The Descent
WOW. Doing research for this little blog was quite interesting. There are a lot of reviews out there that are quite lengthy, well thought out, and very informative.
Not that you won't get some of that from me, but I am going to make a very concerted effort to keep these short and sweet. It will most likely be hard to keep these short, and be as informative as I'd like to be. But, hey, as much as I like to blog, I don't have that kind of time.
When it comes to movies, I am a very simple person. I do notice holes in plots, I easily pick up on sub-plots, and I think (in my opinion) I have a good feel for what is "good" and what is "bad." With that said, there're very few movies (and I can't think of any right now) that I've seen, where I thought I wasted my time. You might say I am easily entertained.
So, there's my little disclaimer that this will not be better than Rotten Tomatoes. Now that we have that out of the way, let's take a look at The Descent!
The Spoiler
One year after a tragic accident, six girlfriends meet in a remote part of the Appalachians for their annual caving trip. Deep below the surface of the earth, disaster strikes when a rock falls and blocks their route back to the surface. The girls soon learn that Juno, the thrill-seeking leader of the expedition, has brought them to an unexplored cave and that as a result no knows where they are to come rescue them. The group splinters and each push on, praying for another exit. But there is something else lurking under the earth - a race of monstrous humanoid creatures that are adapted perfectly to life in the dark. As the friends realize they are now prey, they are forced to unleash their most primal instincts in an all-out war against an unspeakable horror - one that attacks without warning, again and again and again.
The Experts Say
"Prepare to be scared senseless, and then, when you think you have it figured, your certainty will be shaken by scenes built to scare you even more."
--Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
"Relentlessly intense from first frame to last, this is a movie for viewers who felt that Tarantino's Kill Bill needed more blood and that the torture scenes in Hostel were too toned down."
--Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com
"The Descent doesn't need to exist: a script that goes beyond outlandish. Actors who'd flunk out of Make Believe 101. Blind creatures that see things. Did we mention continuity?"
--Stephan Williams, NEWSDAY
Here's Where They Are Saying It
Rotten Tomatoes - As always, a very thorough look at the movie. Is there really any need to do research elsewhere? Well, other than here of course! Very interesting back and forth going on in the comments section from two people with very different views of the movie.
IMDb - Fairly informative site. Not as thorough as Rotten Tomatoes. Not as entertaining as Baba Ganoush.
BBC Movies - Since this was a British movie, I wanted to include a British review. Not the best site. Any of you friendly Brits want to give me some advice on where to look for reviews in the future?
Expert Ratings
Rotten Tomatoes - 7.3/10 (Critics) and 7.7/10 (Users)
IMDb - 7.5/10
BBC Movies - 4 out of 5 Stars
Baba Ganoush Says
This movie was TERRIFYING! The Unrated version (which is what I watched) also boasts some of the most gruesome scenes I've ever seen in a movie. Honestly, just doing research for this post, specifically visiting the official Descent website, sent chills down my spine. I had to skip the intro. Maybe another strange little phobia, but I HAD to skip it (enough said).
Also, I am a tad claustrophobic, and found myself squirming in my seat as the characters squeezed through caverns. Unless you are the next Jeffrey Dahmer, you will slightly be bothered with parts of this movie.
If you like these kinds of movies, I would certainly recommend watching it. There are some very glaring flaws in the plot, and the end of the movie is TERRIBLE (in my opinion). With that said, if you're looking for a little shock (in my case, it was A LOT), this is your movie.
For me, Natalie Mendoza, stole the show. Her character in the movie (Juno) is a bad-ass. She quickly let us know that the girls were not going to just going to run around screaming and wait to meet their fate.
Baba Ganoush Rating
This was a good movie, which received A LOT of hype. In the immortal words of Chuck D., Don't Believe the Hype! The movie failed to live up to its billing for me. The plot insufficiency's were hard to over look. And the ending left a very, very bad taste in my mouth. For a shocker, though, it gets the job done.
6.5 out of 10.
I hope you all enjoy my little movie posts. I love TV and Movies, so this was fun to do.
Baba Ganoush, OUT!
