Movie Review: The Cave (2005)

The movie stars Cole Hauser, Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, Eddie Cibrian and Morris Chestnut.

I came across this film on one of our movie channels a couple days ago and, thinking it sounded somewhat interesting, decided to record it. My wife and I finally had a chance to watch it over the weekend and, while not quite as good as I hoped it would be, it did prove to be entertaining.

There are a couple things I found I really liked about this movie. The first was the feeling of extreme hopelessness created by where they were. Facing a variety of dangers while having a chance to escape is one thing. This movie took that to a whole new level both by having the team trapped below ground with no easy way to get out. And, just to add a whole new level of creepiness, they had to be under water half the time.

The monsters themselves were also somewhat interesting, especially when the movie reveals they all have some sort of parasite that will change anyone who is bitten or scratched by one of the creatures. The latter does create some suspense in itself because, when the team's leader, Jack (Hauser) begins to change, it does make you wonder if he's still looking out for his team or is leading them into a trap.

Probably my only real complaint about this movie is there is a bit too much human interaction. I'm OK with the members of an ensemble cast bickering on occasion. But, that seemed to be the majority of this film, at least for the first half of it. I must confess, their constant arguing, especially after Jack becomes infected, almost had me turning the movie off despite it, otherwise, being a decent thriller.

It probably could have used a few more scenes with monsters. But, overall, I thought this was a decent thriller and is a movie I would recommend taking the time to watch.

My Grade: B