FALL (REVIEW)

Dir. Scott Mann

Reviewer: Martyn Wakefield

We've had alone at sea, alone on a ledge, alone in space, now prepare for alone up a 2,000ft pole. Ok, what FALL lacks in plot, it makes up for in sheer tension.

Like any great horror film it homes on natural fears, primarily that of heights. When two climbers get back together after the death of their friend, they seek the opportunity for a thrill climb up an abandoned communications tower. Getting up is the easy part but no sooner does the journey start that the zoomed out shots and steep drops down give the audience as much to fear as the women at the top.

Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardener have great chemistry as the climbers but their own demons are second fiddle for their fight to find a way down in a mission even Tom Cruise would find Impossible.

There is no denying the film's beauty taking in the sheer awe of the heights the women are trapped on is enough to test even the most hardened climber and one scene specifically which sees them taking selfies is probably the scariest scene on film this year. MacGregor's (VIVARIUM) cinematography is unmatched and it's even better expressed on the largest screen possible.

Eagles, heights, death are all here and for at least the first two thirds of the film it feels more akin to THE DESCENT than VERTICAL LIMIT bringing sheer nerve shredding tension and raising the bar higher for those with vertigo. While there's some convenient twists and turns and a wrap up that loses a way to say "that's enough" FALL still manages to be an enjoyable, if expendable, thrill ride not only for climbers but for movie goers alike.