Greater Toronto Movies

The Descent

The Descent

Score: 8 / 10

Release Date: August 4, 2006
Director: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Studio: Maple Pictures
Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, Molly Kayll
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 99 minutes

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The Descent movie reviews

  • 10

    The Descent

    Wednesday, August 17, 2016 10:23:40 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    PART 3, LAST (scroll down 2 message below for first part and read upwards) you do not scare someone - with ONLY dread, you need higher than that, 'jump' scares are that element that TAKE people by SURPRISE, you need it, you may despise it but it's a reality, to scare you, you need to be startled. The actress are incredible and heightened the fear (they are screaming, emotions and full of tears, you know this could BE YOU in the cave, surviving). , the scares are extremely well made with musical accents (staccato) but the whole movie is almost in surround silence (we only hear the surrounding noise of the cave and women's footsteps echos- frightening), the camera angles are scary confusing and claustrophobic by the tight crawling spaces, the fear is palpable in the women who expect impending doom (death), there is utter viscerality and 'fight to the death' to live. It's a story of pure survival (blood, gore is never just for the sake, they really fight to death and he makes sure we feel the grittiness of the survival. The cave is so foreboding is takes a form of 'character' itself (the shadows sculpt all the nice rock patterns, very detailed and realistic set construction. SIMPLY PUT : THE BEST SUSPENSE THRILLER HORROR/WITH HORROR ELEMENTS SINCE ALIEN 1 AND SHINING, YES, EVEN SHINING OR OR EXORCIST.Congrats Mr.Marshall, please make Descent 3

  • 10

    The Descent

    Wednesday, August 17, 2016 10:20:13 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    PART 2 here you feel on the scene right in the cave - with the women.))), it features all-women cast (new, but not,,but new enough - as spelunkers, very new thus a originality), the creatures (which everyone laughs out as poor man's version of 'ghollum troll' or some other 'fake *ss' ''costume-prosthetics''...great ''prosthetics'', like great '3D CGI', as a tool, have their place and I don't think the 'bareness' of these cave creatures should be so dismissed (''a 'naked dude' with a 'ghollum mask'...nice..very scary.not.''). For me, the first part is a slow build-up, and the best one, I saw this at Fantasia in 2005, it took my breath away (No movie had done this in at least 20 years time, since the first Alien, and this movie is an homage to it also, Mr.Marshall said that he was inspired by these great horror movies such as the terrifying and slow potboiler Alien 1 of Mr.Scott), I remember looking at these women fighting the Cave, fighting themselves (friendships dissolve as they are now - each fending for themselves), fighting death (pure survival), fighting creatures (yeah OK they don't exist - its a 'FICTION' read that word/Calm down with the 'it doesn't make sense/it's stupid and nonsensical brainless movie' accusation and an Excellent at that, but still they are late enough and have a certain degree of 'fitting in', it 'could' be possible (even if some said, these creatures would have evolved outside the cave/left it...not necessarily, they could have evolved Inside), When they face the pits/chasm it's utterly terrifying (to try to cross over and not fall to their death), the cave is so mean and unforgiving. Mr.Marshall uses important elements like coloring palette (he uses red during deadly scenes, green in more danger-free scenes, important red flare lighting and deep shadows blacks darkness to hide the elements and enhance utter fear) scares (great) hate the 'jumpscare' 'boo! a flying cat!' categorization..you do not scare someone

  • 10

    The Descent

    Wednesday, August 17, 2016 10:15:44 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    Hi ! This movie is pure excellence, unlike the 'it's pure garbage' that I am reading from people whom did not like it at all. I will respect others opinions and if they fell it's an utter poss and it's 'the worst film I ever saw in my life.. With that said. So back to my feelings on this. I really can't understand people, I just don't...I'll try... I know it is not a movie that tries to be Oscar-worthy with deep layers of morality (there is some in this movie) around a dramatic story. For horror ones (I despise this term I prefer thriller/suspense with horror elements, I know this is high categorizing which I don't like either, since it's pigeon holing, The audience also forgets that there are over 50,000 movies, it's 'normal' At some point, things can look similar when there are so many movies. ..so please cut some slack and be considerate of how hard it is to make a movie. So with that, further, said. I want to say this movies is pure excellence because it hits the right notes : claustrophobia (some don't like that, hence hate the movie..understandable, still this element raises the movies scare factor), darkness (extremely important to increase the psychological factor (who is isn't afraid of utter darkness - stuck in a cave?), extremely impressive soundtrack and aural experience (the sound designers made sure there is reverberation and 'cave echo' everywhere in the movie (unlike in Descent 2, which is more flat sonic-ally and greatly affects the viewers spatial situations effect (trapped in a silent cave where every surround sound is heard in echo 3D surround sound fashion. In fact, The Descent boasts an incredible 7.1 channels instead of regular 5.1 (still great), the difference is massive, you hear creatures behind you, (side left, side right) everywhere this level of 3D surround sound 'envelopping/engulfing' effect is not heard of in other horror movies, where you feel more a passive eye, here you feel on the scene right in the cav

  • 2

    The Descent

    Wednesday, May 6, 2009 8:46:05 AM | (Age Not Specified)

    This movie was a piece of garbage. Best horror movie to come out of USA? WRONG!I think it's cute when people with no taste post pathetic comments. I yawned through the whole thing. The Cave was just as bad as this film.

  • The Descent

    Thursday, January 31, 2008 9:48:26 AM | (Age Not Specified)

    My favorite Horror film to have come out...

  • The Descent

    Wednesday, January 30, 2008 4:16:18 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    Scary and brilliantly done.. One of the pure modern horror flicks!!!

  • The Descent

    Monday, January 28, 2008 10:03:45 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    Awesome film,"Gory,depth story-line, and scary." The best Horror film to have ever come out,"PERIOD."

  • The Descent

    Monday, January 28, 2008 4:54:26 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    The best cave-horror film to come out.. Better then the cave and cavern in those flicks was just a about monster and killing.. But The descent is more then monster and killing it has a story behind it and characters that you grow to care about is descending to the dark.. It has a claustrophobic feeling which keeps you on the edge of your seat.. I was really amazed with this one the best horror flick in 2006 and it set a bar really high for other horror flicks!

  • The Descent

    Monday, January 28, 2008 4:49:25 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    Masterpiece, this definitely set the bar high for these modern horror flicks!

  • The Descent

    Sunday, January 27, 2008 9:22:28 PM | (Age Not Specified)

    Awesome the best horror film to come out in 2006