'The Decent' Delivers: Best Horror Film for 2006
Written: Aug 21 '06 (Updated Aug 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Execution of scenes, movie pace, above average acting for horror film, girl power, no sex
Cons: Brit accents make difficult to understand, Possible sequel
The Bottom Line: This movie again proves that less is more. No internet hype. No fancy review blurbs. Minimal special effects. Art house budget delivers! Forget Snakes on a Plane or Lara Croft!
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| garethusa's Full Review: The Descent |
Production notes:
Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
USA Release Date: August 4, 2006
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence/gore and language
Genre: Art/Foreign and Suspense/Horror
USA Distributor: Lionsgate
Filmed Locations: Scotland
Produced in: United Kingdom
Also Known As: The Dark (in other countries)
Best Place to Watch: Dark and Quiet Theater to assimilate that you are in the cave too.......best on big screen as on TV it won't do much justice.
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I don't understand how movies like 'Snakes on a Plane' or 'Lady in the Water' or the horrible 'Hostel' get all the advanced hype and buzz but yet, a much better executed movie with 'bite' gets a quiet reception.
Judging from the trailers, I was definitely questioning the caliber of the movie 'The Decent'. It looked like a fly by night, cheap horror flick that would make you regret spending your good earned cash on the ticket, popcorn, nachos, and soda!!!!
However, my friend who enjoys horror flicks as much as I do, pressed me to watch it without giving everything away. And well, I trust my friend. So I went and pluncked down my money to watch this movie.
Mind you, all I knew was that it had women trapped in a cave and something evil would be waiting down there for them.
I got much more entertainment value out of my dollar in a long time from watching this horror movie. Not only is this a horror movie, this film exploits girl power to the infinity in a very positive way. No SEX! No Naked Women! No Stupid Macho Men! This is a SMART and EXCELLENT horror flick without the stupid AMERICAN formula.
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A bit about the film without giving the goodies away:
The great thing about this film is the momentum of the scenes. You get something happening every five minutes. This keeps your mind working and your interesting flowing. Whether it be surprise adrenaline-rushed jump out of your seat moments or the cool cave exploration sequences, the story is about a group of six girlfriends, diehard wilderness thrillseekers, who gather in the mountains for a cave exploration weekend.
Before the exploration trip though, you get a glimpse of a tragic incident one year earlier that affects the main character Sarah during a harsh yet fun water rafting trip.
As the six girlfriends find themselves trapped in a cave, they pull themselves together and are determined to find their way out. Through intense physical manuevers, the women get deeper and deeper into the cave without getting closer to an exit. Sarah begins to hear noises and ends up discovering that she and her friends are not alone down there.
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I really enjoyed this movie because for the most part, everything felt real. There was minimal special effects and all the rock climbing, cave exploration, and fight sequences were professionally choreographed yet didn't seem calculated or fake.
Sure, what you find down there in terms of threat is nothing spectacular but it is a perfect match for a set of women to attempt to overcome.
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I wasn't paying too much attention or simply, I just didn't catch a subplot but I certainly didn't need it to enjoy the movie. Being subjected to deal with the underlying issue firsthand earlier this year, I must have subconsciously blocked it from my mind. But nonetheless, it explains why Sarah and Juno have conflict.
I also thought this was an American film but quickly, you realize that you have to adjust to hearing lots of brit accent that flies over your ears so fast you wish you had a slowdown button to catch what was being said sometimes.
******
Give me the type of girl power of 'The Decent' any day over Lara Croft or the Spice Girls! And give me the intelligent level of this horror movie in future horror films: substance not sex.
Take Aliens and Wrong Turn and you get a fun, scary, and fresh twist that was needed in this horror genre since 28 Days.
Great cast of nobodies. Definitely agree that Natalie Mendoza (Juno) gets great props with honorable mention to Shauna MacDonald (Sarah).
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Scary Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
garethusa
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Location: Washington, DC USA
Reviews written: 84
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
Meeting planner; enjoy yoga, jogging, writing, music, cats, travel and cooking/eating :-)
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