More than just decent ...

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2007)

I had never seen a movie by English director Neil Marshall, but this is certainly a guy to keep your eyes on. I don't know if this movie is going to be his one hit wonder or the beginning of a great career, but the thriller-horror movie "The descent" isn't just decent ... it's bloody fantastic! The story evolves around a bunch of women who regularly come together to organize a truly overwhelming adventure. Only this time they might have exaggerated in doing so since they find themselves trapped in a cave as a result. To make matters worse: they find out that a strange breed of predators have made a home here.
The greatest achievement of this movie is that you genuinely care about its characters. Without that: this would have been another slice-and-dice slasher film. But "The descent" is much more than that. This excellent thriller does not just feature six beautiful women. The acting of these ladies is also very inspiring. Each character is different from the next and this makes the story even more interesting. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Some camera-shots create such a disturbing and claustrophobic mood that it almost feels as though you were actually there with them (wishful thinking; I suppose). The different set-pieces are also amazing and make you forget that you are watching a movie. Once the six wannabe-Tomb Raiders descend into the mysterious cave, the tension is very delicately built up. How these crawling cave creatures look like is spoon-fed to us so as to not spoil the big ultra-terrifying moment when we meet them face-to-face for the first time ever. After that: it becomes an action-packed horror movie which is both fun and frightening to watch, but it never descends in quality.
In short: "The descent" is a masterful thriller-horror movie which excels on all levels. It is pretty much flawless and should not be missed by any and all who love a good scare! Thriller-wise: this is as good as it gets!