Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a few more raves for Neil Marshall's follow-up to DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT. The response has been great for the film so far... I don't think we've gotten one negative review yet. As a genre nut I can't wait for this flick. I'd like to thank the below London reviewers for taking the time during this tragic day to even bother writing to AICN with their thoughts on the film.
Here's the first of three and this one is the most spoilerific of the lot, so beware!
Harry,
Also saw The Descent at a preview screening last night, (in Mayfair, London). Bit weird writing a review for a horror flick as the real thing descends on London but...work doesn’t really seem like an option right now.
To declare an interest, I work for the tv company that produced the film, but do something entirely unrelated to movie side of the business - so I really have nothing personally invested in it.
Anyway - if this film was a piece of rock - and you broke it in two - it'd have horror written right through it. Kicks off with some not particularly convincing character interplay between the women who will prove to be the main protagonists – and just when you think the roller coaster has hardly begun, you get hit right between the eyes, (literally) by a big gory stick.
Horror cues run through everything, ramping up the tension, our heroine runs through a hospital corridor and the darkness seems to chase her – a precursor to the darkness to come? A dead stag lies with its throat ripped out – what violence lies ahead?
It feels like the director doesn’t miss a trick with the suspense, the darkness and the brutal gore. I’m not massively convinced by how he handles the group dynamic of the women – but when ‘the descent’ begins he doesn’t miss a trick. A shattered leg being strapped into a splint had us twisting in our seats, the awfulness of misdirected violence, the underground killing fields draining into a pool of blood, the skittering cavemen – uncomfortable moments all round.
What makes this a cut above is the shattering of the minds of the participants as they face a hopeless situation, which just keeps getting worse - until buried alive, they realize there is no there ever going to dig their way free. And when things are at their worst – the brutal settling of an old score – the cavemen/crawlers aren’t the only predators down there.
The denouement – well it’s the last act of a broken mind – and I didn’t know what to think. Surprising, uncompromising, devoid of hope – this is a nasty one.
If you use this – pls. Call me Bigface.
This next one gives a good idea of what to expect without going into as much detail as the above review! Enjoy!
Hi Harry & Co.,
I won tickets to the London Premiere screening to "THE DESCENT", which I attended yesterday. The Frightfest team did a great job of ensuring the complimentaires were laid on and more importantly that we got a seat. The tickets I had won for the event had to be given to others as i could not claim them in time. However, Ian Rattray of Frightfest made sure we got in. Thanks to him.
Before the film started, the six lovely ladies in the film paraded for the cameras with Neil Marshall (the lucky bastard).
Anyway the important part is the film. I love films full stop, any genre. As a regular goer to the Frightfest event in London, i have been titillated by some of what has been offered-Ginger Snaps, Brotherhood of the Wolf etc. There are lots of average Horror films out there, very formulaic, MTV, youth in dnager pap. This film may still have a low budget, but for a second major feature Neil Marshall has great talent in this genre.
Dog Soldiers touched on his ability to mix horror with originality, homages and humour. The Descent does this and more. I do not normally get jumpy in seat-but I could not help myself. The story has a truly isolated mixture of characters, all women- who through a sense of ignorance & misguided adventure disappear into a black void to get some unity back after a tragic incident- the first set-piece to cause nervous shuffling and nervous laughter in the cinema!
The caving trip starts to unravel even before the introduction of the real threat- the Crawlers. Rather like some long lost branch of the Human Family tree, this "sub" species ( excuse the pun!) is not very friendly and prefers its red meat raw.
However, the plot also builds in other elements to stretch the relationships of the protagonist further. Events of the past start to catch up with the girls and cause further problems, friendships, loyalty, trust are put to the test and betrayal comes to the fore.
You always know in these films characters will be killed off one-by-one, even who the likely victims will be. Neil Marshall has all these things, but still manages to pull off genuine scary jump out of your seat suspense using perfect timing. Sometimes you are prepared, your gut tightening to tell you "here it comes, here it come!"- But he does it haphazardly- building atmosphere in some areas then having a flurry of jumps and scares.
For the horror nuts and film fans, there are numerous homages, the first glimpses of a Crawler remind you of Gollum, their rolling insect clicking sounds echo the Predator. Carrie, Aliens, you name it, they are here. Do not think of this as just a marriage of other horror films best bits- it has a true sense of originality and is great entertainment.
I strongly recommend you head down to your local cinema to check it out, that is the place to truly immerse yourself in the experience.
You can call me "FOSTERS"
Uno mas. Here's the final one and it seems to cement the positives and negatives from the first two reviews. Enjoy!
Hi Harry, went to the world premier of Neil Marshall's new film The Descent last night here in London and couldn't help but love it. The screening was packed to roof with fans, the cast and crew of this and Marshall's previous film Dog Soldiers and director Neil Marshall who introduced the film.
Despite obvious cliches in terms of character, scenario and dialoue the film was an absolute fucking riot from its shocking beginning to thnakfully unhappy end. Not since Craven's first Scream film in 1996 have I heard an audience Scream, groan, clap and cheer so much. Marshall clearly knows and loves his stuff.
Following the obligatory yet entertaining exposition and foreshadowing this set up sees the tension build in spectacular fashion with the first attack heralding the loudest screams and the beginning of several fantastic set-pieces, shocks and scares. Refusing to play fair and sofen his screenplay Marshall makes us feel for his band of women through every rope burn, break and bruise as their number are decimated and degraded in severl splatter-frendly set-pieces including amateur surgery, cannibalism and eyeball violence.
Reminiscnet of the best parts of Fox's Alien and Predaor films, Marshall offers a down and dirty take on the monster movie and Ripley-esque heroines. Already desrcibed as a sister film to Dog Soldiers, The Descent dares to go deeper and darker than big budget studio films and mademe want to see Marshall resurrect either franchise or both as Anderson should have.
Be warned this is no PG-13 tease-fest snce Marshall has delivered the best British Horror in years one that demands and deserves to be seen on the big screen.
