“The Descent” is a movie I’m not going to forget for a while. All I can really say is, if you’re sensitive to blood, this probably isn’t the movie for you. 

Because of it’s “R” rating, I knew that something graphic was going to happen eventually.

Through suspense and a huge plot twist, Director Neil Marshall did a great job of creating an overwhelming feeling of unease for viewers. 

The character development from start to finish is also outstanding.

The main character Sarah Carter, played by Shauna Macdonald, enjoys doing things that get the blood rushing. Things such as white water rafting, mountain climbing, and spelunking in caves. She does all of these things with her friends, her best friend being Juno Kaplan, played by Natalie Mendoza.

After Sarah suffers the loss of her daughter and husband in a car crash, she mourns her family’s loss for a long time. To help Sarah with all of this, Juno takes her and her friends on a trip to explore a cave. But it doesn’t quite go the way everyone thinks it will. 

When they first get into the cave, the viewer thinks that everything is going great. Juno is experienced, knows what she’s doing and helps the others around the cave. As they continue to explore, Sarah crawls through a tunnel and gets stuck halfway through it and begins to panic. As Juno begins to help Sarah out of the jam, they hear a rumble. The cave starts falling in. Juno pulls Sarah out in time, but they are now all trapped in the cave and have to find their way out. 

The movie takes surprising turns for the worst as Sarah and her friends travel throughout the cave. The tension builds as they struggle to find an escape from the cave. And as they continue, they realize that they aren’t alone. 

I think a weak point to this movie is the lack of explanation in everything. I feel like a couple important things weren’t really answered and viewers almost have to make the assumption that certain things happen. 

Overall, I feel like Neil Marshall made fantastic work out of this movie. I was scared and curious through the entirety of my viewing experience and I can’t say that I’ve felt both of those at the same time before.

The movie gets a well deserved 8/10 from me. 

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the GENESIS staff. Reach Damien Funnell at [email protected].