A lot of fun.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Caught this in a hotel last night so not an ideal watching venue but sure glad I didn't pay anything for it.From the beginning it looked well made so I stuck with it. But once the opening set-up sequence was over it just got a bit messy and confusing. Its the old 'things look scarier in the dark but then you can't see things' problem, plus characters you don't know or care about, some weird editing leaving me to think some scenes were rushed or they forgot to shoot stuff, ideas that were mooted but never carried on, technical guff that led no-where, chances for tension lost, pacing all over the place and more than a few eyeball rolling, jaw-dropping moments of the 'quick, we have to explain this!' type.They spent their $30 million pretty well but another $10 might have got you some names and a better script and editing that tightened the whole thing up. You were left with that empty feeling that where you know you've just watched a film but can't for the life of you remember what it was. Would have been a 4 but just held me enough to make it a 5. Just. No sequel please, mainly cos nobody cares I'm afraid.

RELEASED IN 2005 and directed by Bruce Hunt, "The Cave" details events when a team of cave divers led by brothers Jack (Cole Hauser) and Tyler (Eddie Cibrian) are commissioned to explore a cave network in the Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately an explosion cuts off their exit and traps them in the vast network. As if finding a way out isn't difficult enough, they also have to deal with strange vicious creatures living there.While "The Cave" isn't anywhere near as good "Alien" (1979) or "Aliens" (1986), it's competent enough (and should be with its whopping $30 million budget) and similar to those films, except taking place in the alien world of a cave network rather than a vessel in space or an alien planet. Speaking of the cave network, there are some awe-inspiring cave locations and sets.Except for the opening and close, the entire movie takes place in the caverns. The creatures are an effective meshing of the Xenomorph XX121 in the Alien franchise and the creeper from the Jeepers Creeper films.I didn't find the characters very engaging, but the story creates some decent suspense around the half hour mark. Although it isn't sustained, things perk up again in a thrilling sequence involving winsome Piper Perabo's character and her clash with a monster while climbing. This gripping episode is the main reason I grade the movie as high as I do. Lena Headey is the only other female in the cast.THE FILM RUNS 97 minutes and was shot in Romania (MediaPro Studios, Bucharest, as well as Zarnesti & Transylvania) and Mexico (Yucatan & Hidden Worlds Cenote Park, Quintana Roo). WRITERS: Michael Steinberg & Tegan West. ADDITIONAL CAST: Other members of the team are played by Morris Chestnut, Rick Ravanello, Daniel Dae Kim, Marcel Iures & Kieran Darcy-Smith.GRADE: B-

Pros: Nice photography. Nice settings. Partly really nice visually. Nice cast.Cons: Crappy dialogue. Absolutely disastrous action sequences. Extremely poor use of soundtrack. Generally poor directing.This is director Bruce Hunt's first and probably last budgeted motion picture as a director. He has apparently done second unit on the Matrix franchise and some work on Dark World previously, but probably nothing action oriented if I may guess.The biggest weakness of this movie is the action sequences. You don't know what the heck is going on in any of them. Extremely fast cuts at close up range wastes just about every moment of action in the movie. But the directing is overall poor. Even in non-action sequences you sometimes don't know what's going on and why they made some of the choices they did. Just all of the sudden they are doing something, no real explanation why. Also, some of what happens is just purely idiotic and illogical.The use of soundtrack in this one is a pet peeve of mine. From the starting scene they put on some generic "spooky music" which plays over every single scene. This includes some of the initial sequences where we just see the crew gathering and briefing.The fact the there is a pretty good cast in, at parts, visually stunning settings, is not even close to enough to save this mess. I'm sure Bruce Hunt is a nice enough guy and has a purpose on this earth like all of us, but from this I doubt strongly that it would be directing movies.

OK i m giving this movie a 7 stars ......... may be some people doesn't like it but i like this movie as a thrillerThere are many good things in this movie ......... Direction, acting, story etc....Movie has dark background.....which is bad in some part of the movie because sometime i couldn't seen properly that what happening ..... but dark background makes thrilling scene more effective. But movie should have some clear background.Bad thing about this movie is ...... getting board in the some part of the movie. The movie is looks a like common horror thriller.it is one time watch movie. But if u doesn't watch ... nothing to loose