Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

milanpthecharming The first thing I faced when I heard of this movie were bad critics. Second, divided opinions of people who've watched this movie. I decided I should take a look and see for myself, being a fan of fantasy movies, and I didn't regret it, but I was not charmed either.The first thing, the actors. Always sceptic about introducing new kids into the movie industry, I tried to keep it objective and on low expectations, and it turned out I didn't have to because Tom Cameron (Theo) and Sophie McBride (Rachel) were really good. They represented their characters on a high level of quality, and for that I congratulate them, since this is their first role in a movie ever. :) Seeing Sam Neill in this movie firstly pleasantly surprised me, and then brought me to the edge of disappointment since he acted like he didn't care of the success of this movie nor his reputation. The rest of the crew was OK.Now the story. The plot has quite a lack of originality in the base of it, but some specific things are pretty interesting, which I won't reveal here in case you haven't watched the movie. The story is a bit slow at moments, but not too much, though it is kind of in fragments. Its development didn't come out well so the end comes suddenly. Btw, the ending scene is really the best scene in the movie.The visual effects are well done, though there's a lack of those. The kids didn't use their powers much. The drones are scary, but the Gargantuas are nothing fearsome, and they should've been the scary of the scary since they're monsters ready to destroy Earth. The atmosphere is spooky, though a bit too gray and dull at times. I had a feeling I had to see something colorful and vivid after seeing this movie. I was grossed out a few times by some scenes, which is good since that was the point, so my opinion is that the visuals are very well done.The music was keeping the tension the story didn't have at moments, so it came out a bit too intensive.At the end, this movie is not a masterpiece, and definitely not for those who aren't fans of the genre, but it definitely isn't bad and unwatchable. Because of Sophie and Tom, this one has a 6 from me.

p-stepien 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.

JenniferBaxter 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

typher 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.