing special effects. Unfortunately, in “10,000 B.C.,” the good special effects of prehistoric animals cannot overcome the vacuous and melodramatic plot. For this film, Emmerich seems to have taken his creative queues from movies from the 1950’s and 1960’s, as well as from reports of missing white girls on cable news programs.
Beginning with the voice of a dead-sounding narrator, “10,000 B.C.” bombs from the start. The narrator lets us know that this will be the story of how the great “blue-eyed tribe” came to populate the earth. With our non-Aryan eyebrows full raised, we are then directed to members of a small band of people called the Yagahl, who seem to reside in present-day Asia or Europe but, somehow, are able to walk all the way to Africa.
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| In 1966, Hollywood brought us busty Raquel wearing a loincloth. |
A man named D’Leh turns out to be a leader for the Yagahl and, when many in his group are kidnapped by what appears to be a band of Arabs, D’Leh sets off with two other men and a boy to rescue them. The journey takes them from their cold environment, near a great, snowy mountain, to the tropics. Even if he does not know it, D’Leh’s journey has been prophesied, along with his relationship to one woman, Evolet, who he is pursuing to rescue. From the earliest frames of the movie, we learn that Evolet is special because she has blue eyes and skin that is paler than that of the other women around her. Prophesies are made about her. The Yagahl men vie for her hand. The evil leader of the marauding Arabs gazes into her aqua pools and takes Evolet as his special prize.
The narrator lets us know that D’Leh is also special, so special that he can tame all manner of beasts, even some giant ostriches that should have died millions of years before with the rest of the dinosaurs. Amazed by D’Leh’s magical powers, leaders of African nations are happy to follow him. As it turns out, the evil Arabs have also kidnapped Africans so what forms is a sort of prehistoric “Coalition of the Willing” that aims to rescue loved ones from the Arabs. If all these nonsense references to modern-day conflict in that region of the world aren’t bad enough, the noble ancient Egyptians take a real beating. No matter that, according to most accounts, habitation of the Nile Delta would not occur until 5,000 B.C. and the pyramids would not be built until even later.
Only Hollywood could come up with such a story. You might remember that in 1966 Hollywood also brought us “100 Million B.C,” featuring the busty actress Raquel Welch wearing a loincloth and presenting the implausible combination of man and dinosaur sharing the earth at the same time.
More than two decades later, Hollywood’s stereotypes and delusions—as well as its worn-out theme of the White damsel in distress— seem to be only getting worse.
This review also appeared on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com,/i>
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