Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
"The Descent" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/21/2012
While potholing in an unexplored network of caves, six women are set upon by a race of subterranean nosferatu-like beasties. And well, that's it. Neil Marshall seems to have set his stall out as making a living ripping off Predator, this the follow up to the hugely enjoyable but similarly derivative Dog Soldiers. I must admit, I found the first half of the film a little tiresome; it's basically just watching a group of twenty-somethings on an adventure holiday, but when the creatures appear things definitely pick up. The use of lighting is extremely atmospheric, Marshall sticking to singular light sources as much as possible and it works very well. There are a few genuine shocks, and it's great fun watching the heroine transform from a mopey Bridget Jones-alike to such a blood-thirsty …
Rating of
3.5/4
Don't watch this one in the dark!!!
mdtinney - wrote on 03/20/2010
Promoted as a film that pushes the envelope even further than HOSTEL; my expectations were pretty low. It turns out that Neil Marshall's science fiction/horror thriller THE DESCENT is one of the best films of the genre that I have ever seen. It is certainly the best sci-fi horror film to come along since ALIENS in 1986. This is a consistently frightening and well made film that doesn't just go for cheap scares but instead adds psychological aspects into the story and it comes out a real winner. The premise is simple. A group of female friends who love to have annual outdoor adventures, gather together to explore an excavated cave. It is a bittersweet reunion because one of the women, Sarah (Macdonald) has recently lost her husband and daughter in a tragic car accident. She is still …
Rating of
3.5/4
The Descent - A Review, Ex Post Facto
Mr. E Horror - wrote on 08/25/2009
This film holds a special place in my heart. Neil Marshall has thus far peaked with this movie. He has done what David Cronenberg hasn’t quite been able to do –though he comes close with “A History of Violence.” Neil Marshall has made a film that subtly offers the viewer a textbook session of psychoanalysis as the women delve deep and deeper into the very depths of their psyches. Their true selves arise as they probe the absolute depths of the cave system. Are the creatures they find really themselves? A rather hokey observation, I know. But that is the what Marshall gives us. Aside from the Freudian criticism, the film offers wonderful frights. It is a smart film that offers something for any true horror fan. It’s unfortunate that Marshall’s next foray into the genre was …
Rating of
3/4
80%
CJP - wrote on 10/08/2008
Action: 3/3 + Comedy: 0.5/2 + Good vs Evil: 1/1 + Love/Sex: 0.5/1 + Special Effects: 1/1 + Plot: 1/1 + Music: 1/1 = 8/10 or 80%.
When dealing with horror and adventure one knows that when one enters unchartered territory that is not one's own then the rules can be out of control to the point that everything goes terribly wrong. Deliverance, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Blair Witch Project, and even No Country for Old Men showed what can happen when one is not prepared for what is coming, and one can seldom (if ever) stop or prepare for it.
The Descent is a running metaphor of not only the depth towards recovery after tragic loss but also the classic man against nature archetype. At the surface it is simply women uniting to overcome tragedy and that tragedy manifests in the form …
Rating of
4/4
Horror film of the decade!
Movies - wrote on 06/05/2008
At first glance, writer/director Neil Marshall's The Descent looked and sounded like a regular hack and slash gore fest that's been crowding the horror stable in recent years. The idea of having an all women cast with really only one man showing up in the entire run of the movie kind of bothered me, and had me questioning whether I should see this in theaters, or on DVD. I chose to wait till the DVD came out and little did I know how that decision would deeply haunt me for the rest of my movie watching life. The Descent turned out not to just be one of the best films of 2006 but one of the best films of the decade.
The plot unfolds with the character Sarah, played by Shauna MacDonald suddenly getting into a tragic car accident where her kid daughter, and seemingly distant husband are …
Rating of
3/4
The Descent
Franz Patrick - wrote on 12/30/2007
The UK version is better. Granted, the only difference is the ending but sometimes that's enough to determine the difference between a good and a bad movie. I respect this film because it took its time to establish the main characters and the fact that the story mostly took place in a dark and creepy cave. The monster is menacing but I loved the fact that it did not appear near the beginning because, if it did, it would've taken away a great amount of curiosity. The foreshadowing is brilliant as well. The ending is very controversial because people have many interpretations about it. I'm not going to ruin it by describing what I think really happened. You're just going to have to see it for yourself. If you're into claustrophobic monster films, this one is a great pick.
Rating of
1.5/4
Descent is not decent
Matthew Sanchelli - wrote on 09/21/2007
Again I was lead down a misleading path when it came to viewing the trailers. This looked like a freakin' good movie...interesting, mildly different and possibly even scary.
I'm willing to admit...this movie started off great. Gave you a little back story. Introduced each of the characters before getting knee-deep in the plot of the flick.
I'll also admit the movie was pretty damn good when the group of girls began the cave exploration and things just started to go wrong. That was great.
What killed the movie for me....was when they introduced the creatures. From there on in it felt like the movie just started to fall into a pit and it never seemed to hit rock bottom until the ending (though I was just happy the movie was over by this point).
It would have been a …
Rating of
3/4
A fine horror with some fine woman
Josh C - wrote on 08/03/2007
The plot is a simple one: A spelunking (caving) trip takes turns for the worst when they find them self trapped and the only way out is through uncharted territory.
It was clear from the beginning that this trip was destined to fail because of the bad-blood between a couple of the woman. There were also a few interesting back stories that helped add to the tension throughout the movie. Even though some of the events were a bit predictable, the scares were anything but. The surprising thing about this movie was how it kept the tension up throughout the movie, usually horror movies have peaks but this one kept me uneasy throughout because I had no idea when things were going to jump out.
If you like getting the crap scared out of you then this is your film. It mixes the …
