A year after a tragic accident which claimed the lives of her family, a young woman, Sarah, goes on a trip with five friends to explore a remote cave. But when they become trapped within the cave it soon becomes clear that they are not alone. They have become the prey of a strange race of hungry, bat-like creatures and their only chance of survival is to fight back.
The Descent is an excellent film for a variety of reasons.First, the film successfully creates a sense of claustrophobia which is palpable to the viewer and is comparable with few other films other than perhaps The Thing. It then introduces a pack of predatory monsters which threaten to make a meal of the characters.
What makes this even more effective is that the viewer actually gives a crap what happens to the characters, and especially to the main protagonist, Sarah. This is because the time has been taken to develop the characters as human beings with emotions, interests, thoughts, and group dynamics. The even more interesting thing about this is that the protagonists are all women, and "unconventional" ones at that who do not fit the sexist cookie-cutter persona used in so many other films. After all, these sisters like to hang out, talk about real things, drink beer, and enjoy extreme sports. Plus, they are tough as fuck and once the time comes to kick ass, they do so pretty effectively from start to finish even if not everyone makes it out alive.
The movie is well made. Good acting, believable dialogue, good effects and really cool looking bat-like humanoid monsters. It's got action, gore, and a few jumps thrown in. It also has a somewhat ambiguous conclusion which leaves the door open for a sequel which has indeed been produced and released. I, for one, am looking forward to checking it out.
4.5 pick axes to the head out of 5
Rated R for strong violence/gore and language.
No comments:
Post a Comment