Search - The Descent (Original Unrated Cut) [Widescreen Edition] on DVD

Craig S. (InnerMacro) from WAUSAU, WI
Reviewed on 8/26/2023...

A group of outdoor enthusiasts a duped into exploring an uncharted cave by one of the friends. Of course, a mutant offshoot of humanity (adapted to living in complete darkness) exists in these caves and the hunt begins...
It's really tough to make a movie about being in complete darkness, because the viewer can't see anything of course. As such the lighting is poor through much of the movie, and when it's present, the viewer wonders where the light is coming from. The Descent tries to use the lighting to its advantage, and for the most part, it works adequately. My rating gives extra credit for even attempting to make a movie such as this with the aforementioned difficulties. There are several instances where the mutants seemingly cannot feel heat, detect breathing, etc, even when right next to these sources. Seems unlikely for creatures that surely would have highly developed senses to compensate for lack of sight. The fact that the character of Sarah goes from being a psychological mess to a trained combat killer with a climbing pick in the span of 30 minutes is another issue with the film. For that matter, all of the women seem to be trained in Ju Jitsu or something given their ability to ground fight sizably muscled, feral creatures with claws and fangs that can eviscerate throats and bowels with a single slash. In many instances, they are surprised from behind by multiple creatures and somehow manage to kill these creatures with minor abrasions. This is perfectly fine, but if they have these capabilities, then why they don't just hole up in a choke point and systematically start extermination of these creatures? - better than letting them hound you through endless tunnels.
The ending is tricky, but better than many options the writer could have tried.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Robert S. from ORLANDO, FL
Reviewed on 10/13/2013...

One of my all time favorite movies.

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Ron T.
Reviewed on 8/12/2013...

Great thriller with hot babes!

1 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Lorilea G. (lorilea) from FREDERICKSBRG, VA
Reviewed on 5/4/2012...

Movies these days just arent scary anymore. Im finding it harder and harder to find a movie that is actually scary. This movie had great reviews, from other people who also said they had a hard time finding good horror films. So I ordered it, all excited to see a great scary movie. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME. This was one of the dumbest "scary" movies I have ever seen. I didnt even want to finish it, but I did, just to make sure it was as dumb as I thought it was. And it was. And the accents got on my nerves. The cover of the movie was scarier than the actual movie.

4 of 7 member(s) found this review helpful.

It could have been so much better than what it was.

Brian Nallick | Mpls, MN | 10/09/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I really went into this movie with an open mind.
All I knew was a group of women go into a cave and encounter nasty creatures.
With that in mind I was ready for the usual "people running away from the monster" movie.
On that premise, the movie succeeds.
I guess what really bothers me is this...

Here was the good.
Great acting.
Good score.
Decent pacing, decent direction.
The claustrophobic feeling the cave gives off is genuinely terrifying.
The Descent really reminded me of another movie called Pitch Black.
From the claustrophobia to the extreme color pallet used by the director, this movie had quite a few things in common with "Pitch".

....and then we come to....the monsters.


The bad.
The directors had a classic on their hands with this movie but when the monsters show up it really ruined the movie in my opinion.
They just weren't needed.
I know a lot of people don't like the "shaky cam" genre. (Blair Witch, Cloverfield etc...)
But that feel would have worked wonders here.
The cramped caves would have benefited greatly from some handheld camera work.
I guess the reason the monsters weren't even needed was because the group goes down a cave.
They get stuck, people get hurt, they have to try and find a way out.
This movie had the start to what could have been an incredible thriller but instead dissolved into a generic monster movie.
When will Hollywood ever learn that the hidden horrors of the subconscious are scarier than any goofy monster they can come up with.
This movie could have been an incredible "survivalist" type of movie but the monster aspect just ruins it.

I don't know what version people saw in the theater but I rented the directors cut version of the movie.
I believe the endings are different but the one I saw was very much in the vein of "The Mist".
Beyond that I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Do I recommend a rental?
Hmmm.....I'm on the fence with this one.
Are you looking for a good monster movie with above average acting and deliberately slow pacing?
Then yes, a rental is recommended.
If you're like me and can't help but think how incredible this film would have been had the directors simply gone down a more "reality" based path then I have to say skip this one.
It's rather depressing when a film has so much potential and it's simply wasted by Hollywood looking to pump out another run of the mill horror movie."