Time Trap (2017) <Netflix>
So, I was due for a stupid movie, and one who has a description of "A professor goes in a cave and gets trapped, his students look for him and do the same" sounds like the perfect candidate. I'd put the production quality at or near SciFi channel material, the acting and execution is about the same, but the writing brings this up a notch or two. To elaborate on the plot, the cave is actually where the Fountain of Youth is hiding, several layers deep. Within each layer, time slows down further. So, as we focus on the students looking for their Prof we get to the realization that when in the cave, they can look out and the sky is flashing light and dark (the quickly surmise days are passing above as seconds to them below). Throw in some cavemen to add some baddies even though they are trapped and lost in time like everyone else, glow sticks everywhere, a dead cowboy so we can bring a gun into play for no reason, and an alien from the future because ALIENS!, and you've got a good time, amirite? I like one of the other comments on IMDB to the effect of 'You ever like the telling of a story, but keep yelling at characters you can't care for?" Pretty accurate. The end wraps up quick with a pretty good twist, albeit predictable, and as it switches to credits you realize "WTF? The delivery on the ending was empty", meaning the story took it's next logical step (not setting up for a sequel), but didn't answer a ton of questions about the film. This, coming from ME who often just goes for the escape. 6/10.
Yeah, it was ok to watch once, there were a few things that seemed slightly original, particularly the time-based aspects, but I'd not do so again. Not a patch on The Descent, from which half the ideas realistically seem to have been stolen.
6/10