Rock solid horror thriller

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2005)

"The Descent" is a solid horror thriller with a touch of "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" thrown in. Why "solid"? Characters first. The prologue sets up a major character's backstory beautifully. While doing so, we get a taste of the realism to come. Meaning: the bloodshed. The other characters -- a bunch of young women going caving -- are introduced economically and we're quickly into the main story. The women abseil into a remote cave and encounter...trouble.
Horror films are usually ruined when characters do stupid things. Characters don't do stupid things in "The Descent". The script has a solid logic and the women make rationally decisions under pressure. It can not be underestimated how much a little intelligence can add to a movie. This is an intelligent, claustrophobic, tense piece of work with great special effects, moody photography, smart sound design and rock solid acting. In other words, the filmmakers did their homework.
Though I wasn't too fond of the ending, I rate this very highly. The violence is quick and bloody, the subterranean creatures are gruesomely realized, and the setting is convincing. There have been other movies about similar horrors, but this succeeds because it doesn't pander to the dumbest of audiences and keeps its characters real.
Take the plunge.