On the commentary track of the unrated DVD of The Ruins (DreamWorks Home Entertainment, MSRP: $34.99), director Carter Smith and editor Jeff Betancourt congratulate themselves ad nauseum over how the movie is about the psychology of people stuck in a dire situation and how they deal with that and, ultimately, turn against each another. Watching this tired series of horror clichés pan out to its inevitable ending and set up for a sequel, it’s hard to believe that the film they’re talking about is included on this DVD.

Based on Scott Smith’s (A Simple Plan) novel of the same name, The Ruins follows a group of uninspiring, naïve and, honestly, stupid twenty-something American tourists who, while visiting Mexico, go off the beaten path to explore some ancient Mayan ruins and find themselves up a certain creek without a paddle, food or much water. On top of all of this, there’s a pack of murderous Mayans holding them where they are, and the plants are out to get them. Yes, the plants. Just like a recent summer flop, the plants are trying to kill the characters, and it’s as absurd as it sounds. Nearly 26 years ago when Stephen King and George A. Romero teamed up to make Creepshow, they knew how ridiculous this concept was and wisely took the more natural route of horror-comedy.

And these characters are so stupid, turning The Ruins into a horror-comedy might have made more sense. Instead of grabbing a frayed rope when it’s ready to break, the characters don’t; instead of finding a phone (their only salvation) when they’re down in the ruins, they don’t; instead of pulling the rope back up when it’s too short, they risk another group member getting hurt and tell her to jump, instead of moving their stuff (and friend) away from the plants that they now know are attacking them. These cookie-cutter characters deserve everything they get, as they make choices that make no logical sense and are clearly written to move the plot along.

To make matters worse, once the audience realizes the intention of the Mayan natives holding the kids at bay on the ruins, it’s hard to sympathize with our heroes who, if they escape, will spread a botanical plague to the rest of the world. That’s not even mentioning the hero’s egocentric monologue to the natives at the end of the film, bemoaning all he was meant to be and the importance of his name. This from the same entitled character who earlier spouts, “Four Americans on vacation just don’t disappear!”

The sad part is that the actors--Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson--are actually quite good. They dig deep and give it their best, but the material they have to work with is so structurally, logically flawed (not to mention boring) that they, like the characters they portray, never really had a chance.

Author and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Scott Smith’s earlier work really is about the psychology of people put in unusual circumstances and eventually turning on one another, but contrary to what Carter Smith, Betancourt and Scott Smith himself assert, this is nowhere to be found in the film version of The Ruins. There is a desperate attempt at some psychological conflict near the end when one of the girls thinks her boyfriend is having sex with her friend, but it’s horribly forced, inorganic and ultimately unbelievable.

The Ruins is an average horror film with above average acting but a below average plot. It’s all been done before and the vicious plants (which also mimic voices and sounds) are unintentionally hilarious.

The DVD itself is fine, packaged with reasonable goodies totaling just under 50 minutes. The film is unrated, so the gore is there in all of its glory for fans of special effects. The sound design is a bit chinchy, using the back speakers very sparingly, but the digital transfer looks great.

The most interesting of the special features is “Creeping Death” (15:04), which takes a look at not just the plants, but the special effects as well. For those who love the old-fashioned, practical effects of yore, this is an exciting piece detailing the prosthetics and processes the crew went through to bring the shocks to life.

“Making The Ruins“ (14:23) is a straightforward making-of piece. The actors and crew talk about what it’s like on-set, and there’s some behind-the-scenes footage. This is strictly fan stuff here.

Similar to the making-of piece, “Building The Ruins” (6:18) goes into some detail about the film's production designer, Grant Major, and the detail that went into making the Mayan ruins and its surroundings.

The deleted scenes (11:55)--with optional commentary by Carter Smith and Betancourt--continue a disturbing trend recently seen in Hollywood horror films. Several of the edited scenes in this reel, while not shocking or “too intense for theaters,” actually add much needed characterization and detail to the characters that would have given them much more heft in the final product. Also included is an alternate ending which, while still predictable, is more intriguing than what audiences are given.

The commentary track is interesting enough for fans of the film; it’s a mishmash of facts about the casting, shooting and screenwriting. Betancourt actually plays a decent interviewer, encouraging Carter Smith to speak in deeper detail than it sounds like he might have unprovoked. Regardless of all the facts dropped, though, one can’t help but walk away after the DVD player is turned off still wondering how they could be patting themselves on the back so fervently for creating a supposed psychological thriller when The Ruins ended up being such a flat, predictable mess.

The Ruins is now available on DVD.