AdamHunnicutt
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Actually, I gave this movie 3 1/2 stars, but for the benefit of the doubt used 4 instead of lowering it to just 3. WARNING: Jeff Long wrote a fantastic book called 'The Descent'. When I first heard of this movie I thought at last they had made the book into a movie. Wrong. The only things the book and the movie have in common are the name and something creepy underground.
+4
Six women, Sarah, Juno, Beth, Rebecca, Sam and Holly, love get togethers that include extreme adventures, such as white water rafting. The ladies haven't gotten together since Sarah lost her family in a car accident. Now, several months later, they're ready to take off again, this time on a deep cave spelunking adventure. After venturing into the cave, crawling through an amazingly tight tunnel which collapses behind them, Juno admits she didn't bring the map because this isn't the cave everyone thought they were exploring. It's a new, unexplored cave, one where they could have made a name for themselves by exploring. The problem now becomes finding a way out.
Deeper and deeper they go, until they come upon a chamber filled with bones. Here they meet an unexpected welcoming party, a group of ghastly albino beings who see humans as simply another source of food. The girls fight off the beasts, get separated, get re-united, and all the while the body count begins to pile up.
'The Descent' is a good horror flick with plenty of gory eye gouging and head slicing to feed your taste for blood, but at the same time is a bit formulaic. Another problem is that although its being filmed in a dark cave, the fights are too dark, too fast, and choppily edited making the best parts far too hard to see and follow. There are still some scenes that will make you jump out of your seat, and a few surprises in the script that keeps this film from being just another splatter film. Rent first. Enjoy!
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When I first saw previews for "The Descent," I immediately wrote it off as a copycat wannabe thriller like "The Cave." In fact, that's what took me so long to view this film. I figured that it would be just another dull spelunking horror flick. Boy, was I wrong. "The Descent" is one of the top horror flicks to come out in the last few years. The plot is simple enough: six ladies, all with varied intentions, head off to the Appalachian mountains for a weekend of spelunking fun. Once they hit the … more
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Pros: No one involved with this film can be considered a pro. Cons: If making bad movies was a crime, everyone involved is a con. The Bottom Line: Just . . . don't . . . bother. Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie''s plot. Pardon me for the sexist joke I’m about to make. Six women go into a cave and there is no one else to ask for directions; how many … more
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Somewhat resembling a big budget `Blair Witch Project' for adults, `The Descent' finds six girlfriends from the U.K. spelunking in the caves of Appalachia after one of them, Sarah (Shaina McDonald), has a tragic family SUV accident. Wanting to console her a year after she loses her husband, Sarah is not always a happy camper. Everyone is all smiles in their mountain cabin, but soon we are confronted by the usual surprise tactics: people sneaking up on others, bats coming out of nowhere, etc. The … more
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A group of female friends meet each year for a weekend of outdoor adventuring. After a weekend of white water rafting, one of the women, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) is involved in a tragic car accident. Her husband and son are killed and she is left seriously injured. A year later she gathers together with her friends once again for a weekend of spelunking in the Appalachian Mountains (bringing images of DELIVERANCE and the cabin in EVIL DEAD to mind). Some of her friends want this to be a weekend … more
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(Aug 6th 2006 - update below) There are rules. Rules to the genre of horror. The Descent follows the rules, then surpasses them, then breaks them in its wake. This movie is phenomenal. For years I slovenly sagged by head after viewing one dissappointing horror flick after another. Jeez what a sad journey, but now I am happy and oh so pleased to tell you my amazon friends, a new king (or queen shall I say) is born for horror. The Descent transends … more
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Schtinky
I want to thank Everyone for welcoming me back! :) I'm here to stay folks, my sabbatical on writing reviews is over and I'll continue to review for Lunch. It's great to be back, too! Thanks again for … more
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About this movie
Claustrophobia and bloody mayhem collide in the high-adrenaline horror flickThe Descent. Six women (including one who lost her husband and child the year before, and one who harbors a bitter secret) spelunk in an unexplored cavern system that turns out to harbor mysterious, predatory creatures. That sums up the story, but--as with writer-director Neil Marshall's previous low-concept movie,Dog Soldiers--the plot doesn't begin to describe the riveting, stomach-lurching thrills this movie provides. The script affords the relatively unknown cast (led by Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza, both excellent) just enough room to make their characters distinct and genuine, so that when they're dropped into utmost peril our empathy is engaged as much as our fear. The dynamic direction and editing make the cavern a palpable, physical presence, even before the creepy beasts crawl out of their nooks. This is not a movie for everyone; it is extremely gruesome and will induce panic attacks in anyone with even a mild fear of closed spaces. But for anyone seeking something smarter, faster, and more wrenching than static torture-fests likeSaworHostel,The Descentwill draw you into its unsettling ooze.--Bret Fetzer
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Cast:
Shauna Macdonald,
Nora-Jane Noone,
Alex Reid,
Oliver Milburn,
Saskia Mulder,
MyAnna Buring,
Molly Kayll
Genre:
Horror
Release Date:
4 August 2006
MPAA Rating:
R
Runtime:
99 Minutes
Studio:
Celedor Films
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