Army of the Dead (2008)

Amy surprises John for his birthday with a desert racing in Baja with his friends and former arachaeology professor. Things get a little awkward when one of his friends shows up with Jenny, a girl who is obsessed with John. Amy isn't happy since John cheater on her with Amy, but for some reason, Amy agrees to let Jenny go on the trip. They head off into the desert with their guide for a super happy weekend of racing.

After racing all day, they camp under the stars and celebrate John's birthday by giving him a sword which is an authentic ancient artifact. Not sure how they could afford that, but since John studies archaeology, he loves it. Also not sure why they would bring something so valuable on a trip to the desert. I guess because it may be the only thing to save their stinking lives later in the film.

The Professor tells everyone the story of his search for Vasco da Gama's hidden cache of gold which is rumored to be buried nearby. Years ago a friend found an ancient coin which they believed to be part of the treasure. After hearing screams in the night, the Professor awoke the next morning to find his friend had disappeared. No one ever saw him again.

Legend has it that those who look for the gold will be killed by da Gama and his men. But apparently the legend and his friends disappearance aren't much of a deterrent for the professor. His ulterior motive for going on the trip is to locate the gold.

There is cgi blood which is very unconvincing. There are also skeletons right out of a 1960s movie that look just like the skeleton on the cover. I liked the skeletons since it was different from what you usually see nowadays. However, the entire skeleton army moved in tandem. I'm not sure if that was a budgetary decision, or all they cared about was filling the screen with skeletons.

Most ridiculous dialog:

"So because you covet the treasure, we're all screwed."

"Yes."