Member Blog Post

SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER I/WE WERE QUESTIONING "DESCENT 2".  WELL WE FINALLY WATCHED IT ON FEARNET CABLE TV, AND THANK GOODNESS IT'S FREE...ONE WORD..."DUMB".

THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH SEQUELS IS:  IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA THERE IS ONE (I.E. TV SPOTS, COMMERCIALS, CELEBRITY GUEST SPOTS, ENTERTAINMENT SHOWS, WORD OF MOUTH, ETC.), UNLESS YOU THE VIEWER HAS TO LITERALLY HUNT AND FIND IF THERE IS A SEQUEL:  THAT TELLS ME IT SUCKS.

I MEAN, PUTTING MORE ENERGY INTO FINDING THE MOVIE IS A SIGN THAT YOU HAVE MORE ENERGY THAN THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE FILM.  SO MANY EXAMPLES THAT I/WE HAD NO IDEA THERE EVEN WAS A SEQUEL TO VERY POPULAR HORROR MOVIES.  "OPEN WATER 2", "DESCENT 2", "QUARINTINE 2", "WRONG TURN 2,3,4", AND MANY MORE I'M SURE, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

NOW FOR "THE DESCENT 2":

I REMEMBER  "RODGER AND EBERT" SAYING YEARS AGO, IF A SEQUEL RELIES OR SHOWS MANY SCENES FROM THE ORIGINAL, THAT'S NOT A GOOD SIGN.  IT'S A SIGN THAT THE FILM MAKERS ARE DEPENDING ON THE SHOCKING IMAGES OF THE FIRST FILM TO HELP WITH THE INTENSITY OF IT'S SEQUEL.  IF DONE WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THE BACK STORY AND THE PLOT AND CHARACTERS SHOULD STAND ON THEIR OWN (THEIR WORDS, NOT MINE) BUT I AGREE.

THIS WAS TRUE IN "DESCENT 2".  SARA'S FLASHBACKS AFTER ENTERING BACK INTO THE CAVE CAUSING HER TO FREAK OUT AND RUN.  FINDING THE VIDEO CAMERA AND SHOWING MUTLIPLE SCENES FROM THE FIRST, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

AND LET'S TALK ABOUT SARA.  HERE'S A WOMAN WHO JUST LITERALLY WENT THROUGH HELL, AND THE NEXT DAY SHE WILLINGLY GOES BACK INTO THE CAVE?  AND ONCE IN THE CAVE, SHE SUDDENLY TURNS INTO SIGOURNEY WEAVER, ALL DEFIANT AND STRONG...HMMM?

AND THE SHERIFF, HAND CUFFING HIMSELF TO SARA SO SHE WON'T RUN?  TO HECK WITH HER, I'M GETTING ATTACKED BY "DEMONS" AND WATCHING MY FRIENDS GET SLAUGHTERED AND I'M GOING TO RESTRAIN MYSELF AND LIMIT MYSELF BY CUFFING TO A POTENTIAL NEXT VICTIM?  AGAIN, HMMM?

AND WHAT ABOUT THE "DEMONS" OR WHATEVER.  I SEEM TO RECALL IN THE FIRST FILM ANY TYPE OF LIGHT, THOUGH BLIND, WAS VERY BAD AND RISKED THE CHANCE OF BEING EATEN.  HERE WE SEE HELMET AND FLASH LIGHTS ON THROUGH MOST OF THE FILM, EVEN WITH THE "DEMONS" ONLY FEET AWAY.  AGAIN, HMM?

I FOUND MYSELF SAYING IN SCENES WHERE THERE WAS NO FLASH LIGHTS SHINING, "WHERE IS THE LIGHT COMING FROM LIGHTING THE SCENE IF THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE UNDERGROUND?

AND WHAT ALSO GOT ME WAS ONLY AFEW MINUTES INTO THE CAVE THEY ALREADY DISCOVERED A HALF EATEN VICTIM OF THE FIRST FILM.  WOW, THAT'S SOME QUICK DETECTIVE WORK.

AND WHAT ABOUT JUNO?  FOR SURVIVING A DAY WITH A PICK AXE CLEAN THROUGH HER LEG: THAT TINY BANDAGE SEEMED TO WORK JUST FINE.  I MEAN, NO SIGNS OF SWELLING, INFECTION, FEVER, ETC.  SHE SEEMED TO GET AROUND JUST FINE WITH A TINY LITTLE LIMP.  AGAIN...HMMM?

JUST THE WHOLE PREMISE DIDN'T WORK FOR ME.  POLICE FORCING SARA INTO THE CAVE AFTER ONLY A DAY OF SURVIVING.  NO INTERVIEW, PYSCH TEST, WHATEVER.  JUST GET HER DRESSED AND SEND HER IN.  AGAIN...HMM?

AND THE ENDING.  I UNDERSTOOD THE ENDING OF "2001: SPACE ODYSSEY" MORE THAN I UNDERSTOOD WHY THE OLD GUY WOULD KILL AND FEED THE "DEMONS".  WHAT DOES HE GAIN FROM MURDERING HUMANS TO FEED THEM?   AGAIN...HMM?

I CAN GO ON BUT I'M SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH TIME DEBATING A MOVIE THAN THE MAKERS DID FILMING IT.

FOR ME NONE OF THE SCENES WERE EXITING OR SUSPENSFUL.  MAYBE BECAUSE IT'S ALL BEEN DONE BEFORE.  QUICK SEQUELS FOR QUICK BUCKS.

WHICH LEADS ME TO MY STATEMENT ABOUT HOLLYWOOD TODAY.  NO NEW IDEA'S OR TALENT WHEN IT COMES TO HORROR TODAY.

JUST ME FOLKS, NOT BASHING ANYBODY WHO MAY HAVE ENJOYED THE "DESCENT 2".  JUST ONE WOMAN'S OPINION, AND YOU KNOW US WOMEN, WE HAVE MANY OPINIONS.

THANKS, FEAR ON.