Secret of the Cave

The story deals with weighty subjects and foreign lands. Toss in mystery and mysterious goings-on and you have "Secret of the Cave."

The parents are having a dispute, and the father has a business meeting, so they pawn their son off on the uncle in Ireland. Before you know it, the kid is wrapped up in a mystery of a dead man that seems to still be doing good deeds.

We follow the clues and try to discover the secrets of the cave with the boy.

In the process, the boy comes of age. And we may learn something useful in our journeys through life. It follows the formula of a Joseph Campbell journey.

This was accidentally delivered to me by an online DVD rental site. Given that I didn't have the movie I wanted (which ironically was the dark comedy "Saved"), I decided to give it a go. I couldn't get past the first 20 minutes. I realize this is a family film, and I normally enjoy adventure-themed movies. It doesn't bother me that a Christian group produced it. I don't have a problem with Christianity in general. It's just that the film was so BORING. The little redheaded girl was a terrible actress. The storyline was slow-moving. Again I realize this was a film geared towards children, but if I was a parent I don't think I could have suffered through it with my kids.

Not pointedly Adventist. Though I wouldn't have a problem if it was.

And I can't see how anyone would fault it for it's message.

It's a very good, moral to the story, type of movie.

My wife and I highly recommend it. We plan to find the book and read it to see how "true to the story" it was.

Our son is a college student majoring in Film.

We plan to find it and buy it for him.

We hope more people will see this movie and will be passing the info to our church for listing in the library there.

Larry B.

I work in a video store and am required to watch movies in order to advise customers. So I brought The Secret of the Cave home with me unsure of what it was going to be like. I really thought it was going to be a cheesy poorly written and directed film. I was very impressed starting from the opening scene which shows the beautiful Irish seaside. To the realness of a hurting child going through divorce (I also thought that the boy who played Roy was a little to dark to be Irish, I thought that his mother would have been Native American.) As a mother and a Christian (I am not seventh day Adventist) I am constantly looking for movies that my whole family can enjoy together. And this is one of those. As I watched this movie I was reminded of myself watching Escape From Witch Mountian as a child. It has that kind of innocence about it.

I was also impressed when I found out that this film was done mostly by students at a college. I can't wait to see what other projects they come out with.

Overall a very excellent job. Movie worth renting. It's not the another movie about a mass murder, or a teenage love movie. It doesn't have Will Ferrell any where in the credits. And that's what makes this movie worth watching...it's original.

What do you do if you're a twelve year old boy, dumped by your dad at your uncle's place in a remote Irish village by the sea? Well, you go explore, naturally. And in "Secret Of The Cave", said exploration takes the form of investigating mysterious random acts of kindness by person, angel, or ghost unknown, that somehow relates to a nearby cave that is haunted, according to the locals.

This film has a lot going for it. It is beautifully filmed, with some great scenery. That majestic cave entrance is breathtaking. And the cave interior looks reasonably authentic. The film's casting and acting are acceptable. And production design is great, especially the inside of the village shop.

Reminiscent of all those Nancy Drew mysteries, "Secret Of The Cave" is harmless, diversionary fun aimed mostly at kids. The quest is to find or to discover some hidden treasure or uncover some secret.

In this film there is no violence, no sex, no repellent four-letter words, by design, I'm sure, a factor important to the film's target audience. What I found marvelously refreshing was the absence, the total absence, of ... television. Not one single scene showed a TV set. Wonderful!

The main weakness of the film is the script. Plot contrivances and convenient coincidences propel the plot, early on. In addition, the lead character (Roy) seems too composed and restrained, given the turmoil between his mom and his dad. Further, I do think the story's underlying inspirational theme is a tad overplayed. A little bit of sporting rebellion or general chaos would have added a touch of realism to a story that excels at good intent.

Overall, "Secret Of The Cave" is a technically well made film, one that has both entertainment value for kids, and an uplifting moral theme, appreciated by adults and especially parents with "heartland" values.