Beneath (2013)

Too much of everything

I'll tell you why so serious

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

My quick rating 4,9/10. The trapped in the coal mine flick is back. Being trapped with "something" is a common theme for horror/thriller movies to use so can't go anywhere really on originality. Ther are a few good things about this movie even though it is straight formula. The most important is the way the focus is back and forth between something being down there (demon, spirit, etc.) or just hallucinations due to lack of oxygen and the miners losing it mentally. Throughout he whole movie you will be wondering which it is (and no i am not saying). The other plus is the fact that the use of lighting is well done to only allow the lights the characters have illuminate the scene. That being said the movie spends a solid 10 minutes of an 80 minute film in complete darkness. Literally. This doesn't mix too well with often entirely to shaky footage when you can see. This major distraction is unbearable at some parts and takes away greatly from what could've been a good flick. Still worth seeing but I suggest on cable.

A likable bunch of hardworking hard drinking miners, are accompanied by their manager's daughter, on his last day before retirement, who wants to see where daddy works before she loses the chance. Of course, her timing couldn't be worse, as they unknowingly breach an unmarked cavity, triggering a cave-in that seals them all deep beneath the rocky earth. This of course is only the start of their problems, and things go rapidly and gorily downhill from there By now there's been a fair number of horrors that involve people being trapped underground, and conceptually, it doesn't offer a lot of story lines beyond panicking protagonists, flooded tunnels, falling rocks, monsters, and claustrophobia. Unless, I don't know, somebody does one where they find a fairground run by history teachers, or starts a progressive jazz band with a drum playing bear or some groundbreaking sh*t. Neil Marshall's iconic The Descent is probably the standout movie in this field for most of us, and Beneath draws more than a few parallels to it, although without directly ripping it off.. There aren't any monsters, but plenty of horribly creepy psychological/supernatural scares, ghastly make-up FX, and a cool reference to a morbid tale of olden day miners, whose true story forms the inspirational basis for this film. What's best about it though, is the rock solid production and granite performances from each and every cast member. All the characters are believable, and play their parts to perfection with some quality dialog to chew and even some brilliantly dry humor, at the start anyway . You really feel sorry for them when it all starts going south. Lighting and score work together effortlessly to create a desperate atmosphere of constant dread and unease, also of note is the use of sound, namely the eerie rumbles and strange noises emanating from the earth above, distant screams, and general audio ambiance that lends to a thoroughly convincing sense of being trapped down there with them. Those of you with decent systems will want to crank it up a little for perfect viewing. And of course, kill the lights. I heartily recommend it for anyone seeking an evening of professionally engineered scares.

I really enjoyed this movie for what it was. There were some really good scenes and for a horror movie it really gets the job done. With that being said there are some faults. Many parts of the movie remain unexplained. I feel as if the script was changed about halfway through. Some parts were mentioned and do not really tie into the rest of the movie. I feel as if the director didn't really have a clear picture of what he wanted to go for. Don't take this as a stab at the director in the least, I still enjoyed the movie, it just lacked a solidified plot. It doesn't really detract from the movie in my opinion. I just feel like there could have been a scene in which it was clearly explained (because there were multiple options.) In an attempt to avoid spoilers I'll just leave it at that. If you want a movie with a really ominous feel to it I'd recommend at least giving it a single viewing. Keep in mind that if you're a picky movie watcher this won't be for you.---------Camera shots: I did notice some pretty nice camera shots in this movie, some were really cliché in a good way. It really gave you a feel of what the director was going for.Lighting: Gets an A+. I felt like the lighting was really well done for this movie. The lighting is really what put me INTO the movie. I felt a tiny chill anytime it started to get dark in one of the tunnels and the light that was there was always on its mark, showing what was needed and avoiding what wasn't.Sound (Synchronous): Many of the lines seemed well thought out in terms of plot and character development, you could really tell each characters role in the movie (there were a couple questionable lines here and there but overall not bad).Sound (Asynchronous): Nothing special in the music. This won't be a Hans Zimmer tier score in the slightest but did manage to fill the silence.Editing: Nothing special good or bad. Nothing that especially stuck out in the movie or made it seem choppy.Composition: Seemed to be slightly overlooked. Seemed some things were added to the scene on a whim instead of having every piece being well placed and thought out.-----Sorry for like the novella of a review, I just felt like these were things that people had been overlooking in their own reviews and should be seen before deciding whether or not to watch the movie. I personally had nothing against the movie. With that being said there was nothing to make this movie above par.

So much better than expected, cause lets face it, we have a horror about a group of miners that get trapped under some rocks and when the terror stars no monsters are involved. It is about the horror of the situation, of how people react there, what they do, how they see things, therefore, this one feels quite natural.Beneath is one of the best ones on this subject and even tho people compare it with The Descent or even The Cave, I personally think it has a lot more to do with Haute Tension. If you saw that one and you'll get to watch this one too, you'll make the connection trust me. Is it that predictable? Well, at least for half of movie you'll get a few scratches on your head but indeed eventually it kinda becomes obvious where this one is heading, but it won't ruin it for you. You'll still find yourself there, waiting to see more, how it ends, maybe even hoping for a more decent conclusion.Anyway I gladly recommend this one, I had a lot of fun watching it and I am very excited that I got to put an eye on Beneath. Lovely execution, very good acting and a few good scares.Cheers!