There is precious little in civilization to appeal to a Yeti. – Edmund Hillary
On their channel, the Syfy people have offered shows, but also original TV movies. Productions whose limited budgets and short work schedules have offered either hits or misses (ex: Bigfoot starring Sherilyn Fenn and Alice Cooper). But in this movie, a good final product; starring Chuck Campbell, Adrian Paul, Nicholas Boulton and Elizabeth Croft. A story set in the Rockies where a Yeti has attacked skiers and tourists over several decades, during intermittent time frames. Among these people attacked is the former US-Special Forces Sergeant Brian Tanner, who has dissapeared without leaving any reasons why he would venture in those mountains. Wanting to find him as quick as possible, his sister Nina, played by Lauren O`Neil, asks the help of her army friends; amongst them her boyfriend Rick McCabe – who leads the crew due to his vast army and mountain experience – and a Helicopter pilot called Mark Forster (played by Adrian Paul) who is going through major drinking issues during this crisis and conflicts with Rick. Though what awaits them all in the Mountains goes beyond their expectations.
Now anybody who looks at the IMDB ratings for Deadly Descent will realize that it has not much positive praises. And among its reviews, some mean remarks about SyFy`s productions; accusing them of being mediocre and cheap crass. Accusations that I find unacceptable. Now yes, this TV movie has no rich budget. That it was shot in 13 days says a lot about its limited working conditions. Still, unlike other productions like BigFoot, whose editing was erratic and the script confusing, Deadly Descent, though not perfect, offers much better visual and narrative quality.
Among its good qualities are the camerawork. It is fluid and its editing easy to grasp, especially through the visual captures of the Mountains beauty and of the actors skiing skills. As for the sets, they are well built and of the actors, everyone is very good in his/her performances. We feel their joys and pains as they go through their rescue of Brian and their survival against the infamous Yeti. All my praises also to Christopher Holden, who made his soundtrack tense and dramatic at the appropriate moments, allowing also moments of silence to enrich the mood; unlike HoneyMoon for One (HallMark production) which was plagued with an incessant music.
Now as for the flaws in Deadly Descent, the most flagrant ones are the CGI effects. Indeed, whether it is in the Helicopter Mark uses, the compositing of the mountain town the characters meet, the deaths of certain characters, or the integration of the Yeti as it appears on screen, the effects are more than evident. They look rushed, not polished enough, and give off right away that what we see are Special Effects and that the Yeti attacking the skiiers isn’t standing before the actors. Even in many scenes of the story, we don’t always get a clear view of the creature, as if to cover up those visual flaws. And it’s a shame because it fuels off the hostility toward this production which has a good story. Though I must say there are times the script didn’t fully fleshed out some characters and their relationships (ex: Mark and Rick’s conflicts). For instance, we aren’t offered a proper explanation as to why the creature attacks are sporadic. Is it because of its hibernation status after it eats many people or something else? And some bad dialogues do appear here and there (ex: Rick’s final words to the BigFoot creature). Which is sad because all the actors working in that film are really good.
In conclusion, don’t expect this movie to be the Sci-Fi masterpiece of the year, but don’t have the prejudice of treating it as mediocre. It is a good B-Horror movie. Not perfect, but a good watch after a hard day of work or to relax during a rainy afternoon.
Omnes's Oasis 