Product: The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Blu-ray] (2006)
Rating: 5.0
I won't say much
Well I'll try not to say much. This film is one of the highest rated films I've read about in the past year. Rarely have I seen this film get reviewed and not get at least 4 stars. That won't neccessarily be the case with customer reviews, since J.A. Lieder (I think that was the name) thinks the film is really bad. Not that a critics opinion really matters, but in my opinion, if Roger Ebert gives a HORROR film I like (and I liked 'Hostel', although for different reasons than others and I'll be the first to admit it's flaws) 4 stars, then that tells me this film has a certain accessibility. Newer films like "Hostel" and "The Hills Have Eyes", while enjoyable horror films IMO, are very limited with the kind of audience that will want to watch it more than once, and in some cases even finish it. Everyone that I have met that has seen this movie, even the ones that aren't horror fans, thought it was awesome. A friend of mine who doesn't like gore, and who is going to film school, thought the movie was well written and intense. He even used the term "Greek Tragedy" to describe it. That's a first.Any who, tonight I became envious of a friend of mine who I showed this film to. She didn't even hear about this film. All I told her was "You're coming over to watch my favorite horror film of the year. It's like 'Alien', and as amazing as 'The Thing', in the woods." I later said the cast is pretty much all female. In all honesty that shouldn't matter but it really adds that much more to the story considering a specific conflict(s) that occurs in the film. The point being, she had no idea what she was in for. I turned out all the lights, and didn't talk. She loves horror films, and was absolutely frightened. I'm so jealous of that because I've been following the film since it's July 2005 release in the U.K. and missed it by a couple of hours at The Sundance Film Festival, so the surprise factor was somewhat diminished.There are plenty of reviewers who have described the story and why its good, so if you want to learn more about the film I suggest reading earlier reviews. All I will say is, I was so goddamn happy when this film was over because this is the horror film I've been waiting for for years. I just wanted to watch it again and again. Heck my friend who was horrified even admitted she wanted to watch it back to back!One thing no one really mentions when discussing this film is the music score. David Julyan, who has done films for Christopher Nolan like 'Memento' and 'The Prestige', has made quite possible my favorite score this year. Neil Marshall used his work for the remake of 'Insomnia' as a temp-track, and they both have similarities. David crafts a rather unlikely score for a horror film that could work in a serious drama or even at times an epic like 'The Lord of the Rings'. That's not to say it is better but I was very surprised by the way it sounds. The score knows how to let the sound design come through in the film though, which is nice. There are some intense dissonant clashes of noise, and even some rhythmic action-movie styled moments, but there is one song (track 19 or 20 on the soundtrack, I like it so much I own it. I've been listening to it since 'The Descent' left theaters and listening to it has made me so impatient for this dvd release) that affected my emotions. I can't describe the scene, but the music is very diatonic, using mostly (I haven't analyzed completely) just the natural minor scale. The build ups feel so powerful, and there are parts where different instruments will descend scale wise while others ascend, creating an amazing harmony. David knows how to employ the dissonance between certain melodic intervals that really just grabs me. This might sound lame, but I almost cried in this movie because of it. Very melancholic.It just seems like everything about this movie works so well. I'm very surprised that some people think it is bad. Although, there is one actress who at times delivered lines where I thought "Eh...should have re-shot that," but I can forgive it considering everything else about it shows the film industry how you're REALLY supposed to make a horror film.I saw this film twice in one day. The first very early in the afternoon all by myself, where I was frightened, and in the evening with almost a sold out showing, where I haven't heard so much nervous laughter and screaming in my entire life. If you are a horror fan, you owe it to yourself to see this. If you don't like it, eh, what can I say? It's all subjective I guess. If you appreciate cinema this is definitely worth checking out. And one last thing, this was one of the scariest movie watching experiences of my life, but that's just me.