By Joel Harley
Not one for those of a nervous disposition, this. Scott Mann’s anxiety-inducing vertigo ‘em up takes its two plucky heroines (Grace Fulton, Virginia Gardner) and strands them 2,000 feet in the air. Less 48 Meters Down, more 609 Meters Up. Not so much The Descent, more The Ascent. As Below, So – you get the idea.
After deciding to climb a 2,000 foot radio tower out in rural nowhere, Becky (Fulton) and best pal Hunter (Gardner) are trapped at the top when the rickety old ladder suddenly breaks. With nobody but the vultures and the baking desert sun for company, the friends must dig deep to figure a way out of (or down from) their precarious predicament.
A daring entry in the already massive ‘trapped in a stupid place’ subgenre of thrillers (see also: Frozen, 127 Hours, and any number of shark movies), Fall is the heights-fearer’s worst nightmare. Combining dizzying stunt work with shocking VFX, it should leave anyone with even a healthy respect for heights with sweaty palms. True, some of that CGI is rough around the edges (like we said, ‘shocking’), and much of the decision work leading to the ladies’ position is infuriating, but the terrors of Fall are universal.
As the pair stuck up the top, Fulton and Gardner do admirable work, keeping the film grounded even as the action reaches ludicrous new heights. It may be silly, but chances are, you’ll be too dizzy from it all to notice. A gravity – and disbelief–defying experience.
Fall is released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 28th
