Fall is a survivalist thriller that does come off as preposterous, but it also has moments of genuine suspense and other high-voltage visuals to keep it riveting enough.
The movie stars Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner as Becky and Hunter, two lifelong friends who have a penchant for mountain climbing. That all changes after Becky loses her husband (Mason Gooding) when he falls to his death while climbing.
This sends Becky into a whirlwind of depression and she isolates herself from the rest of the world. Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays her estranged father.
Hunter gets in touch with Becky and tries to convince her to let go of her fear by climbing a 2000-foot tower with her in order to make peace with the past. 20 points if you can see where this plot thread leads.
Of course, Becky joins Hunter in the adventure and the two are off to climb the gargantuan tower. They succeed in climbing up, but getting down proves to be a challenge. The ladder breaks entirely and the girls are stranded at the very top with no service on their cell phones and very little water.
These are smart, resourceful girls as they use their wits to try and get down. One plan involves using articles of their clothing stuffed in their shoes in order to regain service on the phones. Will this plan work?
Fall takes a premise that could’ve easily been cool on paper and a disaster on film. Granted, the movie does introduce plot developments that are stretched beyond the suspension of disbelief and it’s certainly not subtle when it comes to being predictable.
For example, every time the girls think they’ve gotten one step closer down the tower, there’s another obligatory hurdle they have to overcome.
Fall may not be plausible or very memorable, but it’s visually gripping, complete with measured doses of blood and gore that pushes the PG-13 rating almost to the edge.
The script does get credit for coming up with new ways to create suspense even though we know there’s a predictable conclusion. The thrills are vertiginous enough to make us feel we’re in the thick of the action.
Movies like this are really undemanding adrenaline rushes that merely ask us to turn off our brains and accept the absurdity of the situation. Fall provides that absurdity. No more, no less.
Grade: B+
(Rated PG-13 for bloody images, intense peril and strong language.)
