Henry Thomas, once again, offers a great performance (here as an adolescent and with an already changed voice). While the movie is predictable, it is entertaining and has a great deal of adventure. So determined and adventurous that he doesn't hesitate to take great risks to find the mystery of the monster-like thing on a dangerous and creepy pond, even if that implies disobeying orders or advices. Henry Thomas is Cody, a very determined boy with a strong will for adventure. ![]() He was a very capable actor and one of the few child actors who grew up without trashing his life and that is one thing that I admire on him. There's no denying that he was much more than just "Elliott". For me, the most appropriate title is 'Frog Dreaming' (it's the one which identifies most with it) but 'The Quest' also suits it well. ![]() In the UK it was ridiculously called 'The Go-Kids'. In Australia it is titled 'Frog Dreaming'. 'The Quest' is how this Australian production is named in the USA. Anyway, check out the Quest, and see if it doesn't sweep you up in it's imaginative spell! start pedaling, and off you go! I always wanted one of those. During some scenes, Henry rides the railroad using a modified bicycle that could lock onto the railroad tracks. 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. 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. 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. Henry Thomas, soon after his performance as "Elliot" in E.T., finds himself living with relatives in Australia after his parents pass on. 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. I can understand this being among someone's favorite films. There is no denying, however, that the filmmakers have done a superb job with atmosphere and have captured some gorgeous wilderness scenery. And Cody's reckless behavior, despite his admirable traits, makes him something of an anti-hero. It is the stuff of which nightmares are made- I think it could even give me some. Although others have recommended this film for children, I can't agree. 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. Cody's steps in solving the mystery are breathtakingly lonely and dangerous. 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 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. ![]() The place seems to exude bad luck and gives everyone the creeps who goes near it. 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. It looks as though the man was literally scared to death. ![]() After seeing none-too-recent evidence of this man's presence, he calls out and searches for him and eventually finds his skeleton. He knows of an old hermit who spends his vacations living alone in the area. He stumbles upon a seemingly haunted, God-forsaken spot in the Australian wilderness, a long-abandoned mine or quarry flooded with filthy brown water. Extremely inner-directed, what he dares and endures are come out of a quiet but fierce determination of his own prompting. He is also brave to the point of foolhardy, quite the daredevil- except that he doesn't let anyone tell him what to do. Cody Walpole (Henry Thomas) is a scientific, mechanically-minded, and ruggedly individualistic 14-year-old loner.
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