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Selena Survives A Subterranean Screening Of THE DESCENT!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Hey folks...
The lovely Selena took a break from battling plague-ravaged madmen to send in a write-up of this weekend's screening of THE DESCENT, which took place in the bowels a cave roughly 90 miles outside of Austin.
I can't believe they actually showed this film in a cave. Better hope that some future Guillermo del Toro movie doesn't continue his sewer motif, 'cause god knows where they'll screen that...
Here's Selna...
BEWARE MODERATE SPOILERS!!!
Hey guys, Selena here dropping in to tell you about Saturday’s Rolling Roadshow/Fantastic Fest event for the film “The Descent”.
Though you all should be familiar with the Alamo Draft House’s Rolling Roadshow events by now, in case you have been living in a cave deep underground for you entire life here is the idea: The Rolling Roadshow is comprised of film screenings in places that are significant to the film itself, or as NetFlix.com puts it “Famous movies in famous places”. An example of one such screening would be showing Jaws where it was filmed at the beach in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, which will be happening on August 5th.
For this particular event, the film “The Descent,” which takes place in a cave and has been tagged as a horror thriller comparable to “Alien” (something I will get back to in a few minutes), was being screened inside of the Longhorn Caverns which are located outside of Austin, TX.
When I fist read about this event over two months ago I was giddy with excitement. Who wouldn’t want to experience a super scary movie in the actual environment that that movie takes place?
Unfortunately for the genre of horror however, this is harder said than done as one would be hard pressed to book an actual haunted house for a screening of “The Amityville Horror” or a space station for a screening of “Event Horizon”. For this reason or maybe just because the Alamo Draft House really knows how to screen a movie, this particular event was sure to be a hit.
Upon Arriving at the Longhorn Caverns a solid six minutes before our own descent into the caverns was supposed to begin, I was immediately lost in the excitement of the moment. As I stood in line in front of the ominous mouth of the cave.
I was in moviegoer heaven as I watched people shoving cans of Lonestar beer into their backpacks before donning bright yellow hard hats complete with lights and the film’s title logo.
After the obligatory warning about wandering away from the group while walking to the “room” where we would be watching the film, delivered not without a note of irony by a Longhorn Caverns employee, we began our journey into the cave.
After walking through several smaller caverns, some with ceilings so low that even I had to duck, I found myself faced with what looked like hundreds of hard core, hard hat wearing moviemongers, all reclining in lawn chairs and crowded together in a very large cavern. People had climbed the rocks surrounding the floor of the room and were settled in perches that reached almost all the way up to the ceiling. We grabbed a spot in back and set up camp, making sure to stick close together in case we got scared.
It was at this point that I realized that despite all of the fun that I was having, I was a little nervous about seeing this movie. As a huge fan of violence, gore, and existential situations, I look forward to this type of movie so fervently that often I am disappointed when the films don’t match my ideal mental construct of what I think they should be. Be this as it may, I had the highest of hopes for “The Descent” and little did I know that I would not be let down, not in the least.
“The Descent” is appealing and can be enjoyed from several different perspectives. First, It engages a relatively novel setting for a widely released horror-type movie, that of a realistic uncharted cave system. The small spaces and lack of light natural to the setting lend a genuine and believable air of Closter phobic intensity that normally a filmmaker would work hard to achieve artificially. In addition to this, the film spends just enough time introducing the cast of five women, letting the audience briefly experience one character’s tragic fate in a car accident. This serves as a focal point for the group bonding of the five women and eliminates the need to introduce an extended background to each character in order to get the audience to care about what happens to them.
Next, the situation of a caving expedition gone horribly awry was enough to sell me on the film and I was definitely uneasy about the idea of introducing a troglodyte type monster almost half way through it. This was because I was afraid that it would take attention away from the simple voyeuristic thrill of watching people in a desperate situation and in so doing chance the meaning of the film. Also, I thought that they looked stupid in the previews. I soon realized however, that the introduction of monsters ostensibly forces a moment of genre definition and intriguingly, “The Descent” does not easily fit into a ready-made genre mold.
The realistic and uninhibited displays of gore brought on by the ways that the women are disfigured by events that transpire after they realize that they are lost are horrific enough to render the film even grosser than Eli Roth’s “Hostel”. However, “The Descent” is not just another gory movie in the tradition of films like “Final Destination” and “The Saw”. Nor is it a “monster movie” as a comparison to the “Alien” franchise might imply.
Rather, I believe that it fits best in the realm of genre revisionism. By this I mean that it is not a traditional horror movie. It borrows traits from both “gore” type movies and “monster” type movies without binding itself to the conventions of either. The troglodyte creatures were introduced midway through the film because they are not the focus of the film as they would have been in a more traditional “horror” type movie. Instead, they were a venue used to advance the protagonist’s second and more significant “descent,” that of a total reversion to animalistic survival mode. Though this might deter some hard core horror fans from seeing the film, rest assured that “The Descent” leaves nothing to be desired from either genre.
The cave monsters, or troglodytes, or whatever you want to call them could almost be seen as a throwback to the old school monster in the sense that they are clearly just guys in costumes. Their movement is what really brought them to life and made then creepy to me. They could almost have been players in the Cirque De Sole from hell in the sense that their fluid and extremely fast lizard-like scampering was realistic, jarring, and genuinely scary.
Watching them fight to the death in desperately fast paced hand-to-hand combat-like battles with the five women was truly awesome and inspired more than one eruption of applause from the audience. In addition to this, the fact that they are blind, using sonar-like clicking noises to hunt prey, allows for the women to hide in plain sight and makes for several very intense scenes. If none of this convinces you that the monsters are actually pretty cool, then simply consider that fact that they are often inclined to very sloppily eat their prey alive, and trust me the film leaves nothing to the imagination.
In an effort not to spoil any major plot points, I’ll end my review by saying that this movie gets an A+ for being really gory, pretty damn scary, and very well developed. If you get a chance to watch it in a cave go for it, otherwise I’m sure a movie theatre will do.
Thanks for reading!
Selena
Thanks for the write-up, Selena!
THE DESCENT...uhhhh...spelunks (?) into U.S. theaters August 4.
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damn.
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I'm already sold. Despite all the cave movies recently, including 'the cave' they all looked lame from the trailer. The quote about the 'best horror thriller since Alien' doesn't hurt either. Having just explored some caves in the Czech Republic, I'm personally interested in this film and the possibility for it to scare the fuck out of me. Which I'm hoping it will. It had better open in Prague, that's all I'm saying.
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I bought it from the U.K. and then burned it thus removing the copyright protection.... it rocks.... one of the best horrors I have seen in years.... gawd this director is something else.... with Dog Soldiers and this under his belt now, he is something to look out for!
word. -
Cuz...uh... First.
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the crown is yours..
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looks like it may very well suck my balls. Suck them big time. America is just too immune to slasher movies, or thriller movies. All horror movies now adays are just gore gore and gore. Again, this movie is positioned on its knees, ready to suck my balls.
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Interesting that a cave movie would cause such an irrational fear of a borough in New Jersey.
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choke yourself, please.
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did that make you feel better? dont make fun of stupid people :) just kidding to both of you. but seriously, this movie looks ass.
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This film is so old even Zeta Jones wouldn't fuck it. I saw this film ages ago in the UK. Good film, though I preferred Dog Soldiers 'cause I'm cool like that.
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I hear there's this new moving picture entitled 'Gone With the Wind' which is rumoured to be quite exquisite...
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time I heard this was compaired to Alien I was turned off to it. Not that I didn't like Alien, I loved it. When a movie is put in the same ranking with something of that cailber (in my mind at least), I have a hard time taking it seriously.
Can someone who's seen the movie tell me what this comparison was based on? -
..in that a female protagonist "watches" those around here fall to a lurking menace. And it is kind of scary in parts.
That's the only similarity. It is not really like Alien at all.
The movie is good, but don't believe the hype.
I thought it was mediocre, until a twist at the end which made me like it a lot more. -
this movie puts that crappy movie "the cave" to shame. Of course ive known this for a while now due to the fact i watched this about six months ago, and it was a breath of fresh air
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anyway, Hessen. I believe the comparison with Alien has to do with the dark, claustaphobic, horror of people being killed one by one by an unkown creature. No chest bursters though :-( I can see why lazy reviewers would mention Alien but I don't think it is 100% correct to do so as they are still very different movies (despite the above list of similarities).
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hearin you guys mostly enjoyed it, i might give it a shot. I'm just sick of generic gore movies.
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The film is "new" to the U.S. & won't be released for two more weeks. Read - dumb ass.
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I think a lot of that comparison has to do with the moodiness and claustrophobia of the movie. I was creeped out pretty early on,
'cause I'm not a fan of enclosed spaces. This is sort of half adventure-thriller, half sci-fi horror. It's definitely better than most of the crap I've seen released from Hollywood under the guise of horror. -
Perhaps you should 'read' dumb ass. Sorry for trying to be amusing, not everyone is as unfunny as you.
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there's an FX shot in this movie that I could do better on my PC. and it's simply not justified to compare this film to ALIEN, because of the lack of creativity in THE DESCENT. it's like LOST IN TRANSLATION winning the Oscar over THE LORD OF THE RINGS... I mean, THE DESCENT and LOST IN TRANSLATION are nice little movies... LITTLE movies! there's just SO MUCH LESS overall creativity in those movies than there is in ALIEN or LOTR. anyway, THE DESCENT would be a good effort as a student film, but it doesn't deserve THAT much hype.
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Wasn't this exact (bad, even worse than "Descent") film shown almost a year ago?
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If it was any good there would be no need for a review on here everybody would have already heard about it.
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'Exclusive' screening? Check. At least 20 'reviews'? Check. Just saying is all...
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if you're directing your comment to me, you should probably know that your post hadn't shown up when I started writing my comment. I wasn't directing it towards you.
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Saw the movie about four months ago and it's not bad, not bad at all. Good thing is that on seeing it again it improves. The women act very naturalistic and make you care for what ill fate awaits them. Some reviewers think the introduction is too long, but, especially on repeated viewing, that is nonsense and it's a vital part of the movie to get to know the group and make you care about them as well as giving you some background info that turns out to be crucial later on.
The movie does a brilliant job visually with the limited financial means the makers are reputed to have had. The creatures are a bit derivative, but the suspense, which any good horror flick should have, is well maintained.
The ending is a big plus and as I heard that you guys in the US get a different one I do hope they did not go for the lame ass ending I'm envisioning; that would do a lot of harm.
The only downside I thought was the music which is often overbearing, especially when it explodes from the speakers on action moments, too often over the top and distracting where a little subtlety I think would have been more effective. Very minor complaint though.
Would have loved being in that screening in the cave. Great idea. In envied those guys almost as much as when Harry told us about the Close Encounters screening near Devil's Tower. I definitely would have crossed the ocean for that one. -
okay, I guess I AM a dumbass, 'cause I went back and re-read a few of the comments before yours and see that you're talking to someone else.
Of course, if ther was a fucking EDIT function on this talkback, maybe I could've just erased that response I gave instead of having to write another one nobody gives a shit about. -
last year and being scary as hell, and being a fan of horror, monster movies, and gore flicks, and having been disappointed in pretty much everything that's come out of this recent wave with the exception of Devil's Rejects and to some extent Hills Have Eyes (I like that the last part turns into a hardcore revenge flick), I seriously can't wait for this one. These days, even a decent horror movie is reason to celebrate for us genre fanatics.
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you see it hurts the movie already. Its a great film, scary as all get out and I watched it on a crap TV in broad daylight in London. The US trailers and ads give away the best shot in the movie. But the fact that you know something is down there with hurts a little. Imagine seeing From Dusk to Dawn not knowing its a vampire movie. When Salma Hayek turns you'd be even more freaked out. Thats how this is. But still, go see it. I know I will.
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An unknown reviewer gives an A+ to a movie about cave-dwelling brain-eaters, and no plant accusations? Maybe the days of cynical talkbacks are over! Maybe this is a new era, an era of optimism and trust, an era where every former bitter skeptic can cast aside their disillusioned pre-judgements and heartily look on the bright side with complete faith in all reviewers' fidelity! (Music swells in the background.)
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People in imdb (even here, like SalvatoreGravano) are confusing this with the Cave. They wondered if this movie is being re-released. We saw this in the Philippines a year ago, for the few who saw it, we got scared out of our wits. It wasn't seen much because The Cave came out first and gave everyone a bad taste in the mouth, so The Descent looked like a ripoff. Actually the reverse is true but no one wanted to try The Descent by then. Their loss.
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I like the confusing nature of the TBs. Leaves more room for misunderstandings and random rants ;-) Also while an edit function would be nice, it means that some of the more extreme lunatics on the site would be able to change their past answers so as not to get caught in their own lies...
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those going because this is from the "people who brought you Saw and Hostel" are going to be dissapointed that this movie has no boring pointless drawn out torture scenes. Its actually suspensful. Not just a gorefest.
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You'd think Harry's budget would extend to buying an import DVD.
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we are all thinking! Cave dwelling plant? Moss!!! Lichen!?!
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let me see... THE DESCENT premiered 11 March 2005 (at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films), and THE CAVE was released 26 August 2005. so I wonder which ripped off which :-)
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For those asking about why THE DESCENT is considered "news"...
This film has been released in many places around the world. It is just now coming to the U.S., which makes it a "new release" from our perspective. Hence the last line of my post. -
cave setting for the screening. Wine 'em, dine 'em, 69'em. Who wants to be the rude guest and drop a Cleveland Steamer all over a lovely party? (They went to all that trouble!)
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The descent was decent, would be perfect if not for the horrible ending. Youre right about the cave though , the cave is a movie if static is a song.
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point of being excited for awesome films being released stateside in theaters. Lest we forget how much better the theater is than any import/region 0/widescreen anamorphic digital transfer DVD is... I don't care how big your TV is, it aint better than a good cinema. I've seen Battle Royale many times on my tv but that doesn't mean I'd be jazzed as hell and waiting in line to see it at the Cinerama Dome.
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What do these troglodytes eat when they don't have spelunkers to snack on? You wouldn't think they'd get very many of them down there...
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"You do not talk about Movie Logic!"
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Which ending was that? Are the rumours about the US cutting the final thirty seconds (CRUCIAL thirty seconds) from the movie true? God I hope not.
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your question is addressed in the film...
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the fear of the Jersey suburbs.
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I hope she's right.I'll give it a shot, i could see a worse way to spend an afternoon.
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filmed on digital video!!!!!
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I've seen better. Like, say, for instance, oh, I don't know, "I'm The Girl He Wants To Kill." Yeah, that was WAY better.
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You KNOW it
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Sorry but this movie is really very bad. The movie relies on cheap BANG shocks to deliver the main thrills and when it does eventually get round to showing the monsters, it shows evrything too soon. What a weird combination of dragging out the horror and then blowing its load too soon. You know - the basic idea is sound. A bunch of women of all different types and temperaments go caving together and thanks to their various fucked up natures get themselves in real mad physical shit. But that's not what happens. Instead it seems like someone has changed the channel halfway through. A bunch of monsters we see far too much of going crazy for no fucking reason. It's like some crappy 80s monsters intrude on what could have been a good psychological terror movie. All of the crappy OH MY GOD I'M IN TERROR OH NO WAIT IT WAS JUST A FLASHBACK OR A STUPID DREAM moments were pointless and detracted badly from the film. As for those final 'crucial' 30 seconds - come on man, it was one final cliche on top of a million more. Watch Dog Soldiers instead - werewolves versus squaddies. Now you're talking
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Whoo-ah!
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for me. Not because of any spoilers or anything, but because now whenever I see the monsters I'll think "troglodite" and start to laugh. Because troglodite is the funniest word since mukluk.
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You will enjoy the hell out of it. I'll be going caving the week it's released, and I can't wait. Should add a fresh new dimension to the experience.
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They ruined the original, great ending for the us release? UNGH! If this is true... argh matey. *wink*
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... that the U.S. is getting the last 30 seconds snipped. The Descent was AWESOME. Thick with atmosphere, genuinely scary, the monsters were BRILLIANT and the unconventional narrative flow was refreshing. Go back to The Cave.
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I haven't seen the Cave. Nor would I want to. The only people who think this movie was good are people who have never seen a horror movie before, or who still think that women killing monsters is somehow 'empowering'. Wow - welcome to 1979 guys. If you cared enough about this piece of shit you could make up a drinking game where you take a drink each time it references another (better) film. Please - if you cannot do anything other than delurk to post a smartarse personal insult, then do ua all a favour and do fuck off. If the US does get the ending snipped it's nothing to do with people like me - people like me would happily snip the whole thing. Derivative, boring, poorly executed and disappointing all round. I was reading Marshall's articles for months in Total Film and was genuinely interested how this would turn out. Unfortunately it turned out terribly. Whatever Womb2dooM - go back to Spy Kids
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If it a dumb gorefest count me out. I want a good horror flick like aliens.
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intellectual, or lack there of (there I go with that personal attack again), reaction. Citizens, such as your good self, make American distributors terrified of releasing any content the slightest bit confrontational (to explain before you freak out: confrontational meaning out of the norm or unconventional in the genre). I wasn't insinuating that you wrote a letter, or something equally motivating, forcing the US distributors to take drastic action. There are a lot of people like you in America, don't feel alone. An example is that virtually any good Asian movie that goes to America is hacked up and "Americanised" to appeal to the "mainstream". I like "inverted commas". I also think that we've gotten to a time and place in our current society where a woman slaying a monster isn't necessarily intended as an empowering image. It's 2006, woman, to larger extent in first world countries, are empowered. Ladies don't need to slay a creature twice their size to be empowered, they just need to bring me my dinner on time. Film makers shouldn't have to worry about that - It's not 1973. I was also reading the Total Film articles and found the process, and final result, fascinating. You're comment (should I bullet point my responses to your post?) regarding the flick referencing better movies was not unjustified. There were references or nods to other, better movies. Some intentional, others just a hazard of the genre ("The Simpson
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Merrick, what the...? When YOU write for a "major" website you think you could at least proof-read your posts! But leave us TBer's alone.
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Saw a DVD bootleg and it scared the living shit out of me. Then again, I was watching it alone and late at night. Excellent horror flick, second only to The Exorcist in movies that have freaked me out.
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Couldn't agree more! I saw it alone and at night and it freaked the shit out of me! Wanna hook up?! Likes: whales. Dislikes: Anti-whaling bodies.
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I'm not in America nor am I American. I would have thought that obvious by my language but apparently, it's only 'neanderthals' like me who do crazy things like learn how to read and write properly. With regard to your comment about confrontational cinema - I like confrontational movies. I seek them out. This was dull. I would agree they should let the movie be shown without the ending cut but only because the ending was the single moderately intersting thing about it. And as far as the female thing goes - the film-maker goes out of his way to show the women as tough and 'empowered' in a very obvious way. You know the scene where the hot one (I don't remember her name, she had one of those names women always have in these movies like Luna or Nova) flips out and fucks up a monster when she meets the two sisters with the weird accents? It kind of reminded me of Battle Royale, where this character has been pushed to the edge and won't take any more goddamn fucking with and just snaps the white-faced fucker's neck? At that point I thought we were going in a different direction to the usual woman-gets-fucked-with-and-the-decides-to-fight-back bollocks one normally sees in these types of films. Well, amigo, that feeling lasted about 2 seconds, till they slotted her back into the same role they had assigned her since the very first scene. Yeah - it had its moments but they were frustrating in not being followed up. You know what I thought the best scene was? When they thought they were trapped underground and one of them had a broken leg - the natural horror of that scene, combined with the goriness of the actual reseting of the bone, the way they were all pulling together despite their obvious issues - it was great. Then they bring in bug-eyed monters and it was like - oh well never mind that, here's a big pool of blood that never congeals and some weirdo monsters. Finally, Mr Womb2dooM, a plea.... Please - if you do not like a person's opinion that is fine. But if you do insist on making comments about their intelligence or education, do try to avoid littering your own post with spelling and grammatical errors. It makes you look like a prize prick. For example: 'thereof' is one word; 'film-makers' ought to be hyphenated; "You're" means 'you are' and the list goes on. Perhaps adult education classes might help. But hey - you know me and suggestions..... Thanks for the talk, though.
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FEAST! mark your fuckin' calenders... September 22nd! Then the uncut DVD in Mid October! Saw it at FantasticFest... will rock the balls off Hades himself.
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I swear, it sounds like Elmo screaming "ANYBODY THERE?!?!" like he's in trouble or something. What are they doing to poor Elmo down there?
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You may want to check your first response to me before you go around flapping your IQ test in the wind. This is a TalkBack, not a piece in the London Times. Also, I never implied you were American. It's quite obvious by your spelling that are not. I was suggesting that the original judgments you were passing onto this film were slightly "main-stream-americana". Kudos to you for actively seeking confrontational movies (which this is not, BTW). Also I would like to thank you for being one of the first TBer's in a long while to make me laugh out loud with; "the film-maker goes out of his way to show the women as tough and 'empowered' in a very obvious way." Yeah, because she should have screamed and slapped the big bad monster to death. She's obviously physically fit so why not realistically show her using her strength to protect herself? Was it obviously empowering when Bruce Willis ran across the glass in Die Hard? This got a bigger laugh, though; "You know the scene where the hot one (I don't remember her name". Brilliant. Hilarious. Argument won. I was wrong. Woman are not empowered and need all the help they can get. It appears you don't bother to learn their names - "The hot one" will suffice. Good stuff. You would be cute if not for the colourful language. So many F-Bombs, junior. Ease up or you'll work yourself into a tizzy. But I agree, it has been a pleasure conversing with you. More invigorating then most back and forths. Apologies if my opinions were overbearing but I'm a prize prick and I don't know better.
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It's the first horror film I have seen since The Thing and Hellraiser that felt like a classic. Cool movie.
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Is it changed or cut for the U.S. release? Because that would suck. I'd have to download it again just to show all my friends how awesome it was.
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Yes, don't I fucking know it. Kind of proving my own point here big fella. No - I did not care to learn their names. The movie was not worth learning anyone's names. I thought I made that point already, actually. I like the Scottish one's pluck and the pretty one's violent tendencies but I couldn't care less beyond that. In fact the film does very little to set up any of the characters beyond these two. And what I meant by 'empowered in an obvious way' was the same tired shit we have seen many times - running about with weapons, grunting and groaning like Serena Williams. Further - no, it wasn't obvious when Bruce ran across the glass. Did YOU expect it? Because I expected every cliched scene in this movie (except for the very end, as stated already). And talkback or not there are rules of spelling. We might allow conversational grammar (like me starting sentences with 'but' or 'and') but if you will insist on trying to condescend to people, or call them neanderthals, you really ought to expect to be picked up on your own ignorance. Now goodnight young man - I have to get up in the morning. xxx
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Before I go to bed, or for a poo, let me ask you this - didn't you think that the scene near the beginning with the lights going out was pointless and badly done? Have you ever seen Session 9? It was pretty good, considering it was mostly featuring a cast I usually hate (Josh Lucas and David Ca..Ru..So )but it had a very simlar scene with lights going out as a character walked down a hallway. The difference was that it was done for a reason - it fit in with the story and the guy's established phobia - it was portrayed very effectivly. What was the point in this movie? I mean I get WHY it was there but it seemed so totally redundant. Like many of the scenes in The Descent, it was all surface. If you like that - you'll love this movie. Anyway, like I said, I'm off for a poo. Feel free to take your time misinterpreting my posts Womb2dooM. Byeeeeeeeeeee
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funnily enough I was a bit bored. It was ok. Nothing more, nothing less. Oh and I said the Descent was not a confrontational movie (like Irreversible, for example). The end however, was. Since you took exception to that end scene in your initial post (and was the main topic of talk back up until that point), that is what I was addressing. I've grown bored of this now. Enjoy your poo and thanks for the 'big fella' remark (did I misinterpret that?). Is nice. Nighty, night. Sleep tight.
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so I figured I'd download this tonight and watch it. I can find it in French, Italian, Spanish and god help me even POLISH, but not English? c'mon Brits, help a brother out. I went to Oxford for christ sake! what's sad is that I actually did go to Oxford...
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I'll just watch it in Spanish...ay caramba! un troglodito! todos vamos a morir!
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I didn't know he felt so strongly about film. Just kidding my man. I agree with you more than womb2whatever. I saw the film a few months ago and I liked the intensity he carried. When they introduced the monsters I was disappointed but the movie still kept up the intensity just in a different genre. And that ending was a great way to absolutely ruin the film. I hate when film makers bring you along like that then pull the rug and say "hey tricked you you stupid fuck?" Drives me insane when I see that.
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I hate to come across as all defensive and petty (but I am) but "Clayakin" HATED the movie, save for a few scenes. You seemed like you actually liked it until THAT ending. My argument is that the ending is as intended by the creative forces behind the movie and, like it or hate it, that's the films' ending. That's in the final cut as the rest of the world has seen it. If you change it to make it more accepting for a different audience, you may as well label yourself 'George Lucas'.
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If you like horror, you watched this on DVD in 2005. If you want to see an exciting new release, why not try Howard Hawks "The Thing ... From Another Planet" - just a little older than this.
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Saw it there in Berlin. From the shocking beginning to the claustrophobic horror scenes to the badass subterran dwellers to the extremley gory ending. All with fine performances and good characterisation. Best film in the festival, rightly cheered when credits rolled.
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Saw the trailer in Australia last november and was very excited about it. It's released here now on DVD (The Netherlands); don't know if there was a theatrical release, but I saw it last weekend and Marshall topped his own excellent Dog Soldiers. Fantastic movie with a terrific ending (although I read that the US audiences don't get the European ending, which is sad).
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Showing beasties in the trailer, changing the ending, presenting it as a gory movie - BAD DECISIONS! But it does deserve the Alien/Aliens-comparison because of the quality: a genre film that actually has some good acting, story & plotting.
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...for the cave-screening, although I'd probably be in a looney bin by now!
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It is one of the best films of last year. And whichever idiot said there was no character development- go and watch it again, the main characters are SUBTLY developed from the start. Neill Marshall is going to be one of the finest horror directors for a long time- I personally think that he should be given a budget and Alien 5- he can handle suspense, character interaction, dialogue and special effects (look at what he has achieved with no money). It is sad that the ambiguous ending has been trimmed for an American audience- maybe the original will be in the DVD extras.
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I saw this film when it came out in the UK based on how much i enjoyed DOG SOLDIERS, and unfortunatly THE DESCENT doesn't quite match up. If the former was a solid 3.5 stars out ouf 5, then the latter would be a 2.5, maybe a 3 if someone took you into a cave to go see it. Just trying to make the point that you'll probably get more out of it if you don't get carried away by the hype. It's certainly not the "best horror thriller since Alien", not by a long mark. Hell, it wasn't even the best horror thriller since Dog Soldiers, and therein lies the problem. This is one film that just won't stand up to that kind of marketing hype.
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Are you a horror-fan? Because I think Dog Soldiers might appeal more to horror-fans - The Descent is more mainstream. I don't like genre-tags (western & sci-fi to me are settings, horror also comes in many forms), so I wouldn't call this "the best horror since..." but I thought it was way better than DS.
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Yeah, Ilive in Ireland, and saw this on DVD at the begining of the year. It opened in July 05, and I goota tell u folks, this is a genuinely creepy little flick in the same vein as THE HILLS HAVE EYES, GORY AS HELL TOO. Horror fans wont be dissappointed. Pity u all had to wait a year, anyway enjoy!
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So we Brits have had the movie for years, yadayadayada...personally I envy the US for just getting it now, because you guys are about to get the great experience of watching it for the first time. It's a nasty little shocker with a couple of genuine jump-out-of-your-seat moments, and if you like a good scare you'll have a ball. Just put a net over the top of your popcorn box.
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Hell, i just like good films, so I can honestly tell you that there isn't a particular genre I'd pick over another. I guess it just comes down to personal taste, I'm glad you got more out of The Descent than I did. My concern is that this film is being elevated beyond it's station, and ultimately won't live up to such high expectations. Everyone's expectations get lowered by all the BS horror Hollywood steams out, then we get way too pumped up when someone produces a half desent effort for less than your average catering budget. Don't forget the gold standard guys. Halloween was made for next to nothing (even after it's budget is inflation adjusted) and it's still one of the most taut, thrill machines ever made. The Descent, while good, is not.
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really does drip with chlorophyll but it looks like most people agree that it's at least watchable. A matinee it is...I hope this isn't just slasher gore or shock scene after shock scene , that gets old fast. I hated Hostel and The Hills Have Eyes just bored me.
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We gather to share tales in our modern caves, just as our ancestors gathered in actual caves to reaffirm oral histories of the clan and and the world around them. And I am so gonna scare the fuck out of some snot nosed kids when this movie opens up. I'll wait until one of those quiet,nervous pauses in the movie and yell "BOOGABOOGA YOU LITTLE BOOGEREATERS. HOW DOES THAT TASTE?"
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I too was a fan of Dog Soldiers who went to see this based solely on Neil Marshall's name being attached to it. I was genuienly surprised. The Descent is a huge leap up from Dog Soldiers both in terms of scares and atmosphere. If this had come out 10 years ago, which taking into consideration the budget and the special FX it easily could have, then it would have been a horror classic.
If Marshall's horror output continues to steadily rise then his next film will be a creature feature masterpiece. -
Here's what i thought was good - the acting, the claustraphobia, the audio, and the gore (if you're into gristle) and watching it in an actual cave would have made it a much more fun experience. Here's what i found not so good - The constant references to better, classic films like Deliverance, The Shining, Carrie, Americn Werewolf, Predator, Apocalypse Now, Alien etc and the fact Neil Marshal has ripped lines, shots, sounds, fonts and even wardrobe from other films meant I couldn't enjoy the film on it's own merrits. If you can look past/don't notice this and get scared by loud jumps and sign posted frights
then you'll have a blast. At least it's good compared to the laughably bad Dog Soldiers and if they the director has a decent budget and can come up with an original idea, he might deliver something great next. -
...then yes this is indeed terrifying. The reviewer hit the nail on the head for me. Whenever the monsters appeared I thought they looked like a modern dance troupe trying to ape Gollum. The film would have been much more original without the director suddenly giving into his monster urges.
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Not fun, the cave was overcrowded and the movie was o.k. at best.....The Alamo/Aint it cool teams did set up a neat idea but the longhorn folks dropped the ball big time...Wild cave tour was like crawling under a walgreens for 2 hours-muddy and boring. As for the film- its been seen before and done better! My big scare was the lowlevel Newline lackey and his group talking thru the whole show!
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Do you not find those bendy lycra clad freaks terrifying? or suffer the fear that your brain might actually melt into primordial goo and leak out of your ears when watching them? The Descent was taut and scary- but totally different to Dog Soldiers, which was a rollicking good little film.
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Are better with hair around them.
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Sowwyy...
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The preamble about getting to the theater and what the theater is like just does nothing for me.
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Dont listen to half these people on here. The movie kicks ass. Ive seen it several times on the region 2 dvd release and it holds up after repeat viewings. Check out this politically incorrect awesome movie, music, game review blogsite http://tinyurl.com/pv8do
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just watched this movie, and it was pretty mediocre. but really I'm just typing this so I can link to my website: www.lameselfpromotion.com - Mits666
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Clay Akin is a geeky pop singer from American Idol who is adored by grandmothers and geeky Christian schoolgirls. As far as that ending goes I don't buy the whole artistic "European" ending bullshit. Most of the time I enjoy a good open ending but that one just did the whole thing where they trick you into thinking one thing is happening and then BOOM ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! It was just a dream. Now look where she really is. It's just cheap low level film making. It's the cinematic equivalent of getting Punk'd. And what made it worse was that I thought they were just going to end it when she pulls the car over and starts to break down. That would have been an amazing open ending but no they had to try to look smart and keep it going. I would have Gearge Lucased that ending up. But hey, that's just me.
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Jul 25, 2006 1:10:51 PM CDT
Don't have time to read all the other comments but...
by matersuspiriorum
I saw this movie the other night. It was *okay*. But there were six women in the movie, not five. And the creatures appeared to me to be some sort of bat-human mutant (batboy?). Although I have to say, all sympathy with these characters disappeared after they had to squirm through a tiny crevasse to get ahead...anyone stupid enough to do that deserves to get eaten alive by cave-monsters, in my opinion. And, absolutely no comparison with Alien/Aliens. That's just wrong.
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all the damn troglodytes!
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Alien/Aliens that is.
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view of the film and an unnecessary desire to put it in a little box. It also completely ignores the strong psychological element and the claustrophobic impact on the audience. The earlier scenes squeezing through tiny spaces were, for me, the most terrifying of all, and just so real.
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Both The Descent and Session 9 are very good horror movies, so please, don't useone against the other for your arguments, or i'lkl go medieval on your asses. and yes, The Descent is a really, truly, very good movie. It raises itself above the genre, and more then a very good horror, it's a very good movie, period! And changing the ending is retarded!
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Are you a nihilist? Are you gonna pee on my rug?
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What's with this idea that the ending is European? It's a classic horror movie ending - I've already stated that I really thought the film was poor and derivative BUT on the other hand I hate the fact that the distributors seem to think that Americans are too stupid to 'get' the ending. Why do you Americans put up with being called stupid all the time? And by other Americans no fucking less!!?
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Mate you have hit the nail on the head - with Dog Soldiers there was a real tongue in cheek quality to the film, you went along with the ropey special effects and the references to other movies because it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. This one was and suffered badly because of the heavy referencing of better movies. And I agree that the scenes squeezing through small spaces were the best - I would rather have seen a gruelling survival movie set in the caves with people slowly going mental in tiny spaces. Oh well - I still hope it does well because I'd like to see an unashamed genre director getting to make his movies
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I think Marshall is a fan of horror and ALL its sub-genres. As such I wouldn't make the comparison between Dog Soldiers and Descent as they are two very different movies (despite the obvious comparisons). To me, both were GREAT movies in their own right and I understand people going to see Descent solely on their enjoyment of Dog Soldiers and then being disappointed. I think The Descent should stand on its own merits.
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It was satisfying in the way that only a 5am poo can really be. Isn't it weird that people make movies about women getting attacked by inbred albino freaks or families of weirdo Highland werewolves yet no-one makes movies where the characters have to take a poo break? Ah see I mean - I liked aspects of The Descent - the slow build up, the issues between the characters, the scene where the lady was trapped in a tiny space with the bag, the first climbing-out-over-a ravine scene... Like I said I do hope it does well. It was pretty shit overall but better than most of the garbage that gets released. Everyone is allowed to make mistakes, especially on that difficult second slice & dicer. I guess what I'm saying is - it's bad but no Ghosts of Mars
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i frankly think the ending mighta been better without the last 30 seconds, which were a textbook copy of Brazil's.Unlike that film though,this one really didn't have enough narrative steam to make it a worthwhile path. not to mention, it coulda really be great to see the "Aliens" to this "Alien" someday.
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"I swear, it sounds like Elmo screaming "ANYBODY THERE?!?!" like he's in trouble or something. What are they doing to poor Elmo down there?"
lol
anyway, this movie disappointed me
if you've seen the goonies, lord of the rings, or rubber johnny, you aren't missing anything -
So is novelist Jeff Long sueing anyone over this film? The film-makers didn't even bother changing the title.
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...that us brits can say HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! We got this movie ages ago. Im sick of having to wait months after US release dates to see movies here. So, im gonna grab this opportunity. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! I saw this at the cinema ages ago, and I've had the Descent on DVD for months and months!!! HA HA HA HA!!
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I've owned this for months- It is asinine to compare it to dog soldiers- both have their own merits, this is more tense and without the humour of Dog Soldiers. Please god let it do well-as if it does some suit may be smart enough to give Marshall the task of resurrecting Alien or even Alien vs Predator. The man is a fan of the genre so why not? furthermore, We've seen what he can do with no money, so why not let the man loose with a good budget. In fact- take Piss Weak Script Anderson's next budget (It's a mystery how he keeps getting his grubby mits on horror franchises) off him and give it to marshall.
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Anyone who doesn't like a well done monster doing some of the nastiest shit ever put on screen has the intelligence of a retarded troglodyte.
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Having seen Marshall's Dog Soldiers (great horror flick) I'm looking forward to seeing it. Luckily it's on TV here in Wales in August. If you like it check out Dog Soldiers. Marshall also did a cool blog in Total Film mag (of which I'm sure Harry is a fan)
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god, was that a great film. Very, very funny. I love the ultra-fast, ridiculously exaggerated stabbing-the-werewolf scene. When I saw that piss-poor, unoriginal swill 28 DAYS LATER, the soldiers the survivors come across made me immediately reminisce about DOG SOLDIERS.
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This movie came out in the UK one month before that horrible movie "The Cave" came out here in the US. How could this movie be a copy of something that came out after? Oh - yeah that means the idiots on this board didn't do their research before they posted. Jackasses.
BTW I ordered this movie on DVD a while back and its a sold horror movie. Not the best I've seen but definately fun. I think most people have a high tolerance for horror these days and aren't scared easily. The Exorcist still scares me though. The Thing is just a great horror movie - and the sound effect "the things" make still sends chills up my spine. -
28 Days Later is a fine example of cinematic excellence. If you didnt get that then perhaps you don't have the required equiptment.
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and felt that it was just a cheap knock off of Open Water / Blair Witch. Very slow and plodding, by the time the critters pop up 1/2 way through the movie the damage had been done. 5 hot chicks couldnt save this movie, and once these wack mole men start chewing them up i was done. now, i had no idea that the guy from dog soldiers directed this feature, and i'm going to have to watch it again, but it left such a horrible taste in my mouth that after the intial screening that we had i havent had the desire to revisit...
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First off, there are SIX WOMEN. SIX WOMEN. SIX WOMEN. Second, the action doesn't start still LITERALLY HALF WAY THROUGH THE MOVIE. Third, the gore in this film is WAY OVERHYPED: It's too dark to see anything, and the "eating" scenes are too quickly edited like an Lotr fight scene. They're too fast and erratic to make any cohesive sense of what is going on. Moving along. Fourth, the monsters are ok, but aren't realy scary by themselves. The director uses the oh so cliche startle/loud noise techniques to fish for scares. Fifth, these chicks turn into Dungeon and Dragon's characters and start hacking away at mobs of these things at a time. The last two survivors just stumble into a room of like, 6 of these things, and just hack them to shreds. Combine all this with a mediocre ending, and you've got your typical summer horror movie. I reccomend a pass on it.
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(1) So? What's with the #6? (2) Hadn't noticed, but wasn't bored by then (3) You're right, but f@ck the marketing, don't go for gore (4) Unavoidable for flicks like this (5) Really only one of the SIX CHICKS goes gung-ho, but I agree it was a bit OTT.
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"5 hot chicks couldnt save this movie" - Painting the wrong picture: these aren't the typical, dumb slutty girls from American genre-flicks, so I'm not surprised they didn't give you a boner, but why are you?
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As someone who saw it on its UK release, I can safely say this is an awesome movie- yes it uses "loud noises/sudden shock" technique, yes sometimes the action is hard to see (in a way it makes it even better cos it is meant to be underground people- not a lot of room to breathe with the camera), yes it does a Ripley and also references a bunch of top class movies- but it works!
I am a huge horror fan but there has been nothing to really scare me in years- I enjoy some horror for the gore, some for any attempt at originality- the Descent I just all round enjoyed. Its got way more character and believability than any Hollywood movie usually has- the long build up is necessary cos without it, you wouldn't believe in the situation. The idea is that the cave network itself becomes an enemy, one more obstacle to overcome as well as the monsters- its a realistic scenraio that becomes a horror movie. (I actually agree with the people who felt that this film would have held up on its own, monster's or not)
But despite the fact this film uses tried and tested techniques and a plot that really isn't very original, it pulls it off with some of the most amazing subtlety and at other times complete lack of subtlety that anyone who likes horror cannot help but love it. It gave me the biggest cinematic horror buzz I've had in years and gave me faith the genre isn't dead.
This is pure cinema to be watched in the darkest screen with the quitest audience you can find. Enjoy it for what it is- its a rollercoaster ride that just wants you to scream and have fun. Why do people always have to make out like its trying to be high art?
Oh and by the way, I loved Dog Soldiers first time round and sure its still a funny little flick but its really not THAT great. Marshall shifts up a gear in this one. -
The reviewer, and now a few people in the TB, keep saying there are FIVE women. I was mearely making the correction that there are SIX women who journey into the cave. I have to admit though, it's easy to mistake their numbers, since none of them are developed or stand out.
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'yes sometimes the action is hard to see (in a way it makes it even better cos it is meant to be underground people- not a lot of room to breathe with the camera)'
I disagree, while it's true the cave setting doesn't exactly lend itself to widescreen action, the filmmakers could have done a hell of alot better then what we fet. Every action scene is that typical very-close-up shots with quick jump cuts garbage. God forbid someone actually tries to visually tell a story with action these days. The movie is still good however, it just had very typical and forgettable action. -
Warcraft: I figured as much, but thought it unfair to add it to the list of 'why the movie's overhyped'. Joel: I agree that better action-choreography would have been great, but I don't think this project had the budget to just hire someone for that element.
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