Rating of
4/4
Horror film of the decade!
Movies - wrote on 06/05/08
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 brutally killed. From there we flash forward one year later, where Sarah, and a bunch of her “thrill seeking” friends plan to go spelunking in the Appalachian Mountains. When the girls, led by the arrogant, yet likable Juno (Natalie Mendoza) enter the mysterious cave, things go terribly wrong. Yes, the plot sounds rather bland but believe me The Descent's complexity with it's plot and characterizations are truly a sight to see.
Marshall takes his time pacing this film, and all for the better. He builds a strong bond of sisterhood between the six women and makes you believe these girls would do anything and everything for each other, when faced with grand misfortune like our lead Sarah has been through in the opening reels. Pay close attention to the interactions between the characters because Marshall plays close resemblance to legendary film-makers like Hitchcock in exercising elements of character personality foreshadow and intelligent thematic representations of man vs. human nature. When we enter the caves this film sky rockets into the horror hall of fame as we see Marshall carefully capture terrifying feelings of claustrophobia and being in tight quarters.
You know, I think this may be the first horror movie that can deliver true blue scares without ever really having to introduce it's antagonist. One of the scariest segments of The Descent features our leading lady trapped in the small cornered caves while her best friend Beth (Alex Reid) talks her through the terrifying moment. Shortly after this, the film's creatures start popping up and blood shed pursues. Marshall takes this opportunity to turn the relationships between the characters upside and inside out. Little by little we see possibly the most hated character in Juno dive deeper and deeper into her unlikable ego driven schema, then drastically becoming a fan favorite towards the film's conclusion, with shades of gray of course.
Sarah is obviously the one person that undergoes the most overwhelming evolution while under the caves. She transforms herself into a rough and tough heroine, joining her friend Juno in leading killer in regards to creature body count. Rebecca (Saskia Mulder) and Sam (MyAnna Buring) go from likable to unlikable as they choose the Darwinism morality in survival of the fittest. Beth is probably the most significant character in regards to the Sarah vs. Juno plot line, which I won't dare spoil for you here. The Descent is a major stand out when observing horror films in recent years because of these deep complex characterizations that Marshall puts forth. It's a fascinating skill to have as a storyteller, and just makes me enjoy this film even more.
The acting here is surprisingly top notch with Shauna McDonald and Natalie Mendoza highlighting the film's strongest performances. The creatures are very scary and creative, with Marshall correctly adapting bat-like elements to the creatures sight and sound senses. The score is like another character in Marshall's film, with A-list composer David Julyan (Insomnia) creating a terrific musical composition that flows fluidly with the film's tone and mood. The cinematography is masterful, especially when we travel into the caves where we receive great shots of emotional claustrophobia.
Ultimately, The Descent is without and doubt a horror masterpiece that's strong marks derive from writer/director Neil Marshall's excellent craftsmanship in character storytelling. Marshall's cave diving horror flick instills of breath a fresh air into what seems to be a deflating genre in quality film-making. The Descent is a perfect example as to why I relish in superlative films.
*As a final note, please go out and purchase/rent the UK version because this is the ending that has the most effect in term of the films "birthday cake" pay off. I don't know why whoever chose to switch the ending in the U.S version chose to do so, a very moronic move on his/her part.*
