The Cave (2005)

Mutant horror movie

Overall I enjoyed this film, though my reason for picking it up had to do with three of the actors, all of whom interest me variously. Lena Headey, Piper Perabo and Eddie Cibrian have all made interesting films in the past, and I liked seeing them here. The film is okay, though I do find some of the action sequences a bit hard to follow, due to the quick pace and the unwillingness to show the creature effects in super close detail. Perabo needed to do a bit more, she is such a fascinating actor with a very photogenic face. But what do you expect for a DVD that costs, what, a penny? How can you go wrong? November 4, 2008

Predictable and darn near unviewable

The idea for this contemporary horror film is pretty good. Unfortunately, the conveyance is a poor one.

The story is this: A team of high-tech exploratory divers go into a cave and subsequently into the water it holds to effect research. Of course, the place caves in and then they're all stuck inside with a big monster(s). The remainder of the film focuses upon their efforts to escape as team members get mangled one at a time. To add to the suspense, the producers/screenwriters tossed in a female team member but you KNOW that SHE'S not going to get killed!

This is essentially the same theme and idea which was successfully manifested in Jules Verne's famous epic (produced into a fine film), Journey to the Center of the Earth, which has also been remade.

What's wrong with this film? IT'S WAY TOO DARK!!! You can't see much that goes on, the viewer gleaning only quick glimpses and flashes of the action. I know that caves are naturally dark but I would have allowed for (and, in fact, would have much appreciated) some "poetic license" on the director's part, had he fudged on the brightness a bit.

So, in the end, I certainly cannot recommend this one. October 24, 2008

Huge Cole Hauser fan...

and I have to say, first off, there wasn't enough of him in this for my taste. The story was chopped up and vague. They cut way too much out of this and left it on the cutting room floor. They cut the story out of it, the depth of the characters and ensured that you did not become attached to them as the movie progressed.

I'm not sure who cast Eddie and Cole as brothers, but they look NOTHING alike, carry themselves nothing alike. Cole even has a slight accent where Eddie does not. Don't get me wrong, I like Eddie but Cole Hauser is one of the most underrated actors we have now days.

I've read an interview from Cole and he wasn't happy with the way this movie turned out, so that has to tell you something. It had such potential, and someone blew it just to save money.

It was short also, only a little over an hour and a half long, plenty of time to make a better, longer movie and the base of a good one was there. I'm not sure what went wrong.

I love Sci-fi alien type movies. My two favs are Aliens and Pitch Black, so I'm used to this style, but... nothing. I'll watch it, for Cole and for hopes that in re-watching it, it gets better, more interesting.

So, for a die hard Cole fan or a die hard sci-fi fan, it's good enough... maybe? August 1, 2008

All the horrors of spelunking and diving rolled into one!

This is a classic action-adventure horror flick. From the opening scene you're already placing your wagers on the 'guess who survives' game. You can just tell where it's going, and, yes, for the most part who's going to die. There's nothing that sets this movie apart from all the other horror movies. And yet, I still enjoyed it. It did suffer from the too-dark phenomenon sweeping the horror film industry, which is a mark against it, but on the up side it didn't have a lot of gore for the sake of gore (like Saw or Hostel). The fact that the monster was not really shown also gives it high marks. The characters weren't great but they weren't awful, so that was a wash.

I'm torn on the very end scene being interesting or just a gimmick, so I'll leave that out of my evaluation. At first I had the 'oh cool!' reaction, but the more I think about it the more I think it was just that old, trite, last movie scene from so many horror movies.

I enjoyed watching it, but I don't think I'd ever watch it again. It's an average movie that you'd probably have fun sitting in a group of friends talking and watching (your own MST3K group!) but nothing special. July 18, 2008

Jaws in a cave enviroment.

Cave is about a group of divers who have been called in to investigate a recently discovered entrance to a cave that has been sealed up for many years. They expect they are just going to do the typical dive down, plant some communication wires, map out the cave and go home.

The plot begins when their first scout investigator finds a creature that he thinks is a form of mole, and some other things like eels. Only they end up discovering there is something much bigger in these caves, and they're stuck with it, with no way out.

The rest of the movie is the group trying to find an escape while staying alive. These caves seem to go on forever with 100 levels or so, but I guess it wouldn't make much of a movie if it was like a regular cave that has about 3 caverns and 12 inches of water.

I found it enjoyable because I was seeking out a horror/thriller movie that was not the typical slasher thing or some kind of supernatural story. This one is more something like a combination of a Jaws predator meets Starship Troopers kind of thing... maybe not Starship Troopers in the blowing things up kind of way and shooting aliens...just more a Jaws 5: In a cave kind of thing.
June 29, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...