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Capone spelunks with some hotties and some creepy bastards with his review of THE DESCENT!!!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here with a film I saw at last year's
Butt-Numb-a-Thon, but never actually reviewed because I wanted to see it
again when I wasn't dizzy from exhaustion and fear. At last year’s BNAT,
this one kind of stole the show away from such higher-profile films on the
bill like King Kong and V for Vendetta. And the reason it did so is because,
well, it was the scariest and most entertaining fright flick I’ve seen in
years. I spent many months trying to get people to seek out British
writer-director Neil Marshall’s previous film, Dog Soldiers, which was a
tough job since it never actually came out in U.S. theatres. And the thought
on everybody’s mind at BNAT was, “When does The Descent come out in this
country?” There just didn’t seem to be any doubt that it would because it’s
so much better than any American horror film in a very long time. Oh, and
for those of you who have seen UK version of The Descent, the rumors are
true; the version being released in the U.S. has a different ending. More on
that in a minute.
The film opens at the end of what appears to be a wild nature adventure that
a group of women friends are taking. We see some of the women at the tail
end of what looks like a treacherous white water rafting ride, with the
husband and child of one of the women waiting on the shore, looking a bit
nervous. This family suffers a terrible, violent tragedy on the drive home,
one that leaves the woman emotionally traumatized. One year later, the women
(mostly British) are gathering again, this time in a remote mountain area of
the Appalachians for a little cave exploring. The film takes its time
getting us into the caves, and that’s okay. We get to know a little about
these women, most of whom are played by actors unfamiliar to American
audiences (the only one I recognized was Nora-Jane Noone, whom I liked a
great deal in The Magdalene Sisters). We subtly discover where the hidden
rivalries lie in the group, who the more irresponsible ones are, and which
of the women were more or less supportive of the woman in the accident.
These things don’t seem all that important at first, but they come into play
later.
The trip into the cave seems to be going along nicely enough, and The
Descent might have worked as simply as a tale of claustrophobia and seeing
things in the shadows of this dark, unexplored world. A small cave-in sets
into motion a series of events that, alone, would have made a hell of a
movie. The way the women came into the cave is blocked, and it turns out the
one who brought them to this particular place lied about the tunnels being
well-mapped. It turns out this is an unexplored cave, with no route out, and
so they must find another way. With food and batteries running low, time is
critical. Then the women start to hear these slithery clicking sounds…they
see movement out the corners of their eyes…then the attacks start.
One of the more unfortunate things about The Descent’s U.S. release is that
Lionsgate has given away too much in the trailer. When we saw this film in
December, we had no idea that monsters were a part of this equation, and
once that knowledge becomes part of the equation, the full-on mindfucking
begins. Marshall doesn’t waste our time explaining where these creatures
came from (they look somewhat human, but it’s clear that they rarely see the
light of day, operating by sense of sound). Even knowing about the monsters
doesn’t quite prepare you for how scary they and this movie are. Ever fear
you’ve ever had about what lurks in the dark, in the absolute pitch black
corners of this world, are turned into reality with this movie. And one by
one, the women are simply picked off or attacked as their search for an
escape seems more and more fruitless.
The thing that intrigued me the most about The Descent is that it actually
might be a bloody, violent horror film that women might actually turn out
for. The actresses in the film are certainly attractive, but this isn’t a
collection of models or MTV reality stars collected simply to be picked off
by some slasher after a tasty shower scene. The Descent takes its scares
seriously, and it never forgets that some of these women have issues with
each other that come into play when fighting for their lives. Oh, and about
that ending, let’s just say that there was a “dream-like” aspect to the
original version that is missing from this one. And while this alternate
ending hardly qualifies as “happy,” it certainly more hopeful than the one
we saw at BNAT. I doubt you’ll encounter a more skillfully made horror film
this year, at least not one released by a major distributor. The Descent is
a soul-shaking good time, and, after seeing it, you’ll probably never want
to be in a dark tunnel again for a very long time.
Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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in other regions is tempting to pick up. I think I will still see this on the big screen as I hear that is the way to see this flick.
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...off I am excited to see this one. Looks pretty excellent - and Rotten Tomatoes is giving it some love. A lesbian friend of mine wants me to go see it, so definitely right on about the women part.
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...off I am excited to see this one. Looks pretty excellent - and Rotten Tomatoes is giving it some love. A lesbian friend of mine wants me to go see it, so definitely right on about the women part.
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spreading the word; worth your money.
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Every chick I talk to loves horror movies. I don't get it...I think they are boring. The fact that this one gets rave reviews makes me curious though...perhaps a download is in order in a few months.
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Aug 04, 2006 4:38:29 AM CDT
Not all women love horror...my other half was so scared
by big_bubbaloola
that she nearly wet herself in the cinema. She came with me coz I told her it was from the director of DS (which she liked) and by 3/4 of the way thru Descent, she was at the hysterical crying stage (a combo of feelings for the women and scares). I told her to get up and go outside for a while be she refused to move she was so scared. Made me jump like billy-oh as well. After the first hour or so, I did start to think nothing substantial was gonna happen, but then it just grabs you by the nuts and doesn't let go until the very end (brit version that is). Trust me, don't listen to the naysayers, go see this movie, it rocks. And you'll be supporting an ailing UK film industry, which is a good thing.
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We over here rarely produce the quality or quantity of films produced over-seas... which is a shame cos the few that do manage to get thier head above water tend to be some of the best films made world-wide. This is definately one of them and I am interested to hear the end is different, I just wonder what it is now. A couple of great deaths in there along the way - although there is one shakey moment as bats come flying out of the cave just as they enter... bit fake. All in all v. enjoyable.
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everyone knows that that is the perfect time to give her some "support" mate. That is why god invented horror movies. On the other hand- doesn't work with my missus, she just nitpicks every single fucking thing- drives me nuts. For example, in the descent she actually asked 1/4 of the way in "so why are they going caving? is it fun?" aaargh.
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I saw this last week at a screening in Los Angeles. This is one powerful little horror film that gets under your skin and doesn't shy away from showing you what happens when claws meet flesh and bone (lots of gore in this one). The fact that it's a compelling story that plays on a lot of primal fears BEFORE the monsters even show up says something about Neil Marshall's talent as a writer/director. Horror fans have to wade through a lot of crap before we come across something like this. Good stuff.
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A remake of the descent is in the works. Directed by Peter Jackson, it will be called The Attack of the Gollums.
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This film kicks ass. Every decade has a truly classic horror film and this one tops them all. I have yet to remember another horror film when you are relieved when the monster is revealed. The creatures in this movie lighten its mood but never detract from its impact. This movie has got to be seen to be believed.
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My better half probably would've asked the same thing, 'cept she lost the power of speech. I tried to 'comfort' her but she was waaaaay past the comforting stage. I was not a popular boy for a while after seeing that.
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Aug 04, 2006 6:10:33 AM CDT
Also, i'm still not quite clear as to the US ending...
by big_bubbaloola
*SPOILER ALERT* At the end of the UK version, the remaining bint gets out, runs to the car, jumps in and finds her dead mate sitting next to her...she wakes up back in the cave and hallucinates her dead little girl with a birthday cake (representing the last of the light) with the crawlers slowly advancing in on her. Candles go out...film ends. So where does the US version finish? If she gets out and just drives off, then I gotta say, the Yanks will have been ripped off.
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This is a film that people should see with absolutely no prior knowledge.
Not only does it have at least 3 of the best jump out scares I can ever remember seeing, its a very creepy film, and aside from the "things" its more or less completely believeable. -
Not seeing this at the cinema. You Americans should seriously avoid making the same mistake. Cracking film!
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I'm also trying to get as many of my friends to go see it as well. I hate it when you see a great horror flick in the theater, all scared & squirming in your seat, then you rave & rave about it to your friends, then they end up renting it & watching it in their fully lit living room on their 27 inch TV and say you're a wus & it's not scary at all.
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I guess they thought they had to show them to get the seats filled in America. I love watching "From Dusk Til Dawn" with people that have no idea there are vampires. It's fun to watch their jaws drop when it's revealed. I wish I could get that shock when the monsters in "The Descent" are revealed.
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And, by any standards of any news site, very old - it's been on DVD for nearly a year!
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In fact my fellow critic, Brandon, his review has me freaking pumped to see this over the weekend. Check out his review and enter to win a FREE THEATRICAL DESCENT POSTER @ http://www.movietack.net/r971-the-descent-review-and-contest-movie-feature.html
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I feel the pain man- My fault for marrying an American- but all I want to know is why the fuck she doesn't ask the same level of dumb questions in Chick flicks. In fact she reacts badly to small comments like "This is shit- want a cup of tea?". More to the point JackPumpkinhead, WTF- seriously did you watch the same film as me? and smartarse, it is news because it is only just getting (something dog soldiers didn't get) it's cinema relese in America.
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When forced with chick flicks you simply return the gesture. Come out with things like 'Ha, what a fag" or "you'd just fucking dump the bitch" or "what the fuck is she crying for, she could pull any man she wants with that body" That way you are involved with the film and pissing you're other half off too. I no longer have to watch this shit anymore, as she prefers to watch it with her mother. Hurrah! And as for Descent. Saw it last year here in England and thought it was fucking great. And that asian looking chick who fucked the husband is HOT!
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I don
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That alone makes this movie tenfold annoying enough for me to avoid. That and I know there aren't any fucking monsters, just some psycho bitch.
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It's interesting, because the director/writer's last film Dog Soldiers had at least one escapee. I would have liked to have seen one escape in this one, then a third movie where they are both in it.
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and looking forward to no longer having to say that The Hills Have Eyes was the best horror movie of 2006.
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Dog Soldiers was a lot more tongue in cheek but I enjoyed it also.
Hostel gets my vote for best horror in 2006. Nasty film but that had an ending to cheer! -
either a movie has a good ending or not. And a movie has to earn a happy ending or else it's just lollipops to dumbasses that have to have cocaine-like fixes in their entertainment, aka, shallow ass stupid happy endings. There's more to entertainment then just fag ass crap fake happy endings,. if you know what i mean. Cheer for an ending?? What the fuck is that? Just see the bloody movie for what it is, not as an excuse to have a handless wankathon! Jesus, geekoids, get a grip! You are suposed to like movies, not to conspire to make then worst, you know?
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You do realize that there are actually monsters in this flick. The girl's a psycho yes, but they do get ripped apart by monsters. This ain't High Tension.
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That's all I care about. I feel terrible about them dying. But if you want to see something really frightening, check out Zasquatch. Just google his name and check out that stuff. The movie comes out some time next year, and I'll tell ya', Jack Black has never looked so good in a fur suit.
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Woman going into caves and getting devoured, an interesting variation of the vagina dentata (look it up) motif. I see the entire film as a metaphor for the feminist movement devouring itself. (And I haven't even seen the movie!)
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Boy did I have you pegged right, LP. What the fuck does that mean?
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The Region 2 double-disc set is amazing. Definitely worth an ebay purchase. Looking forward to seeing this on my lunch break today - I watched it last night to freshen my memory of it up so as to be able to spot any other differences in the US version.
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nothing, it was a joke/ bait as I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. And don't give me any shit about many a true word said in jest. I am proud to be married to an american. So there
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The UK ending has the chick wake up in the cave and halluinate the birthday cake. For the US version, the chick drives away from the caves, stops the car, pukes, gets back in the car, and her dead friend's ghost or whatever scares her in the car. The movie ends right there.
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as in cheer when the bad guys get their comeuppance. Movies do have to earn their endings, unfortunately a lot nowadays take the easy way out. But maybe that's just me, I like my happy endings, god knows with the likes of Bush and his cronies out there, there ain't a lot of happy endings in real life.
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I was about to say, I hope to God they didn't do a 'Brazil' on it and give it a happy ending.. But before I could type, some more posts popped up.
Hmm.
Why do American versions of films have to have upbeat endings?
The original ending spooked the hell out of my girl and I last year in the pictures.
Great film.
Don't $% -
I have to say the film was good,i did enjoy it but i thought the end(UK) didn`t seem right,as if it was tacked on and unnesessary.....
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But I think she's too afraid to see this one in the theaters.
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I saw this movie last night and all the audience had to say walking out of the theater was what a waste of time. The film starts of with the all the possibility of being a sureal mind trip like that of Jacob's Ladder, but then winds up losing sight of it's own goals to become you a-typical monster's in the dark horror movie. Honestly once the monsters start their thing, is when the movie takes a dive...think Pitch Black with gore. That's pretty much it. The film is tense, but hardly suspenseful and the visuals are graphic, but only one scene would I qualify as "haunting"...and I'd be using the term losely there. When the film finally does "end" it's in the hopes of good "mind fuck" type of ending...but it falls flatter than bloodrayne's performance in the box office. In short, in long, the movie is a waste of time, unless your just a fan of gore films and you don't really care about much else...and even then you'll be waiting a while through this movie for it. Anyone looking for a good horror film or a good "mind trip" film...don't go see this.
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...primal fears. Nice. This is what made "Alien" so great. I've been DYING to see this movie for a year. "Dog Soldiers" is one of my favorite horror films, and I know this is going to be kickass.
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Didn't like it myself. I thought it started off well enough, loved the claustrophobic shots in tight spots. I am of the opinion though that less is more when it comes to horror. I prefer glimpses of the baddies instead of full well lit shots. At the end, it just turned into every other hack & slash movie...
Just my opinion... -
Aug 04, 2006 12:04:32 PM CDT
Seriously I had to pop a XANAX halfway thru this movie!
by mentallymariah
I went to a screening of it the other night, huge screen, packed audience 500 plus, people were screaming left to right...the sound shook my skeleton to the core...I was fucking scared out of my wits
that being said, I had already seen the film 12 times on my british import dvd...but seeing on the small screen does not compare to SEEING THIS ON THE BIG SCREEN PACKED AUDIENCE!! It socked me to the core, and I cannot wait to drag my unsuspecting friends to see it tonight! I Urge everyone who reads this to go see THE DESCENT tonight friday or sat, lets make this # 1!!! -
Stupid fucking small ass town with one fucking theatre and two fucking showings of Ricky fucking Bobby and no Descent. Fuckass fuckety fuckers. I've been waiting a year, and now it looks like I'll have to go to another town to see it in the theatre.
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It sure sounds like Elmo is lost. I hope someone gets him out of that cave.
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... WERE monsters. I thought the were just your average, degenerate, inbred hillbillies... but then, I live in the South...
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To those of you in the U.S. who haven't seen the UK ending...let me explain it for you in more detail.
It differs in only a few subtle ways...Firstly, the so-called humanoid creatures turn out to be no more than half a dozen Elvis impersonators who were lost, years before, when their bus made a wrong turn whilst searching for a KFC with six toilets. Secondly, that the so-called cave in question actually turns out to be Simon Cowell's wine cellar.
And finally...the most radical difference in the UK version is that it is rounded off with an all singing/all dancing Busby Berkeley style finale...featuring all the blood-soaked surviving cast giving their all in a massive water ballet routine - all set to a specially commissioned number by Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
Now, wouldn -
I was in the same theater and I didn't see you anywhere you fucking liar. The crowd I walked out with said, "Hey, where is that boner Knightsong? Eh, anyway, that flick rocked!".
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Saw it on Tuesday, one of the best horror flicks I've seen in a while. I do agree that once the monsters show up, it takes a different tone, but it's fun none the less.
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Buffalo500 win an award.
Only a world class dipshit could bring liberal whining and political nonsense into a talk-back about a film that features bat-boy type creatures trying to kill and eat a group of women cave explorers.
Way to go, asswipe! -
What about this film had you expecting a "mind fuck" of a movie? Not one trailer, ad or review compared it to anything remotely resembling Jacob's Ladder. Alien maybe but definately not Jacob's. It's not a psychological horror film, it's just straight up horror. Blood, gore and dark ass caves. Fun! To anyone reading this forget that review and go see. Support good horror.
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Something has really been bothering me about the poster, which I see on my commute daily, so it drives me extra insane. Where does that extra pair of feet that make up the skull's teeth come from? I guess they have to belong to that girl at the top who is screaming. Is she screaming because her legs have been grotesquely elongated? Is she screaming because her feet are on the other side of an interdimensional vortex and then passed back into our dimension a few feet away?
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As a Saturday night Sci-Fi Channel flick.
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And I really, really enjoyed it. This is how to do a horror film. Hostel, Wolf Creek, all of that type of horror getting shoved at us lately are not horror films, it's someone getting tortured, and sure, that may be scary, just the presence of mass amounts of blood and screaming does not make it a horror film. This is quickly becoming it's own genre of torture-horror, or something to that effect, and this film, is definitley not that. Now, I just learned about the different ending, and although the UK one is neat, I actually may prefer the US one. At the end of this movie, Sarah is a completely different person. The way she acts at the end made me think that these monsters WERE humans at some point, because she acts exactly the same as they do. When they fight, she bites, she gouges, she is barely human anymore, and had she been left in a cave for months, her vision would eventually go too, she would have no need to talk, or her voice would be worn out from screaming, and I think she essentially would be one of those things. I honestly half expected her to stay in the cave due to her "transformation", and that, to me, was interesting. I was happy to see her escape though, and the "ghost" in the car simply showed that she could have saved someone, but chose to not only not help them, but cripple them in trying to escape, and yeah, that carries baggage, and it will take a lot to recover from. I guess the UK ending also works, I'm just glad it didn't end with that truck behind her hitting her and killing her. What are your thoughts on all of this? Do I have some merit? PS: Saw Miami Vice after this, and what a terrible movie that was, never have I been so bored and uninterested in a movie.
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That is a very plausible theory to put aside all the others. Some tend to believe that the medication Sarah was taking had some impact on her dementia, etc. I think that everything after the wreck was a dream. In other words, Sarah was simply having a nightmare in which she gains revenge on Juno for having an affair with her husband. The points against Juno gain steadily as the movie progresses.
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What you say also makes sense, and that's what makes a good horror movie, that such things can be debated, and everything isn't blatently obvious.
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I just saw The Descent. I really liked it. It's a B-movie but he gets a lot out of his lean budget and relatively unknown actors - all the women give really good performances. Though I did get a little confused by them because there wasn't a lot of time for characterization - this movie sprints by. It's a lot of fun though, and I found it more entertaining than the big budget flicks that Hollywood rolled out this summer. This movie was half and long but twice as fun as Superman Returns. Though, it's not for everyone due to the gore and the sickness of it all, but I dug it. I'm also a Dog Soldiers fan too. This writer/director, Neil Marshall really knows how to get the most bang for his buck.
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I just read Big_Bubbaloola's account of the UK ending. Damn, that sounds interesting, I hope they put that alternate ending on the US DVD.
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Having seen the US version and now knowing the UK ending I think I agree with DanielKurland and prefer the US one. It's not that the US one is truly an "upbeat happy" ending like some people are trying to paint it as. The US ending seems painted in shades of grey. Sure, *SPOILERS* Sarah was able to escape, but at what cost? All her friends are dead and she lowers herself to Juno's level by crippling her and pretty much sentencing her to death. Yes, Juno had to pay for her sins (she's the real "villain" of the picture due to her selfishness) but Sarah meters out the ultimate punishment. She'll have to live with a lifetime of horrible feelings and guilt.
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Ive been in love with Dog Soldiers for about a year now and since I heard of The Descent ive been waiting for the DvD {Like DS}.Luckly I just got back from the theatre and man the descent fucken kicked ass bigtime.FINALLY A REAL HORROR FILM.Of coarse all the trailers for all the wood bees like Texas chainsaw beggining and Saw 3 were shown, hell even the mark walberg disney flick trailer was there,talk about a great time.I think they should show all disney trailers infront of all real horror films.So whens the next one?...ooh 10 years from now,well ok.
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Just got back from this and it was pretty much the scariest new horror movie I've seen in years. Also, there were some loud guys in the theatre, someone in the back shouted "Man, shut up!" and then the loud guys GOT UP to go see who had yelled at them. Looked for second like there was gonna be a throwdown in the aisle. Awesome . . . And yeah, I think I woulda liked the bleaker ending of the UK version. This one was just kinda like, "huh?"
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Interesting to read about the different UK ending, I'll have to see it for myself. I liked the movie, quality scares and violence, definitely one of the best of the genre in quite some time. Never saw Dog Soldiers, although I remember seeing the previews for it on Sci-Fi a long time ago, looked kinda strange. Regardless, this bitch probably gave me permanent claw marks on my right arm from freaking the fuck out a couple times.
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for that dizzying shot near the end with the woman hanging from the ceiling while the creeper crawls across the ceiling. Had me holding my breath, had be disoriented, and had me a bti queasy all at the same time: #1 best shot in a movie I've seen this year. Seriously, I loved this movie to an absurd degree.
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In response to: "Why do American versions of films have to have upbeat endings?" It's not so much about having to have upbeat/happy films. It's about having to have justice. Americans, above all else, want to see justice served in our movies, but also in life. This desire is much much stronger (on the whole) than it is in other countries. Our want and need for justice, to see those that do wrong brought to their end, is so strong that if a basic sense of justice (like at least one woman in "The Descent" living to see another day) is not satisfied, then we probably won't like the film. The filmmakers understood this, and changed the ending accordingly.
A strong sense of justice, a need and craving for justice is very deeply engrained in every American, from childbirth all the way to adulthood. We're unlike our European counterparts in that most of us do not subscribe to a cynical/nihilistic worldview in which life sucks, evil always wins and trying to fight it is useless. Most Americans are very passionate about justice being delivered to all to the point where we need to see it reflected in our art as well. If it is not, if evil wins in the end, it usually triggers a reaction of anger, rather than sadness/nihilism. Sadness/nihilism is what the filmmakers probably wanted as an end reaction for "The Descent," not anger. This is why the ending was changed, because rather than invoking anger among American audiences (and as a result, avoid negative reviews), they wanted to invoke a sad sense of bleakness - the best way to achieve this was to have all but one woman slaughtered. The basic need for justice is met in that one woman survives, but at the same time a bleak and depressing emotion is brought forth in the realization that 5 others died horribly, and the last woman is scarred for life. Just my 2 cents. -
"It's about having to have justice. Americans, above all else, want to see justice served in our movies, but also in life. This desire is much much stronger (on the whole) than it is in other countries." ---------- What? Are you forreal? You think that's a peculiarity among the american people, desire for justice? EVERYBODY WANTS JUSTICE, EVERYWHERE!!! No, it's not peculiar to americans, nor are you just to ones that want it more then others. Not at all. and besides, let us remind here of what you might think is the concept of justice. Wanting villains killed horribly and cut to pieces in the end is justice? Or is it gleefull vengence? Justice and vengence is not the same thing, you know? True justice in mvoies would be for the villains to get caught, be tried and sensented at a cout of law and incarcerated for their crimes comited. Having them whacked and killed in the end is vengence. So no, the americanmovie audiences problem with wanting to shove those so called Happy Endings in movies is because the bog majority of you simply are too used to see them in your movies, and you are hooked to them to such a degree you just have to have them, regardless if it serves tyhe story or not. Also, among the american audiences, you have this monoblock idea that movies are, well, you clal them "entertainment", though it's a terrible misuse of the word. In fact, you want your movies to be substitutes for reality, as in, pieces of wild fantasies with the most superficial connection with reality. There's other audiences that take a different approach to movie and stories, considering them more as catharsis. This means that the story will connect with the deeper feras or problems, and will not show easy solutions, and even have unhappy endings. This means you will transfer your regreats and pains unto the story, connect closer to it and thus you will have the same feeling as "others know what i feel and pass through life", and thus, there's a release. In american movies, it's escapism, meaning, after the movie ends, things are the still the same. which i mean, then why even bother spending money if there's no change at all? If you ask me, the cathartic movies are into something, while escapist wild reality escaping fantasies are just cash cows to serve a public that forgot to be sophisticated about their entertainment.
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...of what I was talking about as far as being consumed with a cynical and nihilistic worldview. Deny it all you like, the average American is far less cynical/nihilistic than your average European. Another reason the ending was changed. And if you call the US ending to "The Descent" anything even remotely resembling a "happy ending," then I don't even want to imagine what kind of fucked up, screwy ending your idea of an "unhappy ending" is. You have issues.
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Its not just about having "justice" its also about having to be "cheesy". By and large the average American doesnt appreciate the art medium (movies, music) for its true value but by its superficial "this is cool, everyone else likes it so it must be good" value. Heres another review of it and other cool movies. Politically incorrect and entertaining articles. http://tinyurl.com/pv8do
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It's nothing at all about people in the world being more cynical then the "pure minded and justice hungry americans". If anything, it shows that americans ar,e by and large, the most indulged in cynicism, when your so called moral leaders claim to be christians and then are too hungry to go to war, even when thetre's no good solid reason for it. You need to realsie, americans ar enot different from toehr people except the things you wishe you are but aren't. Except for this small things like: 1) your utter desire to see things black or white, good or evil, happy or unhappy. It's maniqueism of a high order that in this day and age goes beyond naive, it's downright insane. That's now how the world and life is at all. Art, entertainment, they are extentions and reflectiosn of our oworld. If they do not reflect them,then they serve no other poopose then to fill the pockets of CYNICAL hollywood producers that throw sugary poison to naive minds. That is not right nor proper. anmd if in this time and age entertainment and art needsto be thougher so to deal with the problems we have having now, so be it. This is not easy times we are living,so nor shoulsd enetertainment should deliver easy fixes. To do so is ireresponsible to the extreme, and to hunger for such is naive and dangerous. but mroe importantly, it shows a remarkable and problematic tendency in USA for a divorce from social responsability and to stare only to their own belly button. fundamentalist christianism religions proves just, that some people are too preocupied and obsessed with personal salvation and screw the country and the world. It's just a simpton of a general maliaise in USa society that is gettign out of control. the paradox of a people that at the same time sings the praise of their armed forces but don't want to pay the taxes that support them, that comaplins about crime but wants more guns in the hands of civilians, forgettignt hat civilians having guns in their hands is what is the problem. and such things. And your entertainment reflects this, a desire to divorce from reality at whatever costs. you don't want to face the world, you want to turn your back on it for 2 hours while munching overpriced soda and stale popcorns. Remind me again why i would think there's nothing not wrong with that scenario, again? The deal is, art and entertainment are reflections of the world we live in, not escapatories for minds that don't desire to live in it. Cynicism, i see it in those that provide easy solutions and those that are eager for it. To aknowledge that the world is much more complicated then that, to tell storeis accordinly and to want to see them that's not cynicism, that's maturity.
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the tagline on the ad in the paper was 'best horror-thriller since alien (joblo.com)'. so i'll pass. also whats with all the fucking plant user comments? plant review wasnt enough? (hint, try talking about any particular scene or the music or really anything that wont be found on a generic plot summary). also this movie sounds a lot like that BOMB 'the cave' that came out around the same time.
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plenty of individual scenes I loved (the one I mentioned above, for instance) but seeing as how this one is best left unspoiled I don't wanna go into detail. It's just nice to have a horror movie that's actually good for a change.
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so, i know they make it obvious, and i can put 2 and 2 together, but do they ever actually address that juno was having an affair with the main girls hsband, or are you just to assume that?
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The new ending is not happy per se but is softer and less harsh than the original where she doesnt get away at all - th efact remains that studios want cop out endings because they think they sell more tickets - BRING BACK THE 70S!!!
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It is strongly hinted that Juno was seeing the husband - this is another step in Sarah's descent into madness
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*SPOILER* When was that hinted at? I completely missed it. It sort of diminishes the ending for me. I like it better that she snaps and kills Juno out of vengeance for leaving the friend behind, for general trauma from the deaths of the husband and daughter, and for her descent into homicidal rage triggered by all the monsters she must kill. *SPOILER*
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...in this case isn't happier, and might even be more depressing. Sarah is severely fucked in the head. That's less happy than having her put out of her misery in the cave. If the monsters had gotten her, her fate would be no different than Juno's. I thought that was a rewarding aspect of the arc to have Sarah survive and Juno not. The irony was that when the movie started, I assumed Sarah had survivor written all over, but I thought it was going to be more along the lines of her having escaped and found some sort of redemption or catharsis from her initial trauma - the route of many horror movies - with Juno getting her comeuppance. That would have been lame. Instead Sarah's survival was twisted and narratively satisyfing.
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Loved it, tight, scary movie! Would have liked to have seen less of the monsters for a while longer, but once they come out it was just relentless!
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something no one is mentioning about the original ending, is that after sarah woke up from her 'dream' and shes in the cave, she has one last halucination about her daughter, and it makes her happy, and she still smiling as the camera pans away from her and she (obviously) dies. i think thats much happier than her living with every one shes ever cared for dead, and having to deal with the fear and trauma of that experience, not to mention the fact that shes a murderer, for the rest of her life. you can see the original ending here..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wP7zx8ecqY -
Hey Little Boys, Girls, and Michael Jackson.... EvIL here..and I just got back watch..maybe the most hard core horror movie...I have seen in years. I have seen thousands of Horror movies in theaters ... and they all follow the same formula.. A couple of teens do some soft core fucking...then minutes later they die.. Slice to the throat... Knife through the eye...they all fucking die. A bunch of 30 year old high schoolers that we cant give a fuck about (Hollywood does not care about developing characters in Horror Films...please see The Fog, See no Evil, House of Wax and a hundred other shit filcks to know what I mean)...get picked off one by one.. Untill there is one Female alive and the movie is over.... The pop rock soundtrack hits and the movie ends (Man that "Cry Wolf" movie formula was awesome).. Well it took a movie from the United Kingdom..to finally throw all that shit I mentioned above out the fucking window..
The Descent is a hard core fucking movie.. If your a punk mother fucker..and you want to get close to a future girlfriend on the first date.. And have her holding you tight.. And squirming in your pants.. And maybe get a nice touch of the Titty while your at it... Then be her knight in shine-ing armor..as she will be to scared to fall asleep alone.. And will need your man-lee-ness at her side... All on the first fucking date... Then this is your movie.. That girl will hold you so tight ... You will have claw marks all over your body.. I didn't get to try this theory out because... I'm a fucking loser right now at this moment, because I'm single.. But cry me a fucking river Justin Timberlake who cares about that.. Becuase I saw 50 other couples in the theater holding each other more tighter then Star Jones holding a Twinkie.. But be warned all the dudes out there... If your a sissy fag Lance Bass of a bitch of a man... You will scream like a little girl all through out the movie.... And that first date..will walk away from you so fast.. A second date will be out of the question... And hopefully that girl see's me in the lobby ... A real man and starts making out with me..right in front of your loser ass... and maybe you might...just might get turned on by that shit...because your a twisted motherfuc...............Oh wait.. Im getting carried away again..back to the review..
Well in the Descent.. You have 5 lovely ladies that we actually give a damn about. The first 15 minutes of the movie is used as character development... The lead character has experienced the loss of her husband and daughter after a boating trip with a couple of friends.. But like transformers there is more than meets the eye.. Because one of her best friends had a little thing for her husband.. A year latter the women is a mess.. But is trying to get her life back.. The 5 girls go off on a little adveture trip to clear the mind and soul.. No sex happens... But the ladies get lost in a cave... A cave that is unmarked and uncharted... Dum dum dum !!!! The path way that they used to enter the cave gets blocked off...by a mini cave in, and they try to find another way out...
That could of been the movie right there... But then we throw some creatures with a hunger for blood into the mix... What follows is pure horror at its best.. The way I would describe this movie is Pitch Black mixed with Aliens.. The whole movie is mostly in the dark.. With the only light source coming from what the girls have.. That being flash lights and flares.. Since everything is pitch black.. A creature could be standing right next to them, but since they are not lighting that area with there lights..you cant see the creature until its to late.. The creatures can not see.. They can only hear... So if the ladies stay still and not make a sound.. The creature will walk right past them without knowing there even there... Since there is not really any soundtrack to this movie... The whole theater will be quite as these ladies run through the dark............THEN BAM !!!! A quick fast attack of death, blood, gore, and guts.... Very well done I might add.. I would imagine that is what sex with Paris Hilton would be like.. One of her infected Herpies would bust open...and then a gush of blood would over take you....while she is on top of you...
This movie is hard fucking core.. Its like walking through a Haunted House at Horror Nights and a monster jumps out at every turn.. Well done...Well done... And all through this the ladies build a distrust for each other..and it becomes survival of the fitest...
So this movie is great... Go see it in a theater with a large audience and watch the pussies in the theater scream for their mommy !!! This movie plus Ricky Bobby was movie heaven this week.. Two really good films...
Have a Bloody good time bitches..
EvIL -
Am I the only one who can't get the image of her stretching out of my head. Damn.
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I agree, that we saw too much of the monsters. I would have liked it better if the gals started getting picked off before they even realized they weren't alone. I also think Juno should have been portrayed as a MUCH bigger antagonist to have deserved getting crippled so she couldn't escape death. I mean, if she had immediately broke down blubbering and admitting to accidentally killing the other girl, would she have been forgiven? All that aside, I thought this was a kick ass horror film. Really raised my hopes as a horror fan. If you don't think this is the best horror-thriller since Alien, The Thing, & Aliens, I'd like you to tell me what is.
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I have to say that I now believe this film to be the greatest British horror film for decades and probably one of the best horror films of recent years full-stop. I much preferred it to the over-rated and formulaic Hostel. The first time I saw it my nerves were in shreds long before the monsters put in an appearance. All that crawling around dark enclosed spaces seriously freaks me out. And then of course the crawlers put in an appearance and I spent the rest of the film with my fingers in my ears (its' what I do during scary films, don
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Saw Descent last night and loved it! I am usually too scared to see horror movies but I just had to go and see this movie. I didn
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Or is the website broken?
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Now that's how a horror movie is made....
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