Fall
LIONSGATEIn 1968, Roger Ebert introduced his readers to the theory of the idiot plot, which “depends upon one or more characters being idiots. They get trapped in a situation that they could easily get out of with common sense. But they don't, being idiots. If they did, they'd solve the problem and the movie would be over.” Fifty-four years later, the idiot plot is in full force with Scott Mann’s Fall, a film that solely depends on one idiot character dragging another one to a visibly dangerous TV tower for no other apparent reason other than Instagram clout. The result is a terribly dull survival horror flick that only gets worse when an appalling twist occurs during the middle section of the film, changing its entire direction, and making the interminable viewing experience ultimately worse.
Don’t worry – the twist won’t be spoiled in this review, but let’s just say it doesn’t leave a very good taste in the mouth afterwards. The film has a simple, but idiotic, plot: social media influencer Hunter (Virginia Gardner) convinces her best friend Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) to climb the [very] dangerous, and rusty, TV tower, almost a year after losing her husband (Mason Gooding) in a climbing accident. Of course, Becky doesn’t want to – still traumatised by the loss of her husband and having spent the last year isolated and alone, even if her father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) tries to communicate with her. But Hunter won’t take no for an answer and will force her, multiple times, to climb the tower, even if it is the most asinine decision possible. There’s rust everywhere, the screws are starting to fall loose, and, to make matters worse, vultures are seen flying around.
At first, the climb is daunting, but they make it to the top. After taking (many) idiotic selfies, which nearly kills Becky, the two attempt to go back down . . . but the ladder predictably breaks, causing them to be stuck on top ad vitam aeternam, with no cellphone reception and limited tools to reach out to anyone on the ground. Naturally, the rest of the movie is nothing but a series of peril-inducing sequences that are as equally as dull as its previous ones, because there’s no legitimate sense of urgency, or compelling craftsmanship behind the camera. Coupled with the fact that this entire mess could’ve been averted if Hunter didn’t nudge Becky into climbing something so preposterous that not even free solo climber Alex Honnold would say yes to, the finished product becomes one of the most perplexing films of the year.
Take the idiot plot out of the equation, and the film still doesn’t work. There are a couple of effective vertigo-inducing shots cinematographer MacGregor constructs – the movie was apparently shot in IMAX, and yet Top Gun: Maverick and a re-release of E.T. took over their screens on the weekend of August 12th – which could make anyone afraid of heights have their palms sweat. The most terrifying moments are when the camera pans down, and the depth of field makes the ground feel tinier than it is. And the fact that the top has a rather unstable structure, it means that both characters could fall down to their deaths at any moment – hence the title, Fall. But even with impeccable cinematography putting the audience smack bang into the movie, Fall is too predictable for its own good. Sequences of peril start out small, only for Mann and co-screenwriter Jonathan Frank to progressively up the intensity. At some point, the intensity becomes life-threatening, but the audience always knows that survival movies of this stature usually end with an 11th-hour miracle. What comes before that miracle is what should keep the audience on their toes, but there’s barely any emotional weight to anything Fall presents, particularly when it starts to subvert audience expectations by shoehorning a plot twist that is so egregious that it may make or break anyone’s initial enjoyment with the movie.
There’s nothing wrong with having a standard, but well-executed survival movie, even if it re-treads a familiar plot. If the action sequences are compelling enough, the behind-the-scenes craft enthralls viewers and the performances are decent, the movie will work for most audiences. Some will complain about the lack of originality, but that’s Hollywood nowadays. But it’s incredible how vastly unimpressive Fall is, no matter how many vultures, broken screws, and fake-outs the movie will throw at the viewer. And everything can be predicted a mile away — when the characters are going to have a near-death experience, when the vultures are going to appear on screen, and when the eleventh-hour miracle will occur. Part of the fun of watching a survival movie is not knowing when the character will go through something horrifying, and then do something even more horrifying to guarantee their survival. But everything in Fall is so specifically choreographed in emotional progression that any amount of momentum the film has from its opening scene falls – no pun intended, of course – completely flat on its face as soon as the characters start to climb.
Virginia Gardner and Grace Caroline Currey are great in their respective lead roles and have terrific chemistry together, but they aren’t enough to save this dreary (and misguided) survival film from being nothing more than an egregious piece of studio filmmaking, especially when its midpoint twist gets revealed. Without giving anything away, any ounce of hope that Fall would turn out somewhat enjoyable gets shattered in a million pieces as soon as Mann and Frank reveal a key plot point and misdirect audiences in a way that feels completely unearned, exploitative and, yes, idiotic, since none of the events of the film would’ve happened had the protagonists used judgment and stayed on the ground. Because once they go up, so does Fall – quickly securing a place high amongst the ten worst films of the year and one of the most head-rolling theatrical experiences in recent memory.