The Quest

It's been many years since I've seen this movie but I'm working on making it a part of my collection. Basically, there's an eerie, spooky, creepy pond that perks a boy's curiosity. The boy, Cody, starts investigating an old legend about "Donkegin" and/or "frog dreamings," all this I don't quite remember but I do remember certain parts as being incredibly intriguing. As a kid, and even today, I've always been fascinated with lakes and ponds, always wondering what's at the bottom. I believe they even get some underwater footage at some point when Cody wears an old-fashioned dive suit! This is an excellent adventure movie that's great for the whole family! Highly recommended!

Let me start by saying it has been about 8 or 9 years since I last saw the Quest, but I still remember it fondly.

Henry Thomas, soon after his performance as "Elliot" in E.T., finds himself living with relatives in Australia after his parents pass on. He soon begins to investigate a local legend called the "Dahnk-a-gin" (or something like that...), a fierce loch-ness-monster style beast living in an old quarry that has been flooded.

As a child, I was always very inquisitive and imaginative, and loved to explore old buildings and creepy places, so this movie appealed to me greatly. The area surrounding the flooded quarry is littered with scrap metal, beat up shacks, and a cool broken down 50's car that just call to the exploring spirit.

During some scenes, Henry rides the railroad using a modified bicycle that could lock onto the railroad tracks... start pedaling, and off you go! I always wanted one of those...

Anyway, check out the Quest, and see if it doesn't sweep you up in it's imaginative spell!

This movie had so many titles, in Ireland it was titled The Go-Kids, elsewhere it's called Frog Dreaming or The Quest. Recently watched this movie on Blu-ray and it was as good as when I was 8 years old. The movie never got the recognition it deserved, probably cause it was an Aussie production. Set in the outback a kid follows a legend of a monster at the bottom of a lake. Really fun adventure and some real beautiful shots of the forest and animals. As a kid this movie had everything, bit of fun, romance, horror, adventure. I'm a forty year old man now but this movie takes me back to a better time, before super viruses and mass terrorism.

'Frog Dreaming' is a fun, light-hearted Australian kid's film about a boy named Cody who investigates the disappearance of a friend who was last seen near an unmapped pond deep in the Australian bush. His search for the truth soon brings him into the world of Aboriginal mythology. Is there something supernatural going on at the pond, or is there a simpler explanation?

While strictly low-budget, 'Frog Dreaming' compensates by being filmed in the depths of the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, which is almost a character in itself, mysterious and ancient. This also gives the film a distinctly Australian flavour, accentuated by the romanticised image of a small-town community where everyone knows and looks out for each other, and relations with the European and native community (who live entirely separately) are sanguine. The cynicism of the modern world is far distant, and every character is imbued with an untouched innocence. The Americanisation of the culture is nonexistent, and many a line of dialogue is punctuated by an Antipodean colloquialism. The acting can at times be a tad theatrical as a consequence, but everyone turns in a competent performance, and the target audience won't even notice.

In any case, this rose-tinting hardly matters. This is an adventure film first and foremost, full of warmth and mystery that should keep children solidly entertained. The thrills are never gratuitous, and suspense is built up at a good pace, to a satisfying conclusion. This non-sensationalist down-to-earth approach should ensure enjoyment from adult viewers as well. I had the pleasure of enjoying 'Frog Dreaming' as a child, again as an adult, and can recommend it to both parties.

Cody Walpole (Henry Thomas) is a scientific, mechanically-minded, and ruggedly individualistic 14-year-old loner. He is also brave to the point of foolhardy, quite the daredevil-- except that he doesn't let anyone tell him what to do. Extremely inner-directed, what he dares and endures are come out of a quiet but fierce determination of his own prompting.

He stumbles upon a seemingly haunted, God-forsaken spot in the Australian wilderness, a long-abandoned mine or quarry flooded with filthy brown water. He knows of an old hermit who spends his vacations living alone in the area. After seeing none-too-recent evidence of this man's presence, he calls out and searches for him and eventually finds his skeleton. It looks as though the man was literally scared to death. This place is not on any map and, after some further investigation, he hears that the local aborigines shun the spot as the legendary lair of a monster living in the murky pool, a being so horrible that the mere sight of it kills. The place seems to exude bad luck and gives everyone the creeps who goes near it.

Cody believes that there must be a rational explanation for this phenomenon and becomes obsessed with the site and discovering the true nature of the creature in the water. This mission requires him to defy and disobey everyone in the local village, even his guardian, another individual so laconic and independent as to be a soul mate, who usually lets this resourceful boy do whatever he wants. Cody's steps in solving the mystery are breathtakingly lonely and dangerous.

As much as I admire individualism and independence, it is difficult for me to sympathize with courage carried to such an extreme for no compelling reason. Although others have recommended this film for children, I can't agree. It is the stuff of which nightmares are made-- I think it could even give me some. And Cody's reckless behavior, despite his admirable traits, makes him something of an anti-hero.

There is no denying, however, that the filmmakers have done a superb job with atmosphere and have captured some gorgeous wilderness scenery. I can understand this being among someone's favorite films. It is certainly different.