Under the Mountain

Under the Mountain

source: Under the Mountain

I got half way through this and knew I wasn't going to finish. The plot was very weak and proposterous at times. They are told by an otherwordly being named Mr. Jones played by Sam Neill that they need to throw two stones into a volcano to save the world. They should have not turned this book into a movie because if the film is following the book well it's a rather lame story. Sam Neill was good as he is a good actor but even he could do nothing about the plot. After all he's just following a script The twins played by Sophie McBride and Tom Cameron were good enough actors but the acting wasn't the problem. Some other viewers found this boring. I didn't find it exactly that as I felt the pace of the movie was good and the direction, acting etc., it was just the awful plot. I said it was more for kids maybe but maybe I'm selling them too short.

Wonderful production values, but ultimately brought down by poor conception, scenario, and scripting, for which adequate acting, well-intentioned direction, and skillful editing couldn't compensate. My experience was interesting: At first, the flick was just sort of ridiculous; lots of disconnected emoting/apparent motivation and a welter of vague, disconnected scariness that was just senseless, hence funny. And then we come to the bit where Neill's character lays the premise bare. I appreciate the idea of hoping to keep us on pins and needles, awaiting the payload of dawning comprehension of the Big Picture. The problem was that the scenario work and scripting doesn't know when to hold the cards close to the chest... so it just looks silly, especially to the same degree that we're expected to be relating to/identifying with the protagonists. So, I think, OK: I can sort of forgive the foregoing, now that I see that there's actually sort of an engaging premise/backstory. Can the story management straighten up and fly right for the rest of the movie? No. There's just a non-stop cavalcade of (again) disconnected emotional ebbs and flows (e.g., the boy twin breaks character to "go it alone" after the mentor had clearly established its futility; interfaces between the supernatural and "real" world characters are laughable), ridiculous close calls (e.g., the girl "almost" dies, twice), gratuitous stock creepiness (e.g., Lots of ET mucous, way, way over the top grotesquerie)... which pretty much sum up the varieties of narrative/scenario mismanagement. Now, just imagine these things coming at you a mile-a-minute. Nonetheless, it was sort of fascinating to watch, if only for the reason that it never lets you down: There was a guaranteed disbelieving head-shake at least every minute! The reason I watched it was because a Trivial Pursuit teammate said she was under the impression it was made under Peter Jackson's direction, so I jumped on in. Tho a Kiwi production, it _wasn't_ directed by Peter Jackson. Don't waste your time, unless you're a film student and are curious as to how close-to-the-mark I am.

I attended the North American Premiere of "Under the Mountain" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is a love song to New Zealand's volcanoes. Jonathan King's fantasy tale is "Lord of the Rings" meets "Alien" -- it may be a bit scary for younger kids, though. Sam Neill does a star turn here as an aging wizard-like Fagan. Only he has the knowledge to help save the world from the evil Gargantua. But it's up to teenage twins Theo and Rachel (young newcomers Tom Cameron and Sophie McBride) to wield the power. The charming kids steal the show here and couldn't be more engaging. The multi-layered story more than held my interest -- there's plenty here for adults and youth alike. Production values are stellar with mind-boggling visual and special effects, and "Under the Mountain" boasts one of the best scores I've heard in a long time. The lush cinematography amounts to a New Zealand travelogue. The film is dazzling and puts many others of its ilk to shame. "Under the Mountain" should do well among family audiences.

I was given this film by a friend of mine who was going to get rid of it, but thought I might enjoy it. It was directed by Jonathan King, who you might know from the film Black Sheep. Not having read the book or seen the mini-series from 1981 I didn't have any preconceived ideas about the story, which was probably a good thing because this film is utterly BORING, I was hoping to see Sam Neill be his usual bad ass self, but the whole thing was just bland. The two twins move in with their cousins after their mother is in an accident and they notice something strange about their neighbours the Wilberforces, the twins are both telepathic for some reason and they also meet up with Mr Jones (Sam Neill) who claims he's there to stop the Wilberforces who are in fact aliens that are keeping enormous beasts under the nearby volcanoes. Mr Jones presents the twins with a pair of stones that they must use to defeat the Wilberforces by harnessing their... Twiness. That's seriously how he refers to it in the movie, I'm not sure if it's the same in the book, but on film it just sounds cheesy, but not the good kind of cheesy like Starship Troopers. Eventually the twins harness their powers and defeater the Wilberforces, this all sounds very exciting, but the acting is just dull, there doesn't seem to be any passion and I just couldn't get myself to sympathize with the characters. It would be nice to see this redone with some better actor because the story doesn't seem half bad.

Through mud and fire world are made, but they may also be destroyed. In true Lovecraftian fashion Ancient Ones reside beneath the burnt out volcanoes of Auckland, New Zealand, asleep awaiting to be awoken. Their guardians are a slime-covered alien race called the Wilberforces, whose only goal is to turn the world to ruin. We have but one protector - the alien Fireraiser (Sam Neill), who attempts to save the world by finding a special pair of twins, with the power to control the element of fire to once and for all rid the world of the alien infestation. The chosen ones are the red-headed Rachel (Sophie McBride) and Theo (Tom Cameron), connected to a level so deep, that they can telepathically communicate with each other. However the Wilberforces do not intend to stay idle... I have the foggiest childhood recollection of seeing the original series or at least parts of it, remembering it as aimed at young teenagers, but not refraining from a dosage of frights normally not seen by such an audience. However my memory fails to bring back the specific details and inform me on how far away from the original TV series this movie has actually diverged. Nonetheless on its own merits it does feel like a hastily cooked-up hamburger aimed at mindless youth. Running around from location to location and diving head-first into the story "Under the Mountain" lacks at least 30 minutes of proper build-up to create a backdrop to the action. We are rushed into the story at such a staggering pace, that before you get the grip of what evil lurks around the corner the twins have already manages to dispose of the baddies and we move on to the end credits set against the spectacular burning background of Auckland and its many volcanoes. Sam Neill for one is badly underused as the effort to involve him in the story lacks focus, whilst his character essentially makes or breaks the movie. At almost every occasion we instead drift away from him into another sequence, where the twins are either running, fighting for their life or escaping. Even the horror of Cthulhian-inspired Wilberforces lacks any of the necessary urgency, as they apoplectically stagger around giving our heroes sufficient time to watch an episode of Seinfeld, before managing to move 5 metres. At times they also prefer staring menacingly as if in a vain hope the twins will magically jump into their slimy tentacles. Nonetheless the movie presents Auckland with some inspirational cinematography and enough back-story to actually make you want to place this city high on your 'to see' list. If nothing else "Under the Mountain" is a perfect tourist hook that catches you thanks to the breathtaking placement of the city.

I saw Under the Mountain at the cinema and recently purchased the DVD. My teenage sons loved the film as did I. New Zealand is on a roll lately and Under the Mountain shows what can be done with a load of kiwi talent and a cracker story. Sam Neill is fantastic, as always, but what really stood out for me were the two leads. Gone are the days of stage acting in our movies, a perfectly pitched performance from all. I'm looking forward to seeing what Mr King makes next, he is clearly an incredibly talented man. The visual effects are amazing, as expected from having WETA involved. I recommend this movie to anyone who loves to be entertained, suitable for the entire family. The DVD has a great making of as well. 9 out of 10

I Went to see this movie to support New Zealand movies. To my surprise I was very disappointed... Weta workshop did the visual effects which were OK but nothing very creative. The story very lacking something and the movie ended very quickly and was very basic the whole time it just felt the twins were not twins they were friends having a Tiff. The Special effects were very good but didn't save the movie in anyway way or forum. this will be a movie you will forget straight away. I will say that the actors did a great job which is why I gave 3 stars.

There are only two reasons why i would waste my time writing about a movie. It is either because its brilliant or because it's a terrible waste of time! This movie falls into the latter category. Halfway into the movie, i find myself looking at the clock. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better. Wow, such great premise, how the hell did they miss the mark? The director is to blame here. It was so so lame and boring. The actors did a good job, though i would have to say that sometimes the reaction factor is kind of weak. Example, when Mr Jones was trying to heal Rachel, flames of fire came out of his hand, in reality any tom dick and harry would find this amazingly unreal and you would expect them to react in disbelief, but on the contrary, the kids are acted like they have seen this before. Wowsers! This movie gets a C from me.