Product: The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 4.0
The Descent is better than Decent; It's nearly Great.
I put off buying this movie for a long time. I've heard mixed things about this film for a while. However, having heard enough good things about "The Descent" plus the fact that the director of "Dog Soldiers", my favorite werewolf film, directed this as well, I was interested enough to keep a watchful eye out for a good sale. Well, when a DVD goes on sale for four bucks, I have no fear. When I pay next to nothing for a 2 disc DVD with minimal expectations I am usually pleasantly surprised; "The Descent" is no exception. In fact, it is probably one of the more original, well made horror films I've seen in a while.In the extras, it is mentioned that this film has elements of three horror greats combined into one; "The Shining", "Alien" and "Deliverance". It's difficult to argue with that comment. This film explores the effects of stress on the human psyche, an ensemble in the path of horrific danger in cramped confines and a catastrophic collision of cultures for 6 cocky thrill seekers. All of this is accomplished with great flair. For times sake let me break down some basic things to help you get a picture of what this film experience is like without retelling the plot/story...Lookout!! Here come the bullets!!THE FILM-If you have claustrophobia, please stay as far away from this as you can. Any normal person will feel the pressure of the confining cave. Imagine "Aliens" only twice as cramped.-I thought character development was great. At first you're thinking; "Oh that's the cliché sassy chic and that's the cliché tough chic and that's the cliché crazy chic... and so on. However, as time passes and the stress level rises, you get to see deeper into these surface dwellers personalities. No one is ever as simple as they seem at first sight.-The story would seam simple enough, yet its brilliance is in its subtleties. Yes, the crux of the story is; 6 gal pals have an ill fated adventure into a cave and encounter more than geological danger. But you don't get a six person ensemble for the simple convenience of body count as is the case with many horror films. Nearly everything said or done leading up to the cave expedition has a point.-The set-up is fairly long. It takes about one third of the films length to get things going. In all fairness, none of the set-up could be considered pointless (as stated above).-The women's nemesis in the film (Cave Crawlers) is fairly realistic considering the circumstances of their existence. They behave as one would expect for predators. Their animalistic traits make them very unpredictable and frightening. I actually had a slight empathy for them since the women were invading their home. However, I empathized more with the women. When it comes to survival; take no prisoners! (And the crawlers started it!)-There is ample gore in this film. They don't show every horrific act, but when they do, they go all out. Some of the gore is a bit gratuitous in its depiction... ...and highly appreciated! The director does not shy away from lengthy and close gore shots. This would be one of my minor criticisms of the film. Those long gore shots were almost comedic and a bit out of place in what is mostly a very serious horror film. I said "almost". The graphic gore does serve to heighten the emotional state of the women..-Near the end of the film is a fairly large melee between the surviving women and the crawlers. This is one great frenzied and desperate fight scene (much like the kitchen fight in "Dog Soldiers"). It brings the emotional state of the women to a clear apex and is just a really cool fight! It is brilliantly edited and beautifully staged.-The music is purely functional. It does not garner your attention yet serves to set mood and heighten tension. What more could you ask for?-The sets are mostly rocks and tiny tunnels. Very convincing.-The ending is not what appeared in theaters here in the States. Thanks goodness!! The ending as it appears here completely leaves it up to your imagination how things turn out. I often have trouble with ambiguous endings but not here. My fear is the sequel will take a stupid path instead of one of the cool ones in my head. In fact, a sequel just might ruin this brilliant ending.THE DVD-2 discs for cheap, cheap, cheap!!! (I have not yet watched disc 2).-Good picture and sound.-Ample extras with the standard fair plus outtakes and deleted cuts.No complaints.In summary:-You should like gory horror films.-You should have patience enough to endure ample character development.-You should not be claustrophobic. This would be very, very bad for you.-You should be able to enjoy a movie without any male characters.-You should be able to live with an undefined end to the story.Of course these are only suggestions. If any of the above does not apply to you, you may still enjoy it. I thought it was a much better than average horror movie.