Customer Reviews

The Cave (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(38)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

Let me start out by saying that I'm about as big a sci-fi fan that you will find anywhere and I've seen them all. With that in mind I'm little confused on what basis some of these other reviewers are using in order to review this film... as in regard to the poor reviews.

I guess I'm old school when it comes to Sci-Fi action with likes of cult Sci-Fi classics such as Forbidden Planet, the Thing, Alien, Mimic, Leviathon, the Relic, Pitch Black, etc. Following in that category I personally believed this to be one of the best Sci-Fi action-thrillers to come along in many years and trust me...I've seen some very bad ones.

First thing to consider with the Cave is it's very original considering over the past 50 years just about every type of plot & senerio has been done, re-done, and done again with a different twist. If you are an old school Sci-Fi fan you can see how the Cave might have been influenced by some classics of the past, but it undoubtedly stands on it's own merit. I don't want to get too in-depth on this review because I would hate to play spoiler and give away to much of the premise as I could easily do. I'll just conclude by saying that if you are partial to comedy movies then you might not care for this film.... If you are partial to love storys and/or "girlie" type movies you might not care for this film.... If you are partial to deep psychological thrillers then you might not enjoy this film....If you are partial to hardcore gore slasher flicks then you might not care for this film... If you believe yourself to be a big fan of Sci-Fi thrillers then you will LOVE the Cave.

To the Sci-Fi fan out there an important thing to keep in mind in regard to this film is that this type of movie as well as those listed above appeal to a very limited viewing audience. I just so happen to fall right into it. Most Sci-Fi films that have become "cult" classics where originally received very poorly from moviegoers....perfect examples would be the Thing with Kurt Russell & Pitch Black with Vin Diesel. Both recieved weak reviews and since have garnished cult status and will continue through generations. Among many apsects that gave this movie high marks with me is an assumed conclusion by the viewer within the last few minutes that suddenly & unexpectedly changes then leaves the ending open to the possibility to a sequel.

The good news: this movie features some of the best sets I've ever seen in a movie. The set design, the props, the colors---everything that is visual about this movie is top-notch. This is the definition of eye-candy, right here. Beautiful. Brilliant images fill the screen from start to finish. And since not many movies are set underwater or within caves, many of the sets look exotic and otherworldly, which is all the more reason the visuals are so appealing.

The bad news: everything else.

"The Cave" is a subpar action-horror with a bunch of slimy, fanged monsters stalking and/or eating a group of young, attractive explorers. It features pretty much all of the cliches you'd expect from an action-horror and doesn't really try to break the mold. This wouldn't be a problem, necessarily, if the script and acting and direction were at least done well. Unfortunately, they aren't.

There are only two good actors in the whole movie: Cole Hauser and Daniel Dae Kim. The latter is on screen for about ten minutes, total, and for six of those minutes he just runs around screaming. Not a great opportunity to show off talent. Hauser does a decent job, but the character he has to play is ludicrous and his lines are laughable, so you don't really notice his performance half the time.

Everybody else is forgettable. The female lead, in particular, is bland.

The screenplay is aggravating. We are told, in the beginning of the movie, that these characters are professionals and scientists, but they speak like losers. For example, when they first go into The Cave, Blonde Girl screams, "Totally awesome!" While this is certainly the sentiment that comes to mind when seeing the set, you might think that a scientist would be able to say something a bit more intelligent. Unfortunately, the dialogue stays around that same level of sophistication throughout.

Needless to say, the characters are all flat and uninteresting. But you probably guessed that already.

But even with a bad script, bad acting, and a cliched plot, this movie could still have mustered at least a three star rating if it wasn't for the gaping plot holes and inconsistencies. Dr. Old Guy and Dr. Hot Chick examine two slides of cells collected within The Cave and discover a parasite within them. Then they find one of the monsters' claws and cut it open. Within three seconds, they are able to conclude that the claw is infected with the parasite, too. Huh? They don't need a microscope or anything? Okay, whatever....

Dr. Hot Chick explains that they are dealing with a species that evolved in total isolation. Uh, okay, don't know how she surmised all of that from exactly ten seconds of observing a claw, but then why would the monster be a parasite? Isn't it a little bit contradictory for a parasite to live in an environment where there isn't much life to leech off of?

And if the animals are predators, then why are they also parasites? Shouldn't they just be eating the humans instead of infecting them and transforming them? Do the monsters act like vampires and get to choose who transforms and who just turns into food? And if they don't, then how have the monsters lived for so long in The Cave? After a bazillion years in isolation, shouldn't everything be infected, and consequently they would've died from starvation? Or are they cannibals? And if they are cannibals, then why are they hunting the humans, specifically?

The monsters just plain don't make any sense. Sure, this isn't one of those newfangled "thinking" movies, but you would think that a couple of simple things could be sorted out before the filmmakers set out to film this crap.

It all leads up to an ending which is among the lamest and least explicable endings I've ever seen. I won't ruin it, but let me just say this: I thought the movie already couldn't get any more incomprehensible, and then I saw the ending. Now my brain hurts.

If you like good B-horror movies with nasty critters that go Bite in the Nite, a group of people (in this case scientists and cave divers) waiting to get picked off one by one, and a unique atmosphere that adds to the creeping horror, then you will love The Cave. Whether alien planet or dark underground caverns, backdrop is important to a horror film, and the location of this film helps to highlight the monstrosities that come crawling out to greet their guests.

The film starts with a group of treasure hunters who break into this ancient church, hoping to discover riches buried underneath the decorative seal on the floor. After a silly mistake in which they blow up the seal while standing too close, they all fall down. Screaming.

Later, in more modern times, a group of scientists and cave divers enter, hoping to go where no man has gone before. They set up a base camp in a cavern while sending a diver through a long, long underwater tunnel to map it out. Because of a strange message from said diver after he enters the next cavern, the entire team, typical of b-horror, follows. The tunnel collapses behind them, about the same time our crew discovers they are not alone in the cave. Trapped, with no communication to the outside and low on food and water, our merry group of mistake-makers must find a way out before they are all eaten. Rock wall climbing, ice climbing, diving, riding down wild water tunnels and waterfalls, hiding in still pools, escape begins to look bleaker and bleaker as the way out becomes harder to reach.

The scenery and photography are great, the cave is creepy and dark, and the acting, while not memorable, is not as bad as some folks have mentioned. The best part, as with any monster movie, are the monsters. Sinister and pale, slimy and toothy, tricky and clever, hungry and unpredictable, its lunchtime underground as our beastly brutes stalk the humans. There are a few revelations to be made along the way, such as discovering they are parasitical and can fly, the parasitical aspect leaving members of the human team suspect.

Okay, so 'The Cave' is not the kind of movie that will ever be up for an award, and it's not the kind of movie that should be analyzed too closely. 'The Cave' is a movie that you kick back and enjoy with some beer and popcorn, surround sound turned on, and wait for the deliciously bizarre and slimy human-eaters to appear. Many people haven't cared for this movie, but in my opinion, it is a 'buy'. Enjoy!

I saw the previews for this low budget horror/thriller and saw it at the theater. I thought it was decent. Was it an oscar winner? No, but really, was it supposed to be?

As for a couple of hour diversion, The Cave was fine. I came in with fairly low expectations and walked away feeling satisfied. I don't understand all the negativity towards it.

If you buy the DVD, don't expect a megabuck blockbuster flick. It is a fairly low buget movie that put most of its money into really classy sets. Aliens, it ain't, but for spending a fun night in front of the TV, The Cave meets the bill. There are many, many horror movies that are really terrible. I just don't think The Cave fits that bill.

If you can accept the idea that no matter what it looks like, creatures always come across as corny, then you will find this movie entertaining. Also what appears to be a mistake is not, on rebreathers that they use in the movie, there is a mic for the divers can use to talk to eachother underwater on.

C'mon, how good could a movie about monsters in a cave be?

Well, I liked this movie. To me it had a "Pitch Black" feel to it, so if you likd that movie, you'll probably dig this as well.

i don't know why the caves getting all these sorry reviews. did we watch the same movie. this movie is very good. of course it's a typical horror movie. don't they all share one thing or another from each other. you got to give and take. it's always going to be that way. the story was good. you knew people were going to die, but how and by whom or what. there was even some good action in there that i really liked. beautiful setting, you actually felt like you were there at times, people turning into monsters, they had to adapt to their environment. climbers coming into their territory of course they're going to be hunted. all that water, kind of makes you feel creepy. the actors did a good job in my opinion, especially cole hauser. believable character, did his thing, he brings that tone and that attitude that you can't help but notice him. it's not getting the credit it deserves. i give it lots of props. if you like the descent, alien, etc. you'll like this.

whats up am i the only one that thinks this is a totally aswome movie. come on give it a break its hollywood its underground and its a sci-fi\horror. and the sets are some of the best i have ever seen. moral of the story just go watch this movie and enjoy it.

Thanks to satellites, practically every inch of our planet's surface has been explored. However, the earth is hollow and many of its caverns have remained unexplored. (They are as remote to us as the craters on the moon.) Who knows what dangerous life forms have been evolving in them since the beginning of time.

In the remote mountains of Romanian, a chapel was built on top of the entrance to a cave system. Engravings of winged serpents (dinosaurs?) adorn its walls. Thirty years ago, an envoy of men drove through the chapel's barricades, ignored its warnings, and violated its inner sanctity. An earthquake destroyed the chapel, causing the men to fall into the cave where prehistoric creatures were waiting.

Fast forward to the present. A team of professional "cave divers" have decided to explore a river running through a cavern that connects to the cave beneath the destroyed chapel. One diver is attacked by a creature, his air tank explodes, and there is a cave in, trapping all of the divers miles beneath the surface.

The divers must battle scorpions, eels with razor-sharp teeth, and hideous winged creatures as they search for an exit. Worst of all, there is a parasite that mutates its host, turning it into a creature that can survive inside the dark caves.

"The Cave" is one of the best in the subterranean horror genre. This science fiction horror gem is action packed from beginning to end. The body count is high. There is gore, but not enough to make you feel noxious. The cast consists of attractive young stars who know how to act. There is plenty of nail-biting suspense as the characters are constantly pursued through the caves. Will they escape? I won't tell, but the film has a nice surprise ending that demands a sequel.

I watched "The Cave" along with three other films that are part of what I call the subterranean horror genre - films dealing with caves, caverns, mines, etc. The other three are: "The Cavern," "The Descent," and "Caved In: Prehistoric Terror." The best is "The Descent," which is pure horror involving six trapped girls who discover blood-thirsty, evolutionary freaks. "The Cave" is a great blend of science fiction, horror, and action adventure. "The Cavern" is a good low budget art film dealing with the horror of being trapped in a cave, alone with a monster. "Caved In: Prehistoric Terror" is good Sci-Fi cable fare that is horror befitting the entire family.

yes this is one of those films that unfurl cliche after cliche present us token characters and utilizes fairly poorly designed creatures to re-distibute the bodies of the film's cast in often unsuprising and unimaginative ways...still having said all that this film is incredible in scope...the subterranean world gradually revealed layer by layer is remarkable...it posesses some of the most atmospheric and sumptuous characteristics put on film...it's undeniable...it is at it's core an incredible visual and aural feast...if you have any atmospheric leanings...if you crave the fantastic see the cave...