The Descent is a little Alien, some Predator, and quite an amount of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The story involves a group of cave explorers' journey through a deep cave, two miles underground. They don't necessarily make a great team-they seem unplanned, and we would go on to the third act, and figure out that they lack strategy as well. That is when some of the members become badass heroines, joining the bloodfest in the cave, where the unknown lies await.
Simplistic as it is, The Descent offers an excellent atmosphere and very creative moments. The opening shows a shocking event that becomes a minor plot device. The entire first half is a better adventure film than a horror one; the team's first enemy is the landscape. There are lots of "setup" shots showing items that will inevitably appear later. Writer/Director Neil Marshall has an impressive style, especially for some amazingly lighted claustrophobic scenes.
The thing is, these wonderful 50 minutes set my expectation high, that I found the latter half underwhelming. Fake jumpscares are a prominent element in the movie. There is so much of it that the real ones are less effective. The tone makes a 180-degree shift, changing to a lot of gory fights and killings. They should be thrilling experiences, but the problem is I simply can't see what's going on, because: 1. The scenes are extremely dark, which is realistic but unworkable for fight sequences. 2. The team all have the same gear, look, and voice. I have a hard time distinguishing them. 3. The editing makes a shift as well; the cuts are intensely quick, making my eye sore by looking at it for too long.
But The Descent is a sufficient horror movie, because it is so interestingly constructed, and Marshall has great talents. Watching the characters, the situation and the film itself descend into madness is of great fun.
Simplistic as it is, The Descent offers an excellent atmosphere and very creative moments. The opening shows a shocking event that becomes a minor plot device. The entire first half is a better adventure film than a horror one; the team's first enemy is the landscape. There are lots of "setup" shots showing items that will inevitably appear later. Writer/Director Neil Marshall has an impressive style, especially for some amazingly lighted claustrophobic scenes.
The thing is, these wonderful 50 minutes set my expectation high, that I found the latter half underwhelming. Fake jumpscares are a prominent element in the movie. There is so much of it that the real ones are less effective. The tone makes a 180-degree shift, changing to a lot of gory fights and killings. They should be thrilling experiences, but the problem is I simply can't see what's going on, because: 1. The scenes are extremely dark, which is realistic but unworkable for fight sequences. 2. The team all have the same gear, look, and voice. I have a hard time distinguishing them. 3. The editing makes a shift as well; the cuts are intensely quick, making my eye sore by looking at it for too long.
But The Descent is a sufficient horror movie, because it is so interestingly constructed, and Marshall has great talents. Watching the characters, the situation and the film itself descend into madness is of great fun.