The Descent: Extended Cut - Mikedrew87
Wail, baby, wail! Wilderness survivalist vacationers rappel into unexplored depths.
Deep, deep inside the cavernous depths, they learn real survival skills.
Neil Marshall’s best film (though Dog Soldiers is a close second) and a great horror ride.
Video - 1280 X 720p AVC. A great looking film. Dense blacks, a lot of moving shadows, and dim lighting. Plenty of ways this edit could go wrong. Excellent rendering beginning to end. Most of the missing scenes went by unnoticed.
Audio - 192 Kbps, 2 Channel AAC. Really? Stereo? The original audio is a superb sound mix of echoes and ambiant noises, perfectly in keeping with a cave interior. This is missed here. Also, no subs. Yes, I know I am in a minority in commenting about subtitles. A fair amount of dialogue is difficult to understand. Whispering, shouting, characters talking over each other. I may know this flick by heart, but others may not.
Narrative - Generally, I couldn’t care less about extended cuts. Footage was trimmed for a reason, either it was repetitive, or useless padding, or it dragged the pace. The inclusion of ten brief scenes gives more shades to a few characters. Otherwise, the narrative itself is untouched.
Enjoyment - I’ve watched the DVD dozens of times. Moreover, growing up, I went caving hundreds of times and The Descent is one of the best cave films out there.
It does have two strikes against it, however.
One, the cast is all female. insecure males dislike females: be they wives, coworkers, exes, doesn’t matter. These guys, for one reason or another, just have an animosity. If you are one, then don’t bother with this. γνῶθι σεαυτόν
Second, this movie is a real nail biter. Tension tightens throughout for at least two thirds of the story. The reveal of the dwellers comes late. Impatient souls will be happier with a trailer.
For everyone else, this is a terrific thriller /slash/ horror flick.