The Cave

furious_iz 6/23/2021 3:58:04 PM 8.4

Predictable B movie creature feature that doesn't get past budget restraints, a weak script and a lack of adequate direction. A bunch of divers and scientists try to map an undiscovered underwater cave in Romania, for reasons I have now forgotten, and get more than they bargained for when they encounter a new species of creatures dwelling within. The premise is well worn, but that doesn't mean it has nothing to offer to the genre. In theory at least. The film plods along with characters announcing what they see in front of them, almost like they are performing an audio play. Most of the film is all tell and no show, which is a mistake for the medium it is delivered in. The B grade cast take what they are doing very seriously, and most of them are trying to do the best with the material they have. Sadly the script is weak, there is almost zero character development and people are constantly behaving irrationally. I know it's an action/horror, and no one ever acts normally in those films, but to have experienced salvage divers panicking so quickly when things go south is stupid and unrealistic. Some of the design for the creatures are interesting and kinda cool, with surprisingly adequate CG for a B movie, and they are what elevates it from complete garbage to just not very good. Unfortunately most of the action scenes are edited at such a frenetic pace that you almost have no idea what is happening. Could have been worse, but probably should have been better than it was, maybe would have been better with a more seasoned director. The biggest fault lies with the weak script though, so maybe it was always destined to be what it is. Maybe 5/10 is a little generous, but 4 seems too harsh, so there you have it.