When a film opens up with people exploring a church, only to have the church collapse with them inside of it, instantly becoming trapped below it, you pretty much know the kind of film you’re getting into. When the film fast-forwards to “present day”, you can be pretty sure that some people will go exploring inside the very same church, eventually getting trapped there themselves.
That’s the setup of The Cave, a film that, like its title suggests, takes place within a cave. This cave is below the caved-in church, and some of the most unluckiest people in the whole wide world are going to get trapped down below the Earth. They will have to find a way out, or they will die down there. Thankfully for them, a character warns them prior to descending that they should “respect the cave”. Why? Because that’s the kind of movie we’re dealing with here, that’s why.
This is also the kind of movie where you can speak to other people, with an oxygen mask on, underwater, without any issues. And no, it doesn’t seem like the characters’ mouths move during these parts. Is that really surprising? This is not an intelligent movie, nor is it one that much work seemed to have been put into. This is odd, because out of the three “cave” films that came out in short sequence, (The Descent, The Cavern and The Cave), this is the only one actually shot inside of a cave.
Once the group gets inside the cave, the actual “horror” aspect of the film kicks in. One member of the team separates in order to chart the uncharted, where he meets a small mole-like creature that runs by him. It’s an attempted jump-scare, but it isn’t scary. Moments later, he notices something else, only for his camera to become disconnected. Other members of the group jump into the water to take a tunnel to find him. It’s a horror movie where the first real “scare” was a mole running past a character–something you don’t even get to see. Do you really think things are going to go well for him? (Even if they actually do, just to create a sense of false fear?)
And of course, there are things down in the cave. If the trailer hadn’t already spoiled what these things are, I wouldn’t even mention them, but there they are. These creatures eat the mole-things, and look so low-budget, particularly in the early parts of the film, that their arrival doesn’t inspire dread, it evokes laughter.
The Cave is supposed to be a horror film, but it isn’t a very good one. It fails to scare, even a little, and because of that, it cannot be called successful. Even when I saw this in theatre, when I was much younger, I was never scared. There were times when I was thrilled, but mostly because I wasn’t quite sure what was going on, and I also hadn’t seen a similar movie before. (Or really many horror films at all). I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie then, but I liked it enough to watch it on DVD. Looking at it now, that was a mistake.
I think the main reason it fails to scare at all is not due to there not being a major threat, but instead due to the fact that you will not care one iota about any of the characters within it. If you cared, you would want to see them escape the cave. As it is, you don’t at all, and instead almost want to cheer when characters get eaten or stabbed by the creatures within the cave. Caring about the characters, or feeling like you are in the situation they’re in is essential in order for you to feel scared by a film; neither happen in The Cave.
Just looking at the cast of the film, you can tell that this wasn’t meant to be an all-star film. The only name I recognize from the cast list is Lena Headley, and even then, she isn’t exactly a well-known actor. The acting isn’t all that good in The Cave, and I think this is partially due to the talent, and also partially due to the script. The dialogue is, at times, laughable, which also lessens any attempt at horror the film tries to achieve.
Oh yes, the ending leaves on a note that easily sets up a sequel. We won’t get one, as The Cave didn’t make that much money. Or maybe it’s just because nobody associated with the project wanted anything to do with a sequel. That’s a possibility too; I would want to distance myself from something like this as well. I do have to give one positive to it though. After the film concludes, during the credits, the song “Nemo” plays. That was the highlight of the film for me.
The Cave is not a good film. It isn’t a scary movie, it isn’t very thrilling, and it has very little redeeming value. You won’t care about the characters, you won’t feel like you are actually in a cave, and you will likely end up more bored than anything else. If there is one plus that comes from the ending, it’s that the film didn’t make enough money to warrant a sequel. If you really need a cave film, watch The Descent instead, as there is at least a reason to see it: It isn’t a bad movie.