Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

A follow-up that fans of the first film probably could have done without, but which isn’t all bad

By Carl Lawrence

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Few sequels live up to, let alone surpass, the bar established by the original work they stem from, and sadly The Descent: Part 2 is no exception when it comes to bucking that trend. Only rarely are we fortunate enough to get a picture like The Dark Knight that really knocks our socks off, and I say that as someone who was never really a big Batman fan to begin with prior to the release of that obviously superior sequel to its less popular predecessor Batman Begins. Of course it’s not even fair to compare The Descent: Part 2 to The Dark Knight unless one is doing so strictly in the sense of both films being sequels to a prior original work. I’m usually skeptical about sequels as are most people for the obvious reason that most of the time they just don’t measure up to what spawned them. Directors don’t take the time; writers seem to have an attitude that they can’t top the original, and usually Hollywood only entertains the notion of producing one for the sake of making another quick buck, and with combined attitudes of that nature, it’s no wonder that we’re often left feeling disappointed. (Note however that this film was actually shot and produced in Britain by Celador Films, a foreign company.) And even when more money is pumped into a sequel in hopes of making it better, such as in the case of 28 Weeks Later, often it still doesn’t seem to work out.

That said, The Descent: Part 2 isn’t entirely awful, and the writers do make a notable attempt at giving the film an ending that feels mostly consistent with how the initial film ended, which I suppose is to their credit. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s when the first picture in a series ends off leaving us satisfied, only to have a cheap knock-off sequel come along and negate the outcome of that prior movie. (Think American Psycho 2 and Hostel 2 and you’ll know precisely what I’m talking about.)

The Descent: Part 2 picks up right where The Descent left off, which also isn’t at all unusual for a sequel. In fact, it’s pretty routine. In the first film, the way things left off in the Unrated Cut (the only version I’ve seen to date), I was left with the impression that Sarah was never getting out of the previously unexplored cavernous tunnels that claimed the lives of her friends—that she was stuck there permanently. I thought that was the meaning behind the imagery of her dead daughter handing her a birthday cake at the end. This was her new life—period, perhaps also as a consequence of betraying her friend Juno in hopes of saving herself. As the second movie opens, however, we see that she has made it out of there after all, with what looked like a dream ending in the first film actually being the reality of her situation instead. She’s left with no memory of what happened as a result of the horrific trauma she experienced in the caves, which is plausible given the circumstances. Prior to this break in the case, the authorities have found nothing while still in the midst of a two-day search. When the Sheriff gets word of Sarah’s recovery while at one of the locations being checked, he heads straight to the hospital along with his deputy. Juno’s father is a Senator, adding to the pressing nature of finding the women and solving the mystery of what happened to them. Interestingly enough, however, even after two days of nonstop searching, including helicopter flyovers, the authorities never manage to find the cars that were left at the entry to the cave system seen in the first film. Instead they’re drawn to a long abandoned mining facility, believing this to be the next logical place for them to look.

It defies reason that this small team comprised of the Sheriff, his deputy, a few professional cave dwellers, and finally Sarah, who is fetched from the hospital the very same day after being given a sedative by her doctor, would not want more manpower before descending into the mining shaft with no real backup. It’s also difficult to believe that Sarah would allow herself to be taken down there again without any protest despite the sedative she was given earlier and her memory still being blocked. One would think that even on a subconscious level she would still be aware of the danger involved, and once down there, naturally, her memory begins to return. The writing leading up to this point really isn’t that great, as it all smacks of a cheesy, hackneyed setup just to get the characters, and Sarah especially, down into the underground cavernous maze again for more carnage and mayhem to ensue. What follows is what one would expect: a bloody, disgusting mess. I think the first film did a much better job of leading the audience there however, as it was more carefully scripted, paced, and directed, with a seemingly more generous budget to boot to make it all worthwhile in the end. The overall production values just seem to be lacking here in contrast unfortunately, although if there’s one thing this film does have going for it at least, it’s a climax that manages to put viewers in touch with the tense and frenzied creepiness of the original, even if only for a short while. It also makes it look as though there was actually a way out of the caverns all along however, which seemed like a virtual impossibility in the first movie. I question that decision because it leaves the creatures with a way out of their habitat and into our world, and seemingly negates that aspect of the claustrophobic mystique that really served the original film so well. But it’s worth renting –in spite of its drawbacks, there’s still some fun to be had in the watching of it nonetheless. So grab some popcorn and enjoy it on the basis of what it does stand to offer.

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