Grim-fest

Rating: 6/10 (28 December 2006)

I saw this at a film fest, so I feel fortunate at having the opportunity to see it in wide screen, with the original ending, with a live audience. It is, for starters, grim The entire movie happens underground, and the exceptional set direction lends the feeling of utter despair. It's not unlike a sort of Aliens 3, set beneath the surface of the earth, and with an inevitably rising body count.
The Descent falls into the same category as the director's previous film, Dog Soldiers - in which a British paramilitary force has to confront werewolves in a bleak forest. That's to say, The Descent is a genre film that takes its genre very seriously. True, not much here is new, and the film may seem overlong given the long underground sequences. But it's undeniably moody - and classy. With a more wit and a sharper plot, who knows how great this might have turned out?