After the terrifying journey of the first The Descent, Sarah Carter, the only known girl to make it out alive, is forced back down into the caves with a team of rescuers to find out exactly what happened and if anyone else survived. Before you know it, things get really bloody. Does The Descent: Part II live up to the claustrophobic scariness of the first one? Read on to find out.
Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: Refusing to believe her story about cave-dwelling monsters, the sole survivor of a spelunking exploration gone horribly wrong is forced to follow the authorities back into the caves where something awaits.
The Descent: Part II picks up exactly from the end of the first one, with Sarah, bloody and bruised being found along side of the road and sent to the hospital. At the same time, the Sheriff’s department is on the hunt for the missing girls and so far no success in finding any, that is until they receive word that Sarah has been found. The Sheriff, played by Michael J. Reynolds, demands to know exactly what happened down in those dark dank caves and in order to do so, he drags a reluctant and slightly amnesic Sarah, along with some of the rescue team to the last known location the girl was found and proceed to descend down into the caves and not too long after, they realize they’re not alone.
I wouldn’t really say The Descent: Part 2 is original, as it does pretty much retell the story of the first, but with a few guys thrown in the mix, instead of all women. You can’t really fault them for that, as there is only so much you can do with a story about a cave full of monsters. The filmmakers did a good job of making this film feel like we were picking up directly after the first, even though filming took place almost 5 years later. Gorehounds will be pleased to hear that the film is nice and bloody, with several ripped throats and one gruelling arm decapitation; they certainly don’t shy away from the plasma. Also, the movie did a great job of really driving home that claustrophobic feeling, with several scenes taking place in tight areas. You’re heart will be racing from those scenes, long before we get to the monsters of the show. As for the monsters, this time around, they aren’t just cast in shadows and we do get a better idea of what they look like. Unfortunately, come the end of the film, we’re still left with questions as to what exactly they are (although I have an idea) and we’re left with even more questions with a random, unexplained ending that is thrown our way.
The Descent: Part II certainly has a clear obvious theme and it proudly wears it on it’s sleeve. When put in extreme situations, we become primal and will do whatever it takes to survive. In the end, the victims in the film are no different than the monsters that are hunting them. This is clearly evident in the performance of our leading ladies, Ellen Rios (Krysten Cummings) and Sarah Carter (Shauna Macdonald). Sarah, who still has that hunter instinct from the first one, experiences several graphics scenes of impalement by her own hands and enough primal screams to wake the neighbors. Ellen, who’s main goal is trying to survive to make it home to her daughter, comes off meek at first, but it’s not too long before she is swinging blades and crushing in monster’s heads with rocks. The ladies did a stand up job at driving home the theme at play.
The Descent: Part II might not reach the pinnacle of awesomeness of the first, due to the feeling of been there, down that and the fact that no additional information is given as to what the monsters are. However, seeing more of these monsters wreaking havoc is always welcome, the gore is phenomenal and the performances from the ladies are top notch. If you can look past a few faults and a bummer of an ending, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this claustrophobic trip through a cave diver’s nightmare.
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