The Descent

A friend picked The Descent as a film for us to see together and I wasn't all that excited about the choice. I was very mistaken. The Descent is a scary fun film. If you're claustrophobic or in general just don't like tight spaces then you might find this film particularly unnerving. The descent down into the tiniest caves and crevices of the earth gave me considerable anxiety. During their exploring of the caves they start to get the feeling that they are not down there alone. Something else is down there but just not sure what it is. That alone creates even more tension and fright to be down a space like that with some unknown creature around. It was at this time that for me it went in a different direction with the creatures becoming the new central element of the story. This is fine but it kind of turned into a more typical killer monster/creature thing. Sure they idea of the creatures being down there is good but the extent to which they are utilized was a bit too much for me. Despite this one criticism, The Descent is definitely a film to check out.

The concept of crawling through tight, winding, unfamiliar tunnels is scary enough. But, of course, this movie moves far beyond that.

This movie has a great setup with a close group of long time friends having fun and reuniting for different outdoor adventures.

From the beginning the directing is great. You really get a sense of adventure and the anxiety/excitement that goes into exploring a cave. It portrays it well and brings home the endeavor that cave exploration is.

The story is engaging as it builds. They run into natural trouble that's bad enough. But then the dire situation becomes far worse.

This movie is genuinely suspenseful. The gore is well done. The characters are sympathetic. The emotion builds to a fever pitch.

There are some shocking elements to the ending.

It is a great movie and there is no way it should be rated anything less than an 8 out of 10.

It really is well done. With relatable characters you can actually care about. It's considered a classic by many for a reason. It's legitimately uncomfortable, suspenseful and scary. And well directed. It's just a great movie.

When I read that "The Descent" featured an all women cast I expected a T+A extravaganza with spelunkers in too tight T-shirts and panties cavorting beneath the earth. I was disappointed. What I saw was a scary movie. I am not by nature claustrophobic but a few scenes of the close quarters they were climbing through left me squirming in my seat. I can't continue the review without issuing a SPOILER alert since I will be discussing critical movie facts. The movie was very spookily lit with looming shadows and false colors and was expertly designed. The creatures living below ground were creepy and scary since often they were only glimpsed in the shadows. I hadn't expected the death count to be so high nor the movie to be so bloody. I flinched often during the movie due to the sudden appearance of the creatures or from the wounds suffered by the cast. The pace of the movie once they began the cave exploration was very fast and of course with this type of movie a deeper examination of the facts reveals some plot holes but events move too fast for reflection. I can't say I liked or agreed with some events in the end of the movie. I think Juno, maybe not the best person in the group, was unfairly judged and condemned. None the less the movie was very effective in scaring me and holding my attention. The fact that it had, primarily, an all women cast was hardly noticeable. This is not a chick flic. Worth seeing.

The Descent is a little Alien, some Predator, and quite an amount of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The story involves a group of cave explorers' journey through a deep cave, two miles underground. They don't necessarily make a great team-they seem unplanned, and we would go on to the third act, and figure out that they lack strategy as well. That is when some of the members become badass heroines, joining the bloodfest in the cave, where the unknown lies await.

Simplistic as it is, The Descent offers an excellent atmosphere and very creative moments. The opening shows a shocking event that becomes a minor plot device. The entire first half is a better adventure film than a horror one; the team's first enemy is the landscape. There are lots of "setup" shots showing items that will inevitably appear later. Writer/Director Neil Marshall has an impressive style, especially for some amazingly lighted claustrophobic scenes.

The thing is, these wonderful 50 minutes set my expectation high, that I found the latter half underwhelming. Fake jumpscares are a prominent element in the movie. There is so much of it that the real ones are less effective. The tone makes a 180-degree shift, changing to a lot of gory fights and killings. They should be thrilling experiences, but the problem is I simply can't see what's going on, because: 1. The scenes are extremely dark, which is realistic but unworkable for fight sequences. 2. The team all have the same gear, look, and voice. I have a hard time distinguishing them. 3. The editing makes a shift as well; the cuts are intensely quick, making my eye sore by looking at it for too long.

But The Descent is a sufficient horror movie, because it is so interestingly constructed, and Marshall has great talents. Watching the characters, the situation and the film itself descend into madness is of great fun.

With Dog Soldiers, Neil Marshall created a tight and claustrophobic atmosphere then added the scares to create a very good horror film. However, the tension was often released with humour and the audience were allowed to catch their breath and relax. At no point in The Descent are you allowed to relax as Marshall grabs your attention within the first few minutes and doesn't let go until the credits roll at the end.

With the film set almost entirely underground, the lack of light is used to wonderful effect and Marshall keeps you on edge for 100 minutes; if you liked Dog Soldiers, 28 Days Later and/or Haute Tension and are sick of the formulaic rubbish being pumped out of Hollywood then The Descent is likely to be right up your street.