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Movies / On DVD / The Descent
The Descent

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The Descent (2006)

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Reviews Counted:159

Fresh:134

Rotten:25

Average Rating:7.3/10

Consensus: Deft direction and strong performances from its all-female cast guide The Descent, a riveting, claustrophobic horror film. In this low-budget import from Scotland, director Neil Marshall has masterfully created a spelunking nightmare, which doubles as a compelling meditation on morality, vengeance, and the depths to which we might go for survival.

Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for strong violence/gore and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:08-07-2005

Synopsis: THE DESCENT is Neil Marshall’s hotly anticipated follow up to his 2002 hit DOG SOLDIERS. Directed by Marshall from his own script, it tells the story of an all-female caving expedition that goes... THE DESCENT is Neil Marshall’s hotly anticipated follow up to his 2002 hit DOG SOLDIERS. Directed by Marshall from his own script, it tells the story of an all-female caving expedition that goes horribly wrong, and stars Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone and Myanna Buring. Set in a cave system deep in the Appalachian Mountains, Marshall describes his film as ‘DELIVERANCE goes underground’. On a daredevil caving holiday, six women friends are unexpectedly trapped underground when a rock fall blocks their exit. Searching the maze of tunnels for a way out, they find themselves hunted by a race of fearless, hungry predators, once humanoid but now monstrously adapted to live in the dark… As the others battle for their lives, Sarah (Macdonald), still recovering from a mental collapse brought on by the recent deaths of her family, is fighting for her sanity. When old secrets are revealed, the friends turn on one another, causing the group to implode. Betrayed and desperate, Sarah realizes that to make it back to the surface, she must become as savage as the creatures themselves. THE DESCENT was filmed on location in Scotland and at Pinewood Studios from December 2004 to February 2005, and was fully financed and produced by Celador Films. Celador’s Paul Smith is executive producer and Christian Colson is producer. The film reunites Marshall with DOG SOLDIERS’ director of photography, Sam McCurdy, and production designer, Simon Bowles. Celador’s previous credits include the Oscar-nominated DIRTY PRETTY THINGS. THE DESCENT movie has already had a hugely successful release both critically and commercially in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. In September, 2005 the film took the top competition prize -- the Méliès d’Argent -- for Euro feature at Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden, and in November, Neil Marshall won Best Director and the film Best Technical Achievement (for the Editing) at the British Independent Films Awards (BIFA's) (THE DESCENT was nominated for Best Film). It has also been nominated for Best British Film, Best British Director and Best British Producer by the London Film Critics Circle (the winners are announced in February), an unheard of achievement for a genre piece. --© Lionsgate Films [More]

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder

Starring: Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone, MyAnna Buring, Oliver Milburn, Molly Kayll

Director: Neil Marshall

Director: Neil Marshall
Producer: Christian Colson
Screenwriter: Neil Marshall
Composer: David Julyan
Studio: Lions Gate Films

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Reviews for The Descent

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101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
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Six weekend warriors on a caving excursion find themselves fighting for their lives in Neil Marshall's harrowing follow-up to his lean, larky werewolf picture Dog Soldiers (2002).

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
08/04/06
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Every theater should come with a sign: Your expectations must be this low to ride.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
08/04/06
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

Working on terrific sets with imaginative lighting effects and cinematography, Marshall creates a palpable sense of claustrophobia and danger well before murderous cave dwellers make their appearance quite a ways into the movie.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
08/04/06
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

This is one of the scariest movies featuring female heroines since the Alien series.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
08/04/06
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

In a genre perceived as exploiting women, The Descent empowers them in the sense that their gender has nothing to do with their plight.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
08/04/06
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The movie is also spooky and atmospheric, has at least three great jolts and an equal number of memorable gross-outs, including what has to be the goriest and most protracted eye-gouging of the year.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
08/04/06
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

One of the more disturbing B-movies to come around in a very long time.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
08/04/06
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

The movie devolves into a conventional man-versus-nature pursuit, further marred by performances just this side of a high-toned porno and the frequently irrational behavior of its characters.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
08/04/06
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

It's weirdly fitting that a movie about going down into the inky depths to face monsters both physical and psychological has actually raised the horror genre to a bright new height.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/04/06
Steve Tilley
Steve Tilley
Jam! Movies

The Descent seems less about female empowerment than female misery. One wonders if Marshall has issues. No males suffer here, just women who, even if they survive, won't ever be the same again.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment 6 Comments
08/04/06
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle

The film redeems itself through the denouement, building on that initial psychological foundation to hint disturbingly at a metaphoric struggle with interior demons.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
08/04/06
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

If you saw last year's Cole Hauser flick The Cave, then imagine it not sucking or skimping, and you've got it.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/04/06
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
E! Online

The Descent is a sharp hammer to the head and a claw to the gut, a blood-drenched creep show that wants to eat you alive. Beware, and bon appetit.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
08/04/06
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

The film has some genuine jolts, and its vivid, scary atmosphere is what sustains the characters when the plot becomes predictable in the final third.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/04/06
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The Descent was better when the women were battling nature and their own demons rather than monsters capable of crawling across ceilings.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
08/04/06
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Finally, a scary movie with teeth, not just blood and entrails -- a savage and gripping piece of work that jangles your nerves without leaving your brain hanging.

Full Review Source: RogerEbert.com | comment Comment
08/04/06
Jim Emerson
Jim Emerson
RogerEbert.com

The Descent may be superior to other recent horror movies but it's all still just surface thrills.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/04/06
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Shlomo Schwartzberg
Boxoffice Magazine

A cult classic is born.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
08/04/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

Sorry, George Lucas, but CGI creatures usually look pretty fake; the crawlers, however, are quite realistic and creepy, especially as they skitter over the walls and roofs of the caves.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/04/06
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic

Unlike the cave in the movie, the plot is certainly not uncharted, and mere technique can't overcome weakness in acting and effects.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
08/04/06
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Descent

June 12, 2009: Neil Marshall in Talks for New Predator? Opens in new window
According to Bloody Disgusting, you'll never guess who's in talks to direct the new "Predator" movie...unless you guess Neil Marshall ("The Descent"). More...

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Does a new collection of webisodes hosted on MySpace and featuring tabloid teen favourites Jamie Dornan and Lois Winstone constitute a revival of the Hammer Horror film? Not so,... More...

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The Doomsday director runs RT through the movies that inspired his cyber-punk vision of a dodgy future. More...

April 03, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Clooney Suits Up For Football Fun
George Clooney, the Mayor McCheese of Hollywood, leaves behind Oscar season and returns to the big screen with lighter fare with the period sports comedy Leatherheads. More...

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