Traumatised and bloodied, Sarah has made her way out of the caves with no memory of the events from the past two days. Keen to uncover what happened and find any survivors, a local sheriff forces Sarah to guide a search party back into the dark.
With The Descent, Neil Marshall created a self contained story that all but buried the chance of a follow-up. Considered too bleak for US audiences, the ending was neutered and left a door slightly ajar for this entirely unnecessary sequel. Marshall knew not to venture back into the caves but no one can blame former editor Jon Harris and producer Christian Colson for attempting to set up a potential series.
The trouble is not with the action and the set pieces. These are handled well enough to suggest Harris may have the chops to continue in this line of work. However there's a distinct feeling of routine all round with Part 2. The territory's the same but it's as if someone's moved the furniture around. There's enthusiasm in the set pieces, but everything's been done better before. The caves seem better lit which make them less claustrophobic. At least one 'immoveable' rock can be now be seen wobbling. The caves also seem easier to move about in, barely justifying how an ageing sheriff can wander around with relative ease and presumably no former spelunking experience.
It's the sheriff that causes the first real bone of contention. The writers struggle with the concept of sending a amnesiac(!)back into a nightmare to act as a tour guide. They justify this by making the sheriff an unspeakably massive dick. It's a standout performance by Gavan O'Herlihy(the long lost Chuck Cunningham from 'Happy Days' and son of The Old Man from 'Robocop')but only because he stops just short of twirling his moustache. His character's present solely to push the plot on with annoying stupidity while other events are fairly predictable. It's harder to be invested in the other characters this time around as a result, especially when the marketing bods decided to give many of their fates away in the trailer, showing nigh on the end of the film in all their wisdom. The deaths and gore are more comedy than terrifying but very entertaining all the same and provide the highlights of the film.
At the very least it's thankful the plot draws a line under the absurd theories by overzealous fans of the original that suggested Sarah contradicted the events on screen by killing her own crew. The ending of Part 2 however may be just as contemptible. Depending on box office returns and home entertainment sales there's little doubt a third entry, in 3D perhaps, will be on the way.
It's easier said than done but if an audience goes into this film with little or no expectations then they may find the time passes with relative ease and they'll have seen far worse perfunctory sequels in recent years. It's a commendable effort but only an adequate product. When placed next to the original; if it feels as though this is half of a decent movie, that's because it is.
With The Descent, Neil Marshall created a self contained story that all but buried the chance of a follow-up. Considered too bleak for US audiences, the ending was neutered and left a door slightly ajar for this entirely unnecessary sequel. Marshall knew not to venture back into the caves but no one can blame former editor Jon Harris and producer Christian Colson for attempting to set up a potential series.
The trouble is not with the action and the set pieces. These are handled well enough to suggest Harris may have the chops to continue in this line of work. However there's a distinct feeling of routine all round with Part 2. The territory's the same but it's as if someone's moved the furniture around. There's enthusiasm in the set pieces, but everything's been done better before. The caves seem better lit which make them less claustrophobic. At least one 'immoveable' rock can be now be seen wobbling. The caves also seem easier to move about in, barely justifying how an ageing sheriff can wander around with relative ease and presumably no former spelunking experience.
It's the sheriff that causes the first real bone of contention. The writers struggle with the concept of sending a amnesiac(!)back into a nightmare to act as a tour guide. They justify this by making the sheriff an unspeakably massive dick. It's a standout performance by Gavan O'Herlihy(the long lost Chuck Cunningham from 'Happy Days' and son of The Old Man from 'Robocop')but only because he stops just short of twirling his moustache. His character's present solely to push the plot on with annoying stupidity while other events are fairly predictable. It's harder to be invested in the other characters this time around as a result, especially when the marketing bods decided to give many of their fates away in the trailer, showing nigh on the end of the film in all their wisdom. The deaths and gore are more comedy than terrifying but very entertaining all the same and provide the highlights of the film.
At the very least it's thankful the plot draws a line under the absurd theories by overzealous fans of the original that suggested Sarah contradicted the events on screen by killing her own crew. The ending of Part 2 however may be just as contemptible. Depending on box office returns and home entertainment sales there's little doubt a third entry, in 3D perhaps, will be on the way.
It's easier said than done but if an audience goes into this film with little or no expectations then they may find the time passes with relative ease and they'll have seen far worse perfunctory sequels in recent years. It's a commendable effort but only an adequate product. When placed next to the original; if it feels as though this is half of a decent movie, that's because it is.