Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Cave-In! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 12, 2023

Produced in 1979 and aired on television in 1983, “Cave-In” (a.k.a. “Cave in!” and “Cave In”) is one of the final projects from producer Irwin Allen, who looked to sustain his legacy as a man of disaster cinema, putting together yet another examination of panicked people stuck in a dangerous situation, using survival time to reflect on all the mistakes and mishaps in their lives. Formula is forever to Allen, and he delivers the usual business here, with director Georg Fenady tasked with making something thrilling about a collection of strangers stuck inside a cavern for a few hours, serving up various challenges to personal safety. As Allen-branded endeavors go, “Cave-In” has a mild sense of pace and a decent obstacle course for the actors to navigate, offering steady entertainment with a contained setting, providing a few subgenre highlights.

It’s a big day at Five Mile Caverns, with park rangers Gene (Dennis Cole) and Walt (Lonny Chapman) preparing for the arrival of state senators looking to inspect the area before a critical funding package is approved. However, only Kate (Susan Sullivan) shows up, and she carries a familiarity with the area due to a past relationship with Gene. Kate elects to inspect a precarious area of the caverns, which quickly cave in, leaving her to wait for rescue, soon joined by Tom (James Olson), a violent criminal trying to make his escape. Gathering for a tour, Professor Harrison (Ray Milland) and his daughter, Ann (Shelia Larken), prepare to explore the history of the caverns, while ex-cop Joe (Leslie Nielsen) and wife Liz (Julie Sommars) are looking for a distraction from their troubled lives, following Gene into the caves. The park ranger manages to rescue Susan and Tom, but escape becomes difficult with fresh cave-ins, forcing the pack of strangers to trust in Gene’s leadership, taking on a series of physical challenges to reach safety, thinking about their differences as they navigate the tunnels.

Five Mile Caverns isn’t in good shape at the start of “Cave-In,” with Walt and Gene trying to decide if a safety issue is going to prevent a key inspection date, putting the whole cavern system in jeopardy. Exteriors are limited in the production, primarily used to establish the characters, with most arriving to enjoy nature’s wonders, while Tom is searching for a place to hide after managing to overpower a cop and escape into the wild. Writer Norman Katkov isn’t straining to do something different with “Cave-In,” offering the basics in introductions, keeping Gene professional, a born leader, newly connecting with Kate, his ex-girlfriend, who’s become a political force. Harrison is a weaponized intellectual, dismissing anyone who comes near him, including his daughter, with Ann distraught about boyfriend issues, dragged along during the professor’s hunt for evidence of stone age life. And Joe is a former cop dealing with the destruction of his reputation, forcing Liz to maintain cheeriness as they try to distract themselves with a cavern tour.

“Cave-In” delivers natural disasters early and often, finding Kate initially trapped with Tom, who can’t even pretend to play the part of a decent human being. He’s aggressive, fingering a pistol in his pocket, with Gene eventually hearing Kate’s cries, working his way down to save the agitated pair. While Walt deals with the outside world, most of “Cave-In” takes place inside the cavern system, and while money hasn’t been spent on the production, sets are decent for this type of entertainment, creating a closed off world of tunnels and natural formations for the characters to work through. Of course, a straightforward study of endurance wouldn’t be the Allen way, and “Cave-In” is broken up by flashbacks, with the survivors reflecting on their life choices and mistakes, including Joe, who’s being held responsible for his partner’s death during a robbery shootout, which dings his self-worth and employability. We also learn more about Gene and Kate’s relationship, which was challenged by professional ambition, finding the loving couple going their separate ways, with the park ranger struggling to get past the break-up.

The picture does an acceptable job creating movement issues for Gene to solve. An early challenge involves the crossing of a boiling geothermal pit, which requires some persuasion for the survivors to execute. The team winds their way through tunnels, manages a swim challenge under the rocks, and negotiates a rickety bridge. It’s not terribly active, but for an Allen production, it’s something, adding a little danger to an otherwise stationary premise.

Cave-In! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a satisfactory look at the production achievements of "Cave-In," which primarily takes place inside cramped sets. Cavern interiors are acceptably dimensional and textured. Skin particulars are also open for inspection across a range of character ages and level of perspiration. Occasional exteriors remain deep. Colors are stable, with strong primaries on fashion choices, and greenery is distinct. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, dealing with the darkness of the setting. Grain is acceptably resolved. Source is in good condition.

Cave-In! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers clear dialogue exchanges, handling performance choices and surges of panic. Scoring supports suspense needs with decent instrumentation. Sound effects register as intended, including the rumbling of unstable caves and gunfire.

Cave-In! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

Cave-In! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Casting works in "Cave-In," with Milland a hoot as an insufferable father and educator, happily mocking and correcting others during the journey. Sullivan and Cole are also committed to the cause, adding some passion to the saga of Gene and Kate, while Nielsen is perhaps the only one who can't hide his disinterest in the project, offering a wooden take on Joe's horror. "Cave-In" is supported by thespian efforts, helping to manage the writing's offerings of panic and melodrama, making the viewing experience palatable, which is a minor achievement during Allen's final push to make largely unwatchable offerings of disaster cinema for a dwindling audience.