Not bad at all

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 2005)

It's seems that cave related horror films are like buses - none for ages, then two come along at once. While The Cave, has yet to grace our screens The Descent is already out there, fulfilling the movie going publics people-trapped-in-a-cave-and-attacked-by-monsters needs.
Like most horror films, there is little to no plot or character development. There isn't really any need. There is genuine tension and the cast seem to work pretty well. The camera work is a bit variable, very much from the 28 Days Later school of thought. So at times - generally the action - it can be quite hard to tell what is actually going on at points.
Despite that, it actually manages to create a rather convincing sense of claustrophobia and fear. It also doesn't use too many of the old cliché tricks for making you jump.
So overall it hangs together rather well, some will no doubt be confused somewhat by the ending - but I think that's because it's confusing. Overall all though, it's quite compelling viewing and rather pleasantly surprising.