Yeah, ok...so there isn't much here that will make you a better person, a more valuable part of the society of humans, or redeem the 99 minutes it will take you to watch it. But, it is scary. Picture "Alien" down in a dark cave with six women, one of whom is a lying, cheating, controlling, manipulative, plotting kind of girl. The strong fear factor here is that it is sooooo dark. Often, the screen is black, or just one point of light. The technique makes us feel the frustration of needing to see but being unable to do so. One thing they could have done better is that at one point we weren't sure if one of the girls DID see something or if she was hallucinating...but this only lasted for about a minute and we were sure. Like Joelle mentioned in her review of "Rosemary's Baby" we are scared by the dark potential of our own imaginations and if this is portrayed in a movie it makes us scared. The Descent should have emphasized this more. Where would my mind go if I were trapped in a stifling, dark, confining atmosphere and have just found out that this cave has not been "named" (which, in the spelunking nomenclature, means no one has come out alive to name it)? Would I stay rational? Or would my imagination take me to depths farther and darker than the cave itself?
You see, Betcinda...I told you this was a really scary movie. And you are right, the movie can be very claustrophobic and intense. As far as social significance, well it does say something about the nature of women's relationships. I always point out and smile that in this movie the women are no wallflowers. And this is what women can and will do survive. When I first saw it, I was intrigued by the idea if the main character even wants to get out, given all that she has lost. Will she become the "leader", the "den mother" of the creatures living in the cave.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about those creatures? The locals are obviously aware of thier existence. But where did they come from? Are they remnants of "normal" humans who were trapped down in the cave long ago, who have bred and evolved to thier environment? Its a scary notion, to be trapped down there, but even scarier to think someone might want to stay.
Oh...and one more thing....the scene where they are climbing through the very, very, very narrow "tube" is just about the scariest and most realistic portrayal of a trapped person I have EVER seen! Makes my heart race just thinking about it. And that happens before hell really lets loose.
ReplyDelete