Black Sheep director Jonathan King adapts Kiwi novelist Maurice Gee's classic tale for the screen. Teenage twins Rachel (Sophie McBridge) and Theo (Tom Cameron) investigate the spooky house next door, only to discover the Wilberforces - shape-shifting creatures, lead by Mr Wilberforce (Oliver Driver), that lurk beneath Auckland's ring of extinct volcanoes. With the help of the mysterious Mr Jones (Sam Neill) and their older cousin Ricky, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil.

Review

"Under The Mountain's central quest - where two people must save the world by throwing something into a volcano - feels very similar to Frodo's quest in the Lord of the Rings series. It's nice to see that New Zealand can still make good-looking effects filled fantasy films. Auckland appears foreboding and dark in all the right ways.
This is a chaotically paced movie. Good thing Sam Neill is in the cast, because he goes to great pains to explain what's going on. Those who are completely befuddled will enjoy having clarity added to a messy narrative but cynics like myself are wary of all-knowing, all-wise, magical characters; they tend to pop up in stories where the writers can't think of a better way of resolving tricky situations.
At least Under the Mountain is a family film that is unabashedly scary. Youths are strangled, mothers die, there are tentacle-wielding aliens and they even drive a hearse. 12-year-old boys will lap all of this up but parents with sensitive youngsters should be careful when they check its rating. In terms of violence, it's similar to the recent Harry Potter flicks".
By Daniel McClelland, Flicks.co.nz