| Total and utter
silliness executed with total and utter cinematic flare and
intelligence is tough to
quantify. “The Descent”, on its surface, only appears to be a B-grade thriller
-- albeit one that works
tremendously well for most of its running length. Only
occasionally does it become a familiar foray into generic horror. It
is safe to say that if you think you’ll enjoy a film about
girls being chased around a cave by sinister and bloodthirsty
creatures… you’d do well to check this film out. However, this film is a little more ambitious than just that. Over
the course of its 100 minutes, it actually evolves into a more
thoughtful, abstract and haunting film than you might expect.
The plot is simple. A group of women are making their
annual adventure trip. The adventure varies from year to year.
It may be white water rafting or rock climbing or sky diving.
This year, they will be rappelling and navigating the murky depths
of a remote and deep maze of caves. One other tragic element
is at play here too... one of the girls, named Sarah (Macdonald),
recently lost her family in an auto accident and this is her first
attempt to get on with her life. She is still very much
grieving. It is in that grief that the cavernous descent is
mirrored quite elegantly throughout the course of the narrative.
The performances are all very solid, although some of the girls don't
have much to do except look terrified. Shauna Macdonald is
asked to provide a great deal more as Sarah. She manages to craft
a tragically memorable, vulnerable and sympathetic character in a genre that doesn't usually allow
for such things.
The cave is moody and stylish. The make-up is effective. The
creatures are convincing. Every ingredient adds to the base
fears and mounting tension.
There are also some nice nods to classic films such as "The Shining",
"Apocalypse Now", "Deliverance" & "Carrie".
This is about as good as a film in this genre can be. But, of course,
the utter silliness of any film with a "scary creatures" premise prevents it from being considered a
truly great film. However, compared with the usual horror fare,
it is a masterpiece.
I highly recommend it for fans of gory monster fare and those who
are looking for something deeper out of the typically shallow genre. It delivers
all that is promised, has a gorgeous all-female cast, and a
bittersweet ending that doesn't cheat the audience... but makes you
think. That is something most horror films never even attempt, let
alone accomplish. |
