The Descent – Original Unrated Cut (Blu-ray)
Picture: B+ Sound: B+ Extras: C Film: C
One
interesting thing about Horror films is that you get a mixed cast and there is
always the “final girl” who must face the monster, but Neil Marshall’s The Descent (2005) has an all-female
cast out in the middle of nowhere about to take a hike that will often be fatal
and filled with the unexpected. We
previously reviewed the film in its U.S. theatrical release as follows:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4080/The+Descent+(2005/Theatrical+Film+Review)
So does
the uncut version matter? It may be more
graphic and a little more interesting, but it does not save the film from being
a curio that misses the mark. If the
problem is not writer/director Marshall not totally able to write for women in
obvious ways and the film offering nothing new in the way of thrills and
scares, it at least takes the material and situations seriously enough to
explain why this was a success of any kind to begin with. Despite its many problems, that is half the
battle won for many who are sick and tired of jokey, stupid, condescending
films in the genre, especially in the slate of remakes, sequels and prequels
that have ruined Horror in ways unimaginable even a few years ago.
The cast
is not bad either, also taking the material seriously and giving good
performances, but this just never stayed with me and the new footage never
added up to anything. This is a curio
that everyone will want to see and in Blu-ray is a good performer, but it is
ultimately only worth a look at best and both the monster and surreal angles
never pan out.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image looks pretty good, as one would expect
from a new film and resolves even dark scenes well. Digital effects are not as impressive and the
transfer is not always great. Monochromatic
color can be annoying and that is the one tired look in the genre it cannot
escape from, but is actually one of the better of this type in any format for
what that’s worth. Sam McCurdy’s
cinematography has more pluses than minuses when all is said and done.
A
multi-channel release, the sound here is in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and much
better PCM 6.1 (a first?) that simply annihilates the Dolby in clarity,
accuracy and overall fidelity. You get
all kinds of sweetened sounds typical of the genre and for a “boo” movie where
the idea is to needle the audience throughout.
It is another plus for the film and when the PCM is combined with the
impressive-enough HD picture, you’ve got a demo Blu-ray that will be popular
for a long time, especially for those who actually like the film.
Extras
include feature length audio commentary with Marshall & cast, a making of
featurette, deleted/extended scenes, storyboards with comparisons, stills, text
cast & crew bios, outtakes, DescEnding
on-camera interview with Marshall, HD Trailers and the Java function allows for
picture-in-picture interactive commentaries dubbed The Gate. As a 50GB Blu-ray,
it is an early winner in how to do one right and is one of the most loaded disc
sin any format to date. Lionsgate keeps
going further than many major studios will, keeping them competitive and that means
the consumer is offered more variety.
- Nicholas Sheffo
