The Descent [From The Writer/Director of Dog Soldiers]

[RegularKarate]

Can't scare the tin-man

[w/o horse]

I saw the movie with a friend who must be like The Gold Trumpet.  If it hadn't been for his smug laughing during the first half I would have enjoyed the experience more I am sure, though he rightfully had his ass kicked in the second half.

As for the movie, I did think the caves were an admirable selection and the all female cast was a good decision.  I had seen Dog Soldiers and got more of the same - great horror movie based action.  Marshall talks like he wants to do straight up horror, but high concept violence is clearly his strong suit.

[samsong]

ADMIN WARNING: SPOILERS

it's pretty scary but i think it has a lot to do with the fact that i really, really wanted to be scared.  conventional plot and character development are the enemy of this genre and marshall shoots himself in the foot by going through the motions of doing those things like an obedient (and stupid) golden retriever jumping through brightly colored hoola hoops (my rottentomatoes.com quote).  it's also a problem that he doesn't seem to know what he wants the film to be about/what he wants to say despite his ability to create some effective horror scenes.  does he want to scare us or make female empowerment propoganda?  there's also a weak "study" of the way we deal with trauma, and yes a film can be many things at once but this one seems to be compartmentalized in its conception.  if it wasn't it certainly shows in its execution.  i wanted to rape and/or beat every single one of the women in the film.  the monsters were pretty scary at first but when the one girl starts to study one of them and says that they're blind but are "completely evolved" to live in the dark in the same breath, i was done.  a bad movie but a good time.

[meatball]

i really, really wanted to be scared.

i wanted to rape and/or beat ever single one of the women in the film.

a bad movie but a good time.

This is how I felt about You, Me and Dupree.

[RegularKarate]

he doesn't seem to know what he wants the film to be about/what he wants to say

I think it's obvious he DOES know what he wants the film to be about, it's a pretty straight forward film.. what were you trying to read into? 

i wanted to rape and/or beat every single one of the women in the film. 

You have some fucked up issues... seriously.

a bad movie but a good time.

you overcomplicate everything... that's why this movie didn't like you.

[nix]

Apart from the rape comment, I agree with samsong.

Nice moments (most notably the violent ones), but overall it was unsuccessful.

The first half deserved to be laughed at.

My girlfriend clung to me until I couldn't feel my left arm anymore, so it was effectively frightening for her I guess, but as for me... ah fuck, I'm a poor judge I suppose. Too desensitized.

[pete]

since when did samsong turn into richard roeper?

[samsong]

got me again, pete!  keep them coming.

[gob]

I enjoyed Dog Soldiers; its laddish humour, gory action and endearing comical characters.

The Descent is a different beast altogether. It's a piece of well crafted, truly visceral cinema.
Although I was already savvy of the film's surprise this did not spoil it for me and since I held back from telling my friend who watched it with me I was able to enjoy his reactions as the madness unfolded.

Much has been said of the film's all female cast. Whilst there is clearly subtext, which I think enhances the film, I think it's silly to read into it all too much and get caught up in it. If the film had an all male cast no one would bat an eyelid. Although it could've got messy if Marshall kept going with the Deliverance references (as seen near the beginning) as the film went on... 'Squeal piggy, Sq...'

For those of you wishing to see the fully realised, sexually symbolic version of the film I refer you to Pedro Almodovar's upcoming remake "El Pendiente Peligroso" in which a troupe of transvestive singer/dancers from Barcelona go on a trip to the Spanish countryside to enjoy a sporty break with some caving...

Seriously though, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Plus I think the UK ending is superior to the American and applauded it thoroughly as a brave way to end the film.

[GodDamnImDaMan]

Albino cave creatures really float my boat.

[MacGuffin]

Descent DVD News
The forthcoming set features an alternate ending and more.

Those who saw The Descent in U.S. theaters missed out on a few minutes that were cut from the original version screened overseas. Now, American audiences will have a chance to find out how the film ended for the rest of the world. The film's star, Shauna Macdonald, was on hand at the Fuse Fangoria Chainsaw Awards last Sunday, where she was nominated in the category of "Chick You Least Want to Mess With." She talked about the upcoming DVD of the film, set for release Dec. 26.

"It's not so much that it was changed, it was just cut earlier," Macdonald says of the controversial editing decision. "So the British ending is an extra bit of the film just going on. And you just get more of an idea of what happened to Sarah. It's great to see the two endings."

Macdonald also cautions consumers to read the packaging carefully, because not all versions of the release will have both endings. "You've got to keep an eye out because I have been informed that some DVDs do not have the ending, so just make sure you read the back before you buy to make sure you get the one with the other ending.

According to Macdonald, the DVD will also include cast and crew commentary, photos, behind-the-scenes documentary and outtakes. She says that the film's director, Neil Marshall, was very involved in putting the release together. "[There's] lots of stuff from Neil," she says. "Neil's a bit of a genius. I mean, he does tell us some of his secrets, so it's great. And stuff from the art department as well, that created these caves. People think we were in caves, but we weren't. We were on these polystyrene sort of floats. I love that people say they're more scared of the cave then they of the monsters."

So does the film's claustrophobic atmosphere work as well on the small screen as it does in theaters? "I think it does," Macdonald says. "I think you've just got to make sure all the lights are out and just don't get frustrated because actually in the cinema you can't see a lot, so don't think it's your television. You're not supposed to see a lot. You're supposed to listen and just absorb it."

According to a recent press release issued by Lionsgate, the DVDs will tentatively feature the following content:

Theatrical/ Rated R Cut

Commentary with Director and Cast

Unrated Extended Cut

Commentary with Director and Crew
Commentary with Director and Cast
"Making of" The Descent
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Storyboard and Scene Comparison
Still Gallery
Cast and Crew Bios
Outtakes
New Neil Marshall Interview - DesENDING (UK vs. US ending)

BLU RAY 50 Theatrical/ Rated R Default Unrated Extended Cut Option - Seamless Branching

Commentary with Director and Crew
Commentary with Director and Cas
"Making of" The Descent
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Storyboard and Scene ComparisonStill Gallery
Cast and Crew Bios
Outtakes
New Neil Marshall Interview - DesENDING (UK vs. US ending)
Spelunking New Featurette
Picture in Picture New Interactive Commentaries- Director and Crew, Director and Cast

[modage]

i love that they're punishing anyone who wants a fullscreen copy by taking off all the extras.  unfortunately the Blockbuster Videos who this should affect seeing as the whole reason for needing an R rating on video is theirs, will surely stock the UNRATED copies and hang big posters in their hypocrit windows.

[Ravi]

The fullscreen cover is so much better.

[polkablues]

The fullscreen cover is so much better.

And ironic, since the people who would buy the fullscreen version are the exact people who would completely miss the Dali reference.

[Mesh]

This movie is silly. Was I supposed to be scared? Really? Every year I get duped to see one of these movies. Critical buzz gets me curious to think maybe the new horror film can transcend its genre. Each time I am more and more dissapointed. This film, yes, is the worst one so far.

There are so many problems. First, the film has no pyschological aura to its horror.

Dude, they're trapped in a damn cave with no map in the middle of nowhere.  Exactly the same psychological horror as Blair Witch.

Second, the monsters have nothing unique to them that is terrifying. They are disguting but they are also blind and vulnerable.

That's what makes them terrifying.  They're like what the human girls in the cave might become if they never get out.  They present as the results of human in-cave evolution gone horribly wrong.  And that is additional psychological horror for the principals.

the monsters were pretty scary at first but when the one girl starts to study one of them and says that they're blind but are "completely evolved" to live in the dark in the same breath, i was done.

Blindness isn't uncommon among cave-dwelling fauna, bro.


admin edit: made two posts into one