The Cave
Screen Gems | Release Date: August 26, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
30
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
8
Negative:
14
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
It's increasingly hard to work up a fright on the screen these days, but even if The Cave doesn't exactly terrify, it's fun and looks great. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Though The Cave really, really tries to be scary from as many directions as possible, it fails to hold much in reserve and never manages to build suspense. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyTim Grierson
Despite the striking underwater photography and production values, much of this feels like Alien: Stalagmite Edition. But if it isn't original, The Cave does demonstrate that you can always elevate threadbare material by keeping your ambitions modest. Read full review
60
Village VoiceR. Emmet Sweeney
Spare and single-minded, The Cave is an insistently entertaining piece of pulp. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerChris Hewitt
It's not original, but unlike some of this summer's movies (such as The Island and Stealth), The Cave knows its place. Its job is to deliver a few jolty thrills and a couple of laughs and wrap things up before it starts to get too dumb. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
Sci-fi horror aficionados, however, might want to look elsewhere for their scares, as they're unlikely to find any here. Fright-wise, The Cave is a dry hole. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
"Alien" redux. Read full review
40
VarietyRobert Koehler
Refreshing strokes of science-fact in the early sections give way to action strictly from the Ridley Scott-James Cameron playbook, but without a powerful helmer behind the camera or a memorable cast in front. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
It's an undistinguished effort in which none of the actors distinguish themselves. Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Involves a team of divers exploring a vast cave system, an appropriate setting given the hollowness of the story and acting. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The writers supply character traits that seem to point toward a pay-off but never reach one. People all end up as tight-lipped, indistinguishable automatons who plummet 50 feet down jagged rocks with scarcely a scratch. Read full review
38
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The screenplay is thin, the dialogue lacks nuance and the acting is often laughable. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The Cave looks pretty cool - if you're into stalagmites, stalactites and that sort of thing -and the action is nonstop once they're in the hole. Unfortunately, there are no reference points in the dark to let us know where everyone is in relation to each other and to the monsters, and, therefore, there's little suspense. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Have you ever noticed how it's always the worst horror movies that go really far out of their way to lay the groundwork for a sequel? Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
A bottomless pit of lame characters, horror-film cliches and improbable monsters. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
There's no reason to see this film in a theater -- you'll hate yourself for paying full price. Plus, you'll need beer, and lots of it, to appreciate the movie properly. Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The utter lack of tension or suspense is as dumbfounding as Hunt's blender approach to editing, which purees action scenes into incoherent mashes of image confetti. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
A cheesy, often unintentionally funny, direct-to-video-caliber knockoff of "Aliens" that couldn't be more shallow. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's ultimately just a rigorous personal training film made by people who don't seem to like movies or the people who go to them. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
The Cave is National Geographic mixed with Roger Corman, and by the end you'll probably be wishing you saw "Red Eye" instead. Read full review
25
PremiereRyan Devlin
I suspect that there’s an audience for this film. I’ve heard that they like "mindless" entertainment. Read full review
20
The New York TimesLaura Kern
Not only is the film dreadfully dull: every time something potentially exciting does occur, the scenes are so muddled and chaotic that it is impossible to make out what is happening. Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Bonuses all around, but a double one for Perabo, the only cast member to survive this dull-as-dirt Cave with her actorly integrity intact. Read full review
10
Washington PostTeresa Wiltz
The Cave isn't just a bad movie, it's a very, very, very bad movie, so bad that it can't even redeem itself by turning into high camp. Read full review
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