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"THE CAVE" (2005) (Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Moderate Moderate *Heavy Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Moderate Extreme None Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor None Mild Mild Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Horror: Hired to explore an underwater cave system, a team of aquatic spelunkers encounters a series of monsters while trapped a mile below the surface. PLOT: Thirty years after a landslide sealed explorers in a massive cave system, Dr. Nicolai (MARCEL IURES) and his assistant Kathryn Jennings (LENA HEADEY) have found and reopened the cave. Yet, the fact that its entrance is filled with water means they'll need aquatic spelunkers to guide them through the filled chambers and passageways. Accordingly, they call Jack McAllister (COLE HAUSER) and his team for the job. Along with Jack's brother Tyler (EDDIE CIBRIAN), the crew includes second in command Top Buchanan (MORRIS CHESTNUT), hotheaded Briggs (RICK RAVANELLO), expert climber Charlie (PIPER PERABO) and lead man Strode (KIERAN DARCY-SMITH). They arrive on the scene in Romania and immediately enter the cave and its flooded areas, with Strode leading the way. When he encounters an odd creature a mile or so in and the rest of the crew then loses his video transmission, they set out to find him with documentary filmmaker Alex Kim (DANIEL DAE KIM) in tow. As they get deeper into the cave system, they soon realize -- from the human bones -- that they're not the first ones there, and that they're not alone, as it seems some previously undiscovered animal species is also down there. Things go bad when the team realizes the creatures are carnivorous and hunting them, and then get even worse when an underground landslide closes off the exit. Three miles in, one mile down and with no one expecting them for twelve days, Jack and his team try to find another way out, all while trying to avoid the large, winged creatures that want to make a meal of all of them. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into monster films or are fans of someone in the cast, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense creature violence. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: COLE HAUSER plays the leader of the cave diving group who's stern with his subordinates, quarrels some with his brother, uses some profanity and must deal with becoming infected by a parasite. MORRIS CHESTNUT plays the second in command who assists him in trying to get the group out of the cave safely. EDDIE CIBRIAN plays Jack's brother who's occasionally miffed that his sibling passes him over in favor of others. RICK RAVANELLO plays the hot-headed diver of the group who clashes with the brothers and uses some profanity. MARCEL IURES plays the scientist who hires Jack's team to help explore the water-filled cave. LENA HEADEY plays his assistant, a biologist who helps examine the strange creatures they encounter in the cave. DANIEL DAE KIM plays the documentary filmmaker following the team. KIERAN DARCY-SMITH plays another cave diving team member. PIPER PERABO plays the team's lone female member, an expert rock climber. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this suspense/horror film that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of an incomplete "f" word and at least 16 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. One line of non-explicit, sexual innuendo is present, while a woman is briefly seen in a small, formfitting dive outfit. Violence consists of alien-type creature attacks on humans (and vice-versa), resulting in various injuries and deaths, some of which have bloody results (some brief human on human violence is present as are some injuries from accidental impact with cave structures, etc.). Those scenes, other moments of peril and pretty much most of the film once the premise is established might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material and mayhem (others may only find some or none of it that way). Some bad attitudes are present, as is some brief, group drinking. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a great deal of jumpy, shaky and otherwise disorienting camerawork throughout the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Various crewmembers, including Top and Charlie have beer. The group then makes a toast to "virgin caves." BLOOD/GORE Some men have blood on their faces and one's hand following a floor collapse in an old church. We see a large and now dead "mole" creature that's bloody and has a large bite taken out of it. We see various bloody cuts/scrapes on Jack's back after a monster attacks him. We see part of one of the creatures (a "finger" with a large claw). We see that Nicolai has injured his leg (it's bloody). We see that a victim is alive but bloody, with a monster then appearing to impale him before yanking him away. Charlie has some blood on her head following a long fall and then more on her body after that. Alex has a slightly bloody cut on his face. Infected by a parasite of some sort, a man's skin looks splotchy, while his pupils have somewhat of a cross look to them. We see blood on a cave wall and then hear screams. Top stabs one monster while struggling with it in the water, followed by Tyler slicing across it, with goo spraying out. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Briggs occasionally has a bad attitude toward the brothers. Tyler and Jack occasionally have tiffs about the latter's leadership decisions. Upset at Alex documenting their troubles on his camera, Jack knocks that from Alex's hand and then knocks him to the floor of the cave. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Others might not find it that way. The sight of the winged, alien-type cave monsters might be scary to some younger viewers. Once the group is trapped inside the cave and the monsters start attacking, some viewers might find the rest of the movie as unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary. We see what looks like an animal skull adorning an area around an old Romanian church. A group enters an old and dark church, slowly making their way through it and then its catacombs (that contain various skulls, while demonic looking figurines adorn the wall sculptures). After setting off a charge, the floor collapses below the men, sending them falling down quite a ways, followed by a landslide of sorts that sends rocks and earth crashing down onto the church, sealing the men below it inside the cave. They then hear weird sounds down there, but the scene then ends. One diver enters an underwater cave sans his breathing gear. Briggs swims on his own more than a mile through the water-filled cave passageways. When he reaches a dry chamber, he reports back via fiber optic video (we see his face on a screen). We then see/hear him react to something passing by him, and he then grabs and displays a huge mole-like cave creature. He then reacts to seeing something else (that we don't) and the video feed then goes to static, prompting the others to mount a rescue mission. A mostly unseen monster flies down at a guy in a cave. There's some struggling and the guy is then dragged away. His oxygen tank then explodes, with the resultant bubble blast hitting another diver. Jack encounters a bunch of scorpions in his path. When he tells Top to back up, one of the monsters grabs Jack and yanks him away. There's some struggling, but Jack escapes with a chunk of one of the monsters. We see what are defined as parasites wiggling on the end of a monster's severed claw. We see a POV of a monster watching the group. The group finds a human leg bone with bite marks in it. The group hears strange sounds in the cave. Jack convulses (with some disorienting visions) from his earlier wounds. We see more POV shots of the monsters looking at the group. The group decides to try to get out by allowing themselves to be swept away in some underground rapids. One by one, they're swept away, but Kathryn claims that something's grabbed her beneath the water. We see that Nicolai has injured his leg (it's bloody), while Tyler and then Kathryn tumble over a very tall underground waterfall. After hearing monster sounds in the cave and Nicolai looking nervous while isolated in the cave water, something yanks him down under the water. We see a partial view of a large, winged and demonic looking creature taking Nicolai deeper down into the water. A creature swims among the team survivors. We see that a victim is alive but bloody, with a monster then appearing to impale him before yanking him away. A member makes her way up a cliff to the top of it, only to encounter a monster there. She backpedals and then falls off the edge, with one rope anchor breaking, but the other catching her after a very long fall that briefly leaves her hanging there unconscious. When she comes to, she sees the monster up at the other end of the rope and scrambles to get out of its way. Accordingly, she starts swinging/running back and forth along the cliff wall on her rope, reaching out for another cliff while trying to avoid a monster with each passing along the original cliff. She uses a makeshift flamethrower on one, cuts her rope and then grabs for the adjacent cliff, grabbing hold of it just in time. One of the creatures, however, flies down and lands right behind and attacks her. She takes a knife and cuts off its wing or wings, but it grabs her foot while falling. She then blasts it with her makeshift flamethrower and the creature falls a long distance while engulfed in flames, but she dies from her wounds from it. Infected by a parasite of some sort, a man's skin looks splotchy, while his pupils have somewhat of a cross look to them. The group finds themselves in a fiery cave that might remind some viewers of Hell. They find human skeletons there and it's noted as being a killing ground. Jack has more convulsions and weird/distorted visions. A monster flies down at Top and Jack, but misses them. A creature swims past a man in the water. We see blood on a cave wall and then hear screams. Tyler tries to elude the monsters, but finds himself surrounded by two in a passageway. Tyler and Kathryn share an oxygen tank while trying to escape underwater. Tyler ends up pulling her along and when he gets her to the surface, she's not breathing and he has to perform CPR on her (she quickly comes to after coughing out water). We hear a different, louder and deeper growl in the cave. The survivors find themselves surrounded by the creatures (on the walls and cave ceiling). Stalactites fall and partially impale one man who's trying to escape. We then see a monster fly down and bite him on the neck, followed by having his limp body in its mouth. GUNS/WEAPONS Makeshift flamethrowers/Knives: Used by the group to fend off and/or kill some of the monsters. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "No sh*t," "That's bullsh*t," "This is bullsh*t," "What the hell /is that/was that/is going on?" "Get your skinny ass down here," "Bastard," "Pissed," "Totally rocking," "Balls" (testicles), "Screwed up," "You *sshole," "Just want to get the hell out of here," "You don't have a G*ddamn clue what's going on," "Get your ass back down here" and "They freaking fly." The film might inspire some kids to explore caves. Briggs has a tattoo on his arm. JUMP SCENES A monster's severed claw suddenly moves. Charlie is suddenly behind Tyler and Kathryn in the water. A creature darts about between the group members underwater. Alex surprises Tyler. A creature swims past a man in the water. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 incomplete "f" word (used with "mother"), 16 "s" words, 15 hells, 5 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 S.O.B.s, 2 damns, 5 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "Christ," "For Christ's sakes," "Jesus," "Jesus Christ" and "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY We see Charlie in a small and tight-fitting diving suit up on their ship's mast. The group makes a toast to "virgin caves," with one of the guys toasting anything that's virgin. Kathryn shows a little cleavage after her dive suit is partially cut open to perform CPR on her. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES There's some tension between Jack and Tyler over their duties. A man must deal with his brother's apparent death (but this is only briefly addressed). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Caves, their exploration and animal species that live in them. The comment that European legends always have sad endings. VIOLENCE Some men have blood on their faces and one's hand following a floor collapse in an old church. That's followed by a landslide of sorts that sends rocks and earth crashing down onto the church, sealing the men below it inside the cave. A mostly unseen monster flies down at a guy in a cave. There's some struggling and the guy is then dragged away. His oxygen tank then explodes, with the resultant bubble blast hitting another diver. Rocks fall toward two divers, while one cuts his hand and we see rocks falling on a dead man's arm. Tyler punches another diver after a sarcastic comment. Blows are exchanged and the two struggle until separated. Jack encounters a bunch of scorpions in his path. When he tells Top to back up, one of the monsters grabs Jack and yanks him away. There's some struggling, but Jack escapes with a chunk of one of the monsters and some related scrapes on his back. Upset at Alex documenting their troubles on his camera, Jack knocks that from Alex's hand and then knocks him to the floor of the cave. The group decides to try to get out by allowing themselves to be swept away in some underground rapids. One by one, they're swept away, but Kathryn claims that something's grabbed her beneath the water. We see that Nicolai has injured his leg (it's bloody), while Tyler and then Kathryn tumble over a very tall underground waterfall. After hearing monster sounds in the cave and Nicolai looking nervous while isolated in the cave water, something yanks him down under the water. We see a partial view of a large, winged and demonic looking creature taking Nicolai deeper down into the water. We see that a victim is alive but bloody, with a monster then appearing to impale him before yanking him away. A member makes her way up a cliff to the top of it, only to encounter a monster there. She backpedals and then falls off the edge, with one rope anchor breaking, but the other catching her after a very long fall that briefly leaves her hanging there unconscious. When she comes to, she sees the monster up at the other end of the rope and scrambles to get out of its way. Accordingly, she starts swinging/running back and forth along the cliff wall on her rope, reaching out for another cliff while trying to avoid a monster with each passing along the original cliff. She uses a makeshift flamethrower on one, cuts her rope and then grabs for the adjacent cliff, grabbing hold of it just in time. One of the creatures, however, flies down and lands right behind and attacks her. She takes a knife and cuts off its wing or wings, but it grabs her foot while falling. She then blasts it with her makeshift flamethrower and the monster falls a long distance while engulfed in flames, but she dies from her wounds from it. One of the men falls down a cliff, with his gear hitting another man who then tumbles out of control down the side of the cliff, injuring his leg upon impact at the bottom. We see a creature racing down toward a man, but don't see the impact. A man is yanked away and up out of sight. We then see that he's alive but has been impaled on stalactites on the cave ceiling (he's dead later). Stalactites fall and partially impale one man who's trying to escape. We then see a monster fly down and bite him on the neck, followed by having his limp body in its mouth. Top stabs one monster while struggling with it in the water, followed by Tyler slicing across it, with goo spraying out. After knocking a creature down toward the cave floor, a man jumps out to attack another flying monster with a knife and both fall to the cave floor. Various structures in a huge cave chamber begin to collapse toward the team's survivors. Reviewed August 24, 2005 / Posted August 26, 2005

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