Fall

In the middle of August, Fall was released into theaters. Fall follows two girls, Becky and Hunter as they attempt to climb a 2000-foot radio tower. They soon find themselves stranded at the top of the tower and must figure out a way to get down before they perish.

This film was surprisingly very entertaining. It is very quick-moving with the setup and doesn't ever really slow down. It is designed to be an edge-of-your-seat thriller and does its job very well. It can pull this off by connecting with people's fear of heights by including scenarios that most people would be afraid of. It also includes many shots that make you feel like you are looking down to the ground which further plays into the fear of heights. Once you get past, the ridiculous premise, the rest of the movie is actually very grounded and realistic. In most other films of this genre, the characters continue to make stupid and poor decisions instead of doing the one thing that could easily solve their problem. This film doesn't fall into that. Everything the two girls do would be the logical thing to do or would be the next step that made the most sense. The film also has some good emotional moments and sets things up that pay off at the end of the film. It also has a decent twist about 2/3rds of the way through the film that really sets the tone for the end of the story. Finally, the overall tone and camera work of the film keep the story intense until the end. Right up until the end, you are worried that the girls will fall at any point and don't know if they will make it down. Overall, just an exciting and well-made thriller.

However, there are a few things that keep the movie back. The main issue is just the entire setup is just so ridiculous. No person in their right mind would think it would be a good idea to climb a 2000-foot decommissioned radio tower. For the entire first act, I was thinking about how stupid these girls were and how bad of an idea climbing this tower was. Once the girls were trapped I got more into the movie but just set up and the whole idea of climbing the radio tower is just so stupid. The only other issue I had was that there were just a few too many subplots that I felt were just unnecessary and didn't really add much to the story.

Overall, if you get past the stupidity of the premise and setup, this ends up being a surprisingly well-made thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and manages to pack a bit of an emotional punch.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Check it out