Die Höhle - Das Tor in eine andere Zeit

Let me first disclose that this is my first review I have ever written on here. I made an account SPECIFICALLY just to review this movie because of how infuriated the characters made me while watching. Throughout the whole movie you'll constantly be asking yourself "why would they do that" or "why didnt you just do this". The most infuriating part was watching a group of the main characters standing over a dying man screaming that he's dying and what he's dying from, but then helplessly do nothing. "We have to save him!" one of them shouts as they do literally nothing, and then watch him helpessly struggle from another threat. Both of which they could have helped easily. It could have otherwise been a fantastic film if the writing for some of the characters wasn't so poor. Seriously, everything else was great. The ending could have been a bit better, as I feel like it could have answered a few more questions and been a little less mysterious.

The basic story is an Archaeologist going out to look for the old van from the 1970s, his parents were Hippies of sorts and disappeared all those years ago. He has some fresh ideas and knows there was a search for a fountain of youth in a cave. It is set and filmed in Texas, west of San Antonio, using the Sonora Caverns as the location for most of the filming.

When he does not return a couple of students of his and a couple of additional young friends set out to find him. That is when the action really starts. The first strange thing is when one of them exits the cave after only a few minutes, and looks up the jeep, the battery is dead and it is covered in old growth vines. That is the hint, somehow in the cave time slows way down. The cave is a "time trap."

All that spawns a number of other issues and builds to pretty interesting and exciting final couple of scenes. All in all a very different kind of movie and also very entertaining.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

This could have had a better start if time was taken to develop the characters. It would have been a lot easier to be empathetic to their plight and be drawn in deeper as events unfolded. Nevertheless, given what the budget for this film was, I can understand why it was lacking in that respect. For the most part the acting was decent and the best actors seem to have smaller roles, Olivia Draguicevich who played Veeves a 13 yr old who exuded the confidence of a mature adult. Olivia delivered a nice performance. Max Wright was spectacular as Furby and I wish his character was featured more in this movie, because it would have brightened some of the less finer moments in this movie when you thought it might get bogged down by a weak script that created some unrealistic reactions to what was happening at that moment. I can't say more without being a "spoiler" so I will just say that I liked this one a lot. I liked the fresh and unique approach to this Sci-Fi genre. The FX was exceptional for a movie of such a low budget. Definitely worth watching.

This is a next level movie. You will not like every bit of it. After 60 minutes, the movie becomes highly interesting and thrilling. It is another level Science Fiction. Seemed to be below average in the first hour. The next thirty minutes is a thrill to watch. It Surprises. It entertains. It makes your imaginations go beyond your expectations.

The concept and idea behind the film is such a strong one. Unfortunately the characters & screen play not so much. You'll definitely have the urge to yell at the characters and probably have more questions than answers with the flow of dialogue & scenes. I kept watching because of the concept of the movie but DANG the other aspects don't catch up.