Weekly Review -- Campy is the word of the day

The Cave (2005) -- Take Alien, mix it up with some Deep Rising, throw in a bit of Pitch Black for good measure, and you get The Cave. As uninspired as it is, though, the movie is still an entertaining way to spend 97 minutes, mostly due to its unpretentiousness. We start off in Romania circa 1975, where a group of thugs are about to loot a cave in the Carpathian mountains. Cut to 30 years later, when a group of model-pretty explorers led by Jack (Cole Hauser) are about to start studying the same place. The group includes Jack's scientist brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian), climber Charlie (Piper Perabo) and another scientist, Kathryn Jennings (Lena Headey). Soon after they enter, their troubles start, in the form of toothy creatures that just do not want to leave them alone. The divers now need to figure out how to survive; that is, if their bickering and disagreements do not decimate them first. Not to harp on it, but are these cave explorers not the most handsome group of people you have ever seen? All joking aside, the film is chockful of cliché characters -- the brooding leader, the one-of-the-guys female and the beautiful girl doctor, just to name a few. The dialogue is bland and forgettable, but the cast is appealing enough and I wish Hauser would get some better roles, since the guy has charisma. Headey and Perabo are also too good for this kind of shlock, as Imagine Me & You has proven. Personally, I was also peeved at not having seen more gorgeous underwater shots, particularly when there was ample opportunity for them. When all is said and done, The Cave is one of those movies where no one and nothing stands out. The story was done before, in much better ways, and the characters are rehashed versions of old standards. It boasts some thrills and a great ending, and that is about it. However, it does not aspire to greatness, which is the fun thing about it; it is a no-strings-attached adventure. On those days when you really, really have no idea what to rent, The Cave is a good choice.

5/10