The Descent: Part 2

Reviewed by Drav3n

Format: DVD

Release: April 27, 2010

Rated: R

Runtime: 94 Minutes

The Movie:

In 2005, Neil Marshall provided American audiences with his critically acclaimed British horror film, The Descent. It currently holds an 84% on RottenTomatoes.com. In my opinion, one of the best horror movies to come out in the past decade! So what happens when a movie is globally successful? It's warranted for a sequel, of course!

Now when it comes to sequels, I don't know about you, but I get worried. The Descent was one of those horror movies that leaves you satisfied when the credits roll. Not to mention, unlike "American Horror" films, there wasn't really any comedy elements, which I am STRONGLY against when watching a horror movie. And at the end of The Descent, it felt like it was finished, not left open for the inevitable sequel(s) that we are stuck dealing with in "American Horror."

Now when I heard there was a sequel being made, I didn't know what to think. When I heard that Neil Marshall was only going to executive produce this movie, and John Harris, who was only an editor on The Descent (and most recently an editor on "Kick-Ass"), was going to direct (his first time directing, I should say), I began to worry. And then when I found out that this was not going to get a theatrical release, only to be a direct-to-DVD release...yep, I was losing faith in this fast.

This movie picks up two days after the first film ended. Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) has washed away to safety and is taken to the hospital. She has no memory of what took place down in the caves. Tests comeback and reveal that the blood on her matches that of Juno (Natalie Mendoza). Sheriff Vaines (Gavan O'Herlihy) demands that he is taking Sarah back down to the caves to find the other missing girls and is also taking his partner, Elin (Krysten Cummings), and three specialists: Dan, Greg, and Cath (Douglas Hodge, Joshua Dallas, and Anna Skellern).

Once they are back in the cave, Sarah begins having flashbacks of what happened down there and in a panic she attacks the people and runs off. Eventually the group gets split up and each begin to encounter the Crawlers. However, these Crawlers are suppose to be a new "kind" that Sarah hasn't encountered before. They are suppose to be more of an inbred-deformed type and even more vicious then what she has already dealt with before.

For fans of the first movie, the third act of the movie is gonna be something along the lines of either "What the fuck? Are you kidding me?!" or "Holy shit! Yes!" I won't spoil it though.

What worked really well in the first movie was that Neil Marshall wanted his movie to be different by having an all-female cast, and again, that really worked! This movie, that's no longer present. Also, there was strong character development in the first movie, and in this movie, not so much. I also felt that the storyline of sending a traumatized person back into the place that traumatized her in the first place, was a stupid way to set-up the story.

With all that being said, this really wasn't a bad flick. I actually enjoyed it. Especially the third act! Maybe I'm just a sucker for over-the-top gore? Over-the-top gore is always a good thing, right? But I do believe fans will be pleased with this movie, especially the way they tie in the events from part one with all the flashbacks. Not to mention, Shauna's performance as Sarah was great to watch.

Presentation:

This film is presented in a 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen image. You would never know from watching it, but this was a low-budget horror film. And I mention that because it looks really good! The sets look real. There are quite a few "scare" moments, and tons of gore!

Lately, Lionsgate has been on a roll for putting out impressive DVD and blu-ray releases, and this is another one. Although, where is the blu-ray release for this?

Obviously 90% of the movie takes place in the caves, and the lighting is never an issue. Colors are strong, especially when it comes seeing the blood.

Audio:

The audio track is presented through Dolby Digital 5.1. The dialogue comes through really clear. The sound effects for the Crawlers sound real nice as well.

Bonus Material:

Not too much here, but the making of the movie is definitely worth watching!

• Audio Commentary - Featuring director Jon Harris and actresses Shauna MacDonald, Krysten Cummings and Anna Skellern.
• Deleted Scenes (Runtime 11:20) - Nothing really stands out here. The only scene I felt that could've worked in the movie was the scene with Sarah in the hospital.
• The Making of The Descent: Part 2 (Runtime 25:48) - An excellent featurette! Interviews with the cast, and how to make the sequel work was very entertaining. It was cool to see the original cast comeback to shoot scenes just to be seen on the camcorder that's found in the cave.
• Storyboard Gallery (Runtime 7:41) - Does this really need an explanation?
• Trailers - Daybreakers, After Dark Horrorfest 4, Cabin Fever 2, and Peacock

Bottom Line:

If you were a fan of the first movie, you owe it to yourself to check out Part 2. For a direct-to-DVD sequel, its good. It's actually better than most of the direct-to-DVD movies that you will see on the shelves at Blockbuster or on Netflix. I'd say it's worth a rental.