SYNOPSIS:
"The Descent" follows an all-female cast who play
extreme sports enthusiats going on their annual vacation trip.
During this daredevil caving holiday, the six girls are trapped
underground when an unexpected rock-fall blocks their exit.
Searching the maze of tunnels for a way out, they find themselves
hunted by a race of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid
but now monstrously adapted to live in the dark.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
Do not
watch this movie if you are claustrophobic or lygophobia (Fear
of darkness).
Now
we have the fundamentals covered, we are ready to descend.
From his
celebrated horror cult hit ‘Dog Soldiers’ (2002),
Neil Marshall returns with yet another spine-chilling gory
thriller that went beyond places on Earth. Marshall submitted
‘The Descent’ decently with the likes of most
horror thrillers did – the coming of a band of chums,
with a pendant for breakneck adventures. Often, the hardy
exploits of the on -screen personas prevailing through the
wildest edge of adrenaline-rushed endeavors rendered us; the
film lovers with our idle bums, green with envy. But as their
quest turned for the worst, with the then basking heroes,
now stalked with fear and tears, ran for their insignificant
lives. Our destiny is starting to make sense. Fat butts +
Movies = Longevity. Watching heroes fall from grace, innocents
mutilated and devoured; there has never been a better leisure
than that. Twisted sadists!
With the
introduction of six adrenaline junkies, with a variety of
characters: an alpha male type leader, a scholastic medical
student, a troubled survivor and a youthful spunk among the
pack. It is easy to dismiss them akin to typical Hollywood
stereotypes featuring mainly white Caucasian males with a
spot of blacks or Asians obscurely available, willing to give
up their lives when necessary. And don’t forget to throw
in the ever-dense damsel for the naughty bits.
Neil Marshall
scripted defiantly against the norm and ingeniously cast all
the six of the characters with women. Pressuring the pretty
actresses in an underworld of hostile environment, fighting
demons and fighting their stereotypes. Unlike dramas like
Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
(2002) or even Sex in the City, it is a rarity to cast all
the leads in an action/horror/gore movie like ‘The Descent’
with ladies and without any male supporting roles. Therefore
it is vital to cast the right actresses as to render their
presence formidably. ‘The Descent’ has been competent
with that issue.
‘The
Descent’ was referring to the caving trip in which six
buddies reunited after a tragedy to rekindle their waning
friendship. Alpha male type leader of the pack, Juno (Natalie
Mendoza) brought her gang to an undiscovered cave, counting
their death. When the entry collapsed, and their gothic spunk’s
leg broken, the six adventurers started to lose it in the
claustrophobic darkness. Losing their way, losing their important
equipment and losing their very sanity as they realized they
had become preys to savage humanoids with a taste for flesh.
The next
seventy minutes of the show, the audiences were treated to
a gory feast of heart thumping castigation in ‘Dog Soldiers’
style. Witnessing their friends being devoured live when scrambling
in the rocky confinements and ebony morbidity, Juno and Sarah
(Shauna Macdonald) upon their hell bound hours, morphed into
ice axe wielding, teeth baring and blood soaked exorcists
not unlike something from Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’.
Marshall’s darker twist of the plot soon revealed that
the worst enemies are often each other.
‘The
Descent’ was conceptually novel with captivating horror
factors and it’s ending satisfactory. Marshall continues
to enjoy blurring the lines between Man and His morality,
giving depth to the horror genre. In weeks to come, I might
just remember ‘The Descent’ as a film about some
ladies trying to fend for themselves in a God-forsaken Hell.
But I will never be able to forget this horror flick.
SPECIAL
FEATURES :
Plenty! There are featurettes and in-depth interviews
with key cast and crew. The DVD is completed with the making
of the movie and it’s trailers.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
‘The
Descent’ is so dark that I suspect otherwise if watched
in theaters. To add more fear factor, try switching off the
lights upon viewing the movie. Subtitles includes English
and Chinese. The audio can dive sporadically and can be somewhat
disruptive.
MOVIE
RATING:
OVERALL
DVD RATING :
Review
by Ang Wei Kiat
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