The Descent

[goodrichwok]

I know there are some posts about this movie in the "The Cave" thread but I thought it would better to bring it into its own thread. So what's everyone's opinion on this movie? I personally felt it was one of the worst films I've ever seen but only because of the praise that it's getting in reviews. I keep reading about how smart and intelligent this "horror" movie is but it's nothing more than constant Boo! moments. It's also pretty straight forward but that doesn't really detract from the movie. It's just that many people on the IMDB board are coming up with theories about what "really" happened when it's so god damn obvious that pretty much everything in the movie is supposed to be taken on a literal level. There are a few dream sequences but those are clearly marked as dreams. I really don't understand the praise for this film. There was nothing different or innovative about it at all.

Although you might enjoy it if you take it for what it is. A group of women get trapped in a cave and get attacked by monsters. Yes, they really are monsters. There's nothing "twisty" about them. Again, that's not something that necessarily detracts from the movie, but don't expect it to go anything beyond that.

[venom]

So is this worth seeing?

[Vorph]

Yea, Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) is one of the best horror directors working today. I disagree wtih pretty much everything in the OP, this was easily one of my favorite horror flicks of last year.

[Szlia]

If you divide the movie in 5 parts: An exposition, A build-up, an encounter, a crescendo and a conclusion, I really like the first, second and fourth parts, but the third part requires you to leave your brain at home (or in the fridge if you are at home) and the ending is pretty weak.

In the end, I rated it pretty high that year because the movie really managed to shook me a little.

[Telrem]

It was pretty good up untill they actually saw the monsters. Before that the atmosphere and setting was excellent. However after that the film became completely rediculous. All of a sudden these women were suddenly able to overcome cave dwelling bat people in hand to hand combat with consumate ease. In one scene one of the girls breaks one of the monsters necks with her bare hands...

[Awanka]

Reminds me of this one H.P. Lovecraft story where this family of hillbillies evolves, or devolves into these bat creatures that fly around at night and eat people's faces off. It was one of the best horror stories I've ever read. It was called mmmmm... a Dunwich Horror? Can't quite remember.

[woot!]

The movie was definately better than The Cave, but it doesn't make it good either.
It was "decent" (har har) imo, I acctualy liked the atmosphere that is beeing set up at the begining, and the general "feel" of the movie.

[randomguy]

Originally Posted by goodrichwok

I know there are some posts about this movie in the "The Cave" thread but I thought it would better to bring it into its own thread. So what's everyone's opinion on this movie? I personally felt it was one of the worst films I've ever seen but only because of the praise that it's getting in reviews. I keep reading about how smart and intelligent this "horror" movie is but it's nothing more than constant Boo! moments. It's also pretty straight forward but that doesn't really detract from the movie. It's just that many people on the IMDB board are coming up with theories about what "really" happened when it's so god damn obvious that pretty much everything in the movie is supposed to be taken on a literal level. There are a few dream sequences but those are clearly marked as dreams. I really don't understand the praise for this film. There was nothing different or innovative about it at all.

Although you might enjoy it if you take it for what it is. A group of women get trapped in a cave and get attacked by monsters. Yes, they really are monsters. There's nothing "twisty" about them. Again, that's not something that necessarily detracts from the movie, but don't expect it to go anything beyond that.

SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOIL ERS*

Other than you hating the movie due to reviews, not really sure of any real examples you have shown. The "monsters" in the film were actually people who got stuck in the cave over the years and learned to adapt. Thats why it ends with her figuring out how to survive and adapt in the "creature's" environment.

The setup for this movie was great, the small camera angles inside the cave and throughout the journey gave you a good quesy feeling before anything really happened or the monsters appeared. This was a horror movie that didn't have or need an impossible bad guy to kill or one that was forged by satan himself. The movie was just people who were stuck in the caves and adapted to living in complete darkness over the years and feasting on whatever they could to survive. A little unbelieveable if you think about reproduction time, but I didn't so it never bothered me.

This was not the best horror movie to end all horror movies, but if compared to the "Cave" this is like the Citizen Kane of cave dwelling horror films. Everything in the film was just so fluid. From the beginning sequence of the future protagonist who has to overcome her internal fears, to the cocky know-it all antagonist rival friend who would do whatever she could to survive and fufill her personal desires even if it meant wreckless action to put her friends in danger. All the cave scenes had more realism than most cave movies, very reminiscent of rock climbing films that were done correctly to show the intensity. These are just some things that made the movie, which id give a 7/10 for effort/presentation. Any movie with a pool of animal blood you have to swim through rocks. However if you post some examples of the movie that bothered you, then some answers might follow.


p.s. thank you to Kan for pointing this film out to me a bit ago to see. I am glad I got the chance to watch it.

SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOIL ERS*

[Szlia]

This movie understood for sure a key element of horror movies, that also got very well understood by Cameron's Aliens for example: set the action in a place that is scary and uncomfortable by itself (underground tunnels, ventilation shafts) where you would naturaly feel helpless AND add a actual menace on top of it.

To add some spoiler: The really retarded part of the movie is how these blind creatures are also oddly deaf, completely unable to sense heat and devoid of a sense of smell, making many of the "we don't move so they'll not notice our body temperature, heavy breathing, heavy heart beating, sweat, etc" scenes were completyl grotesque. The barbaric regression, the crescendo of violence, the litteral blood bath, the mutation of the main character are the strong point of the movie, along with a very good cinematography (shooting this movie must have been hell). The cats- and mice things? Mind numbingly bad and I think most people are unable to suspend their disbeleive that much.

I also feel that the diversions from the core of the movie do not add much(child, vengence, who killed who, who slept with who, whatever). SOmething Crichton understood well when he reduced and simplified McTiernan's version of The 13th Warrior (a film that is pretty close to The Decent in many ways).

Btw please find some place to put the color number of the background. Hepl! I never remember it and lost the piece of paper where I wrote it!

[Vorph]

#120800

Send lots of PMs to Requiem so he will take 5 minutes out of his EQ progression server playing to put in [spoiler] and [spoilerbox] tags!

[randomguy]

Originally Posted by Szlia

This movie understood for sure a key element of horror movies, that also got very well understood by Cameron's Aliens for example: set the action in a place that is scary and uncomfortable by itself (underground tunnels, ventilation shafts) where you would naturaly feel helpless AND add a actual menace on top of it.

To add some spoiler: The really retarded part of the movie is how these blind creatures are also oddly deaf, completely unable to sense heat and devoid of a sense of smell, making many of the "we don't move so they'll not notice our body temperature, heavy breathing, heavy heart beating, sweat, etc" scenes were completyl grotesque. The barbaric regression, the crescendo of violence, the litteral blood bath, the mutation of the main character are the strong point of the movie, along with a very good cinematography (shooting this movie must have been hell). The cats- and mice things? Mind numbingly bad and I think most people are unable to suspend their disbeleive that much.

I also feel that the diversions from the core of the movie do not add much(child, vengence, who killed who, who slept with who, whatever). SOmething Crichton understood well when he reduced and simplified McTiernan's version of The 13th Warrior (a film that is pretty close to The Decent in many ways).

Btw please find some place to put the color number of the background. Hepl! I never remember it and lost the piece of paper where I wrote it!

totally agreee with on the "if we dont move it wont hurt us" aspect, but I dont see the connection to the 13th warriror. I dont get how it is any way like the Descent. I never read the book though, just saw the movie. It is more of a knockoff or attempt at a Beowulf. Creature that eats the flesh of vikings and terrorizes them. Viking party goes out to kill it, mayhem ensues.

[Szlia]

I refer to the last third or quarter of the 13th Warrior and it's "Decent" into the cave of the invaders. The idea of a path down to the source of evil is very similar to The Decent.

[Ham n Cheese]

Just saw this and it was pretty okay. Was sort of edge of your seat but not really, I don't know if I jumped during the movie. I wasn't even really sure what happened at the end until reading here. The scene with the SUV/18 wheeler at the thing I thought was going to go down as the worst ending ever then I was like oh wait guess not, oh wait this ending is even more lame.

[venom]

Originally Posted by Ham n Cheese

Just saw this and it was pretty okay. Was sort of edge of your seat but not really, I don't know if I jumped during the movie. I wasn't even really sure what happened at the end until reading here. The scene with the SUV/18 wheeler at the thing I thought was going to go down as the worst ending ever then I was like oh wait guess not, oh wait this ending is even more lame.

Just saw it myself, also. It had potential, but just didn't deliver. Mainly due to the reasons pointed out by people above. Also I hear the US version ending is different.

*US VERSION ENDING SPOILER*

They shortened the ending. They end it when she's in the SUV after the semi truck passes her and she sees Juno in the passenger seat.

[Ham n Cheese]

Spoilers

In the version I saw she's in the SUV after almost getting hit by the 18wheeler. Then she realizes she hasn't really escaped or something (kept waiting for a monster to pop out of the back) and it goes back to her in the cave, she has that dream with the birthday cake again and has that crazy face, then it ends with her crouched over the fire and tons of monsters on the outside.