Overtheshoulder was lucky to be invited to the London Gala Screening of FALL 2: DEADPOINT the sequel to the jaw dropping action original, and a lot of fun it was too with lots of pre-movie entertainment.
But, what about the film itself?
This survival thriller is a direct sequel to FALL, and begins with Jax Hunter (Harriet Slater) who grieving for the loss of her sister Shiloh (who died in the first film) decides to team up with Shiloh’s friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) to climb the infamous 4000 foot high plank wall on Mount Kwan. The Thailand mountain was on Shiloh’s bucket list before she died so Jax and Luce want to honour her memory by climbing it.
Needless to say things don’t go to plan. A catastrophic rockslide destroys the path leaving them stranded thousands of feet in the air. On top of that their mountain guide John (Tom Brittney), is not who he appears to be.
I loved the premise and the movie gets off to a strong start with a clear storyline continuation from its predecessor and a nicely judged feeling of apprehension and dread as their journey begins. There were some amazing edge of your seat sequences where you really don’t know what is going to happen as the girls struggle to survive and the tension in the first half is relentless.
The Thai locations used during the 7/8 week shoot are both stunningly beautiful and other worldly in a sinister way, and the stunt work is very impressive.
It’s the second half where the action begins to lose momentum. Where the first film concentrated on vertigo inducing thrills, FALL 2 has a drug smuggling crime sub plot which slows the film down and is, to be honest, a bit silly and very unbelievable. The acting is strong but the script lets them down and some of their lines are so banal that it makes you roll your eyes in disbelief.
It’s the subplot that makes the film way too long. Action thrillers should be tight and lean as they propel the audience breathlessly to its conclusion, but FALL 2 pauses to much to fill in the plot and subsequently the tension begins to falter.
Ironically, given that the film was too long, the ending felt very rushed and left the audience I was in very unsatisfied.
That said, many of the scenes work extremely well and the actors show admirable commitment to their roles. The locations are stunning, the sets realistic and the photography impressive.
All in all, FALL 2: DEADPOINT is worth a watch for those who love action movies set high up in the air, and as long as you overlook the plot detours there is much to enjoy. For much of the running time there is a lot of fun to be had.
FALL 3 anyone?