Director Roland Emmerich takes his eye for bombastic spectacle back to prehistoric times for 2008’s 10,000 BC. Members of the Yagahl tribe hunt massive elephantine beasts called Mannaks to survive. When those critters grow scarce, the Yagahl come on hard times, and some foresee the end of their civilization.

However, a seer called “Old Mother” (Mona Hammond) predicts the future arrival of a great hunter, one we get to know as D’Leh (Jacob Renton). Eventually we meet him as a young adult (Steven Strait); as predicted, he kills the Mannak, and he also wins the right to his desired mate, Evolet (Camilla Belle).

Or so it appears, but D’Leh soon reveals the truth: he only stayed with the Mannak because his hand was caught in a net, and the creature died when it accidentally ran into his spear. D’Leh cedes his claim to Evolet since he won her with a lie.

D’Leh soon gets a chance to prove himself again, though. Mysterious “demons” raid the Yagahl village and kidnap Evolet. D’Leh goes after her and encounters all sorts of adventures as he attempts to rescue his beloved.

As I prepped this review, I realized that Emmerich hadn’t directed a film since 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow. That surprised me, as I didn’t think he’d waited so long between movies. I guess that’s his MO now, since a similar gap occurred between Day and 2000’s The Patriot.

To some degree, I regard those long waits as a bad thing because I take some pleasure from the director’s flicks. Emmerich’s movies rarely make a lick of sense, but they’re always exciting and enjoyable. Heck, I even got a kick out of the much maligned Godzilla remake from 1998.

Unfortunately, BC stands as Emmerich’s weakest effort since 1992’s Universal Soldier. Actually, I could argue BC is Emmerich’s worst film period, simply because I can’t remember Soldier well enough to compare the two. Is it better than BC? Maybe, maybe not, but Emmerich’s most recent effort doesn’t live up to even the modest pleasures of its other predecessors.

Most of the problems relate to story and characters. The plot remains threadbare at best and doesn’t offer much to sustain 109 minutes of movie. The various scenarios exist mostly as an excuse for some prehistoric action, and they offer little to make themselves interesting or compelling. The clunky, stilted narration doesn’t help matters either.

The same goes for the characters. We don’t find a single memorable personality, partially because all the actors play them in the same somber, ponderous manner. There’s no real variety on display, so they all blend into one. I don’t think we’d care about them anyway, but the homogeneity becomes a drag.

Admittedly, no one goes to an Emmerich movie for rich characterizations and dynamic stories; we take in his flicks for basic popcorn-chomping thrills. Unfortunately, BC rarely delivers the goods in that domain either. Oh, the CG beasties provide good rendering and seem more realistic than often is the case. However, that’s not enough to create vivid action sequences.

Again, the lack of interesting characters harms matters to some degree, as the creatures show more personality than the humans. Even if I attempt to allow for that issue, though, there’s simply something missing from the action sequences. They’re not bad, but they’re not all that involving, and they certainly don’t compensate for the movie’s other flaws.

I don’t mind the general stupidity found in BC. Others have criticized dopey sequences like the one in which D’Leh tells a saber-toothed tiger he rescues not to eat him and the kitty complies. Sure, that’s absurd, but you can’t worry about logic in this sort of flick; you just need to go with the ride.

And that’s fine with me when we get a lively, fun ride. 10,000 BC simply never merits the suspension of disbelief. It presents a rough, rambling narrative without the dynamic thrills that might allow me to forget its flaws. Too little entertainment develops in this forgettable adventure.

10,000 BC appears in both an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 and in a fullscreen version on this double-sided, single-layered DVD; the widescreen image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Only the letterboxed picture was reviewed for this article. Due to the compression involved, I feared the image would be a mess, but it usually looked fine.

Only a few problems marred sharpness. Some moving shots tended to look a bit rough and blocky, but those were in the minority. Most of the film showed pretty positive definition, with only a smidgen of edge haloes on display. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and source flaws remained absent.

In terms of colors, the film usually went with either the chilly blue winter look or the greens of the warmer climate. This meant a decided lack of variety among the hues, but the transfer rendered them with appropriate clarity. Blacks seemed deep and firm, while shadows displayed good delineation. The motion artifacts were the main reason my grade dropped to a “B”, as the rest of the transfer looked nice.

Long ago I learned to expect excellent audio from Roland Emmerich films, and 10,000 BC continued that tradition. The soundfield proved consistently active and involving. Quieter scenes present a good sense of place and atmosphere, while the action sequences open things up in a dynamic manner. Creatures roared and jumped around the room, and the scenes placed us in the action. Surround usage was quite full, and the mix created a strong setting for the adventure.

Audio quality was always excellent. Speech appeared natural and concise, with no edginess or other issues. Music seemed rich and dynamic, and effects followed suit. Those elements were crisp and clear, and they showed terrific bass response. Though this wasn’t one of the best Emmerich soundtracks, it certainly was good enough for an “A-“.

Only a few minor extras appear here. 10 Deleted Scenes run 10 minutes, 37 seconds, while an Alternate Ending goes for three minutes, six seconds. The latter just adds some sappy campfire ramblings from the narrator. As for the other 10 sequences, they provide minor character moments but nothing substantial or memorable.

A few ads open the DVD. We get clips for The Dark Knight, Lego Batman: The Video Game, Batman: Gotham Knight, Gametap and Primeval. No trailer for BC appears here.

I often dig the cartoon thrills of Roland Emmerich’s flicks, but I can’t find much to enjoy about 10,000 BC. Not only does the film suffer from the usual bland characters and moronic story details, but also it lacks the expected action thrills. The DVD provides excellent audio along with generally good picture and a small set of supplements. This is a decent release for an unmemorable movie.