Rather than talk about this film, which was pretty much Apocalypto minus a water-birth scene, I’m going to point out my favorite inaccuracies. Caution, if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re probably going to read a few spoilers.
1. “BC” (Before Christ) has been replaced with the religiously-neutral “BCE” (Before the Common Era) as the proper way to refer to the years before the start of the Gregorian calendar.
2. Sabertooth tigers as portrayed in this film died out in Europe and Asia around 25 million years ago, although they were still prevalent in North America until 9,000 BCE. The only Sabertooth tigers found in Africa weren’t as big or as large-toothed as the one in the film.
3. The Woolly Mammoths portrayed in the film existed only in Eurasia and North America. Mammoths did exist in Africa, but they probably died out 4 million years ago. There is no record of them ever being used for labor.
4. The Terror Birds (Phorusrhacids) portrayed in the film only existed in South America.
5. During the course of the film, the main character travels from his icy homeland (Northern/Eastern Europe?) through a small jungle-land (Mesopotamia?) to a desert with a large, winding river, which I assume is Egypt and the Nile. I don’t think a journey like this could have happened at this time period, but I could be wrong.
6. They were building what appears to be the Great Pyramids, although the real ones were built around 2,000-3,000 BCE.
7. The “Almighty” was from Atlantis.
8. Metal weapons, domesticated horses? Not yet, buddy. You’re about 6,000 years too early.
What bothers me isn’t the fact that a lot of this film was historical hogwash, but that people aren’t going to realize that it was inaccurate. Some dude in Kentucky just watched this movie and went to sleep dreaming that he too could one day battle Sabertooth Tigers and Woolly Mammoths in Africa and save his lady from an Atlantean.
Yeah yeah, suspension of disbelief, I know. Either way, I think I would recommend Encino Man over this one.
Review: 2 out of 5 BCs
Wow, someone listened in Anthro class. Are the Terror Birds the same ones from Warbirds?
You forgot that everyone in this movie speaks perfect english. Come on now, I wanna see cavemen soliloquies.
Ya but the nachos were terrific!