Sunday 13 December 2009

Film Review: THE DESCENT: PART 2 (2009)


Director: Jon Harris
Running time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Watched at the cinema Saturday 12th December 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having seen and quite enjoyed The Descent (2005) I was looking forward to the sequel. I was keen to see how they would move the story on, maybe some background on how the creatures came to evolve in the caves or some kind of scientific expedition. No, neither of these scenarios were considered, it was just a dumb rescue mission story. I should have guessed from the advertising, telling us it is the “Sh*t Scared Film of the Decade!” But I digress, I’ll tell you a bit about the plot and then I’ll tell you what I really think.

At the end of The Descent (2005), one of the characters, Sarah escapes the caves by putting a climbing axe through the leg of Juno to attract the creatures. This film picks up where that one left off with Sarah outside the cave, delirious, and finding a passer-by in a truck. By this time a search and rescue mission has begun, but they are looking in the wrong cave system. Desperate to find the missing party, the sheriff, Vaines, and his deputy, Rios, take Sarah in a catatonic state, back to where a dog has followed her trail and the right caves. With them are a small rescue party, Greg, Cath and Dan. It’s not long before they have their first encounter with the creatures and Sarah begins to remember the events that had preceded. Of course, certain members of the party are taken by the creatures as they get separated from each other. Just as Vaines is being attacked he is rescued by Juno who has survived and is still trying to find a way out. I’ll leave it there; I think that’s enough spoilers for one day!

Some decent cinematography and the creature effects were very well done, but far from the “Sh*t Scared Film of the Decade” I was lead to believe it was. What we basically had was the original film re-made with some of the cavers having the advantage of having been there before. Decent performances from the main cast members, Shauna Macdonald as Sarah, Natalie Jackson Mendoza as Juno, Krysten Cummings as Rios and Gavan O'Herlihy as Vaines. In the end though, I found it pretty disappointing and not one I can particularly recommend.

My score: 4.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1073105/
Official Site: http://www.thedescent2.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3770025241/

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