Creative quotient
10000 B.C.is based in the prehistoric ages when men lived in caves, trees and other forms of less civilised dwellings. It is the story of a young man D’Leh (Steven Strait) who falls in love with Evolet (Camilla Belle). D’Leh comes from a tribe of mammoth hunters, people who kill and worship the giant elephants.
A tribe of barbaric plunderers raid D’Leh’s village and kidnap Evolet. D’Leh sets out on a quest to save his fair maiden and on the way his men team up with other tribes who have suffered at the hands of the same plunderers.
The barbarian tribe is a civilised tribe who builds pyramids and worships the Gods. They abduct other tribes and make them work like slaves at the mercy of whiplashes and spears. D’Leh takes it upon himself to liberate those suffering under the blind faiths of the plunderers.

Technical expertise
The film comes from director Roland Emmerich, a filmmaker who’s given us entertaining films like Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow in the past. Emmerich has always had a thing for CGI and 10000 B.C.is like a brochure for what computer-generated images can do for a feature film.
Sadly, beyond its visual appeal the film does very little to make sense of its story. At its centre lies a love story that unfolds in a plot that tries to envision the blind faiths of early human civilisations. Emmerich has always been the one for cheesy films and 10000 B.C. suffers greatly due to that. The characters are wooden and no more convincing than any seen in fairy tales and Disney stories.
Those who have seen Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto will instantly see a similarity between the main premise of the films. But, where Gibson’s account of ancient tribes was grim and gore-infested, Emmerich’s version is clean and more fairy tale-like.
Those expecting a smart piece of cinema will definitely feel disappointed as the only thing 10000 B.C. does is make you marvel at how good special effects can be.

Verdict
10000 B.C. had a lot of room for innovation and storytelling but it seems its makers focussed only making it a visual spectacle. Had Emmerich cast a few better actors, given them better dialogues, kept room for character development and avoided the use of English in his film, his prehistoric saga would have amassed great reviews. Sadly, his film does nothing of the sorts. Thanks to its excellent visuals and innovative premise, the film is worth two stars.