Descent

Science team leader Dr. Jake Rollins (Luke Perry) finds unusual minerals in the water. They are shocked when a waterfall turns into a lavafall. Earthquake strikes Seattle. Marsha Crawford (Mimi Kuzyk) leads the government response fearing it to be the result of Project Deep run by Dr. Palmer Drake (Rick Roberts) and General Fielding (Michael Dorn). Dr. Karen West (Marie Ward) is a member of the Project and Jake's former girlfriend. It's a deep drilling project for energy. The fix is placing a bomb deep in the earth.

This is basically a different The Core (2003) and that's not a high target to shoot for. The target isn't high and this one falls short of even that. This is a B-movie version of a B-movie with A-movie budget. I actually don't mind this movie until it starts drilling into the Earth. The story has nothing to do but wait for the inevitable success. This is no The Core and The Core is not even a good movie.

I just watched Descent. Gawds what an awful movie. Right off the bat they depict a lava geyser and a note says that it is miles below the the surface of Washington State. Folks, there are no geysers deep in the Earth like that. They thought it looked neat and in typical Hollywood style they threw it in. And then there is that well that spewed lava. He dropped a stone and I heard a splash. Steam would have erupted out of that well before a blast of lava could, if ever.

And the acting was pretty bad as well. Micheal Dorn has sunk to a new low in jobs.

What a dog of a movie. I bet the vote goes no higher than a 3.5

It didn't look like SciFi Channel spent too much other than to have pretty boy Perry as an attempt to draw.

Another generic Sci-Fi Channel and yet another variation on Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH. This one's closer to THE CORE, but the intent is still the same; the Earth is heating up and spewing lava, so a team of scientists hop into the 'Mole' and ride down the same lava tunnels to sort it out. To fill up running time, there's some conspiracy sub-plotting, a bad guy or two, and a traditional romance.

There's also little to distinguish this from a dozen others. The opening is more fun than the latter stuff, because we're treated to a handful of disaster staples, from lava shooting up out of the ground to buildings being demolished in an earthquake. Once the action shifts below ground level, however, things get worse; the movie becomes a repetitive chore to sit through, cutting between cheesy graphics and the even cheesier acting inside the craft.

Human roles are taken by ex-pin up Luke Perry, looking old and tired, and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION's Michael Dorn as an officious government type. Nobody else seems to bat an eyelid, and I was bored of this long before the end. Unfortunately for me, a local TV channel is having an "end of the world" week, so there are at least three more of these to sit through...

This is a Very Very VERY bad movie !

The plot is weak the acting is bad and the science is worse.

The special effects are unconvincing. The dramatic scenes are a joke. Every step of the way you can see coming a mile away. The end is disappointing and there is no suspense. The best aspect of the film is the soundtrack.

The only reason not to give this a lower vote is because it is a TV movie and i believe the budget was low to start of with.

I do believe that the young female fans of Luke Parry will still see this movie however he has done better work. Again this is Terrible. Very very very terrible. If you have a choice, look at something else.

The SciFi Channel's 2005 movie "Descent" is a weak to fair reworking of the old "journey to the center of the earth" plot.

The movie appears to suffer from the classic failings of a SciFi Channel made for TV movie. Sets are limited and one gets redundant views of actors at sparse consoles intermixed with low budget animation of the vessel called "the mole." There is some action and some intrigue, but the movie gets a bit redundant with just three main sets (mole, cave, and control room) and the actors who try to twist the uninspired dialog into something entertaining.

Luke Perry does a good job as Dr. Jake Rollins, but Michael Dorn ( aka Warf from Star Trek) appears one dimensional with General Fielding's stilted dialog.

This might seem like another homage to Jules Verne's piece of classic of nineteenth century French literature "Journey to the Center of the Earth;" it is not. For that watch the 1959 classic "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with Pat Boone and James Mason. The "Descent" is another "tunnel digging vessel heading to the center of the earth movie." If you like this sci-fi theme try episode # 1.2 from "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne" titled "Queen Victoria and the Giant Mole." If you desire the big budget modern special effects, there is 2003's "The Core" with Hilary Swank. These choices may entertain and stimulate your imagination more.

However if you love science fiction, have nothing else to watch, and want to rest your brain; "Descent" will suffice.