Der Geisterjäger

Cody Walpole (Henry Thomas) is a scientific, mechanically-minded, and ruggedly individualistic 14-year-old loner. He is also brave to the point of foolhardy, quite the daredevil-- except that he doesn't let anyone tell him what to do. Extremely inner-directed, what he dares and endures are come out of a quiet but fierce determination of his own prompting.

He stumbles upon a seemingly haunted, God-forsaken spot in the Australian wilderness, a long-abandoned mine or quarry flooded with filthy brown water. He knows of an old hermit who spends his vacations living alone in the area. After seeing none-too-recent evidence of this man's presence, he calls out and searches for him and eventually finds his skeleton. It looks as though the man was literally scared to death. This place is not on any map and, after some further investigation, he hears that the local aborigines shun the spot as the legendary lair of a monster living in the murky pool, a being so horrible that the mere sight of it kills. The place seems to exude bad luck and gives everyone the creeps who goes near it.

Cody believes that there must be a rational explanation for this phenomenon and becomes obsessed with the site and discovering the true nature of the creature in the water. This mission requires him to defy and disobey everyone in the local village, even his guardian, another individual so laconic and independent as to be a soul mate, who usually lets this resourceful boy do whatever he wants. Cody's steps in solving the mystery are breathtakingly lonely and dangerous.

As much as I admire individualism and independence, it is difficult for me to sympathize with courage carried to such an extreme for no compelling reason. Although others have recommended this film for children, I can't agree. It is the stuff of which nightmares are made-- I think it could even give me some. And Cody's reckless behavior, despite his admirable traits, makes him something of an anti-hero.

There is no denying, however, that the filmmakers have done a superb job with atmosphere and have captured some gorgeous wilderness scenery. I can understand this being among someone's favorite films. It is certainly different.

'Frog Dreaming' is a fun, light-hearted Australian kid's film about a boy named Cody who investigates the disappearance of a friend who was last seen near an unmapped pond deep in the Australian bush. His search for the truth soon brings him into the world of Aboriginal mythology. Is there something supernatural going on at the pond, or is there a simpler explanation?

While strictly low-budget, 'Frog Dreaming' compensates by being filmed in the depths of the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, which is almost a character in itself, mysterious and ancient. This also gives the film a distinctly Australian flavour, accentuated by the romanticised image of a small-town community where everyone knows and looks out for each other, and relations with the European and native community (who live entirely separately) are sanguine. The cynicism of the modern world is far distant, and every character is imbued with an untouched innocence. The Americanisation of the culture is nonexistent, and many a line of dialogue is punctuated by an Antipodean colloquialism. The acting can at times be a tad theatrical as a consequence, but everyone turns in a competent performance, and the target audience won't even notice.

In any case, this rose-tinting hardly matters. This is an adventure film first and foremost, full of warmth and mystery that should keep children solidly entertained. The thrills are never gratuitous, and suspense is built up at a good pace, to a satisfying conclusion. This non-sensationalist down-to-earth approach should ensure enjoyment from adult viewers as well. I had the pleasure of enjoying 'Frog Dreaming' as a child, again as an adult, and can recommend it to both parties.

I have not seen this movie in over 10 years, but it must have been good because I still remember it. I saw it when I was 12 and it seemed really cool at the time. The plot didn't seem boring to me, kids looking for a lochness-type monster. Had a lot of dialogue, but good stuff. I remember thinking the young girl in it was so cute. That is the whole reason I looked this movie up, to see what her name was (Rachel Friend). Unfortunately, she never did much else. Anyway, I think pre-teen and young teens would still like this movie.

I got an IMDb account specifically to review this movie; if that tells you anything. Before the internet existed, and then before torrents become viable, I had no luck finding it after watching it once as a rental; the other "The Quest" kept getting in my way. I spent a lot of time searching for a copy of this. It's difficult to explain the movie to people who aren't familiar with it, and the premise isn't so hot on paper. Objectively, it's not an AAA title, but it just might be my favorite film. There is a mythic quality to it; some primeval fascination - from the standpoint of an evolutionary biologist, I would say that there was good reason for our ancestors to pay a lot of attention to strange bubbles and ripples in the water, and perhaps for that reason, the mystery at the heart of this movie is eerie and compelling. Dreamlike is the best word for this movie - it doesn't make a great deal of sense, but it is invested with some cryptic and deeply felt meaning; like a strange recurring dream.

Structurally it really is similar to both E.T., the Goonies and in a way Stand By Me; it has a little bit of star wars to it in terms of feel and aesthetic. The setting, the music, and the strange little premise take it away from those more familiar reference points and into a very strange place.

Yes, this movie was peculiar. Yes, the plot was sort of strange and a bit difficult to follow the first time around ... that is why we watched it many times !

The boy is a great inventor, and goes exploring strange things in this lake... and I thought the movie was just very mysterious and exciting as a kid.

I just thought I would put out this little review, as the other voter quite disliked it, heh. I thought it was superb !