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 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.