Survivor Movies: The Cave

The Cave is a pretty standard Survivor Movie. Nine people adventure down into some dangerous, beautifully-lit cave system in Romania. There they run into trouble in the form of giant, slimey bat-like creatures that chase them back to the surface. But - oh no! The cave entrance has collapsed and they can't escape through the same way they entered. That's pretty much the only plot point ever used in cave movies, but that's not all there is to this movie. The Cave does at least give us a cool sci-fi twist which leads to a head-scratching ending.

Synopsis: Deep in the Romanian forest, a team of scientists stumbles upon the ruins of a 13th-century abbey. On further inspection, they make a startling discovery - the abbey is built over the entrance to a giant underground cave system. Local biologists believe the cave could be home to an undiscovered ecosystem, so they hire a group of American cave explorers to help them investigate its depths. But what they find deep inside the caves is not just a new ecosystem, but an entirely new species altogether.

Ok, so i've already ruined it; the exploration team runs into these giant bat-like creatures that kill them off one by one. But this should not have come as much of a surprise. I think most people will tell you that this movie is horrible. I agree that the acting is sub par, and the drama/suspense doesn't make any sense at times. But something about this movie places it high on my list and I think it's the overall adventure with the formulaic Survivor element thrown in. The Cave is the epitome of a traditional Survivor Movie. The acting could have been better, but my one complaint is the missing explanation of why the [deep underground] caves are so beautifully lit! Seriously, the caves have this luminescent blue glow all around. I have read the book Subterranean by James Rollins, which is similar in plot. In Subterranean, Rollins makes an effort to point out that the caves are covered with this luminescent fungus stuff that provides an erie glow throughout. The movie is missing this and I think most skeptics wonder the whole time, "who turned on the lights?" Which is funny because the whole movie is science fiction yet we still require some things remain believable and explainable.

Explorers:

Jack (Cole Hauser) the leader of the cave explorers. He's credited for inventing a rebreather that can last 24 hours, which will help explain how they can last so long down in the caves.