★★★
“Fall me twice…”
The original Fall was a sleeper hit, which found thoroughly deserved new life on streaming. I watched it again recently on BluRay, and yep: it still triggers a visceral, physical reaction in me, unlike almost any other film. A sequel was inevitable, and probably equally as inevitably, it doesn’t reach the same heights – pun absolutely intended – as the original. While pleasant enough entertainment, it comes over with roughly the same impact as a mid-season episode of American Ninja Warrior. Though it wasn’t long before Chris was re-confirming her desire to avoid any leisure activity involving heights (hanging Halloween decoration from the garage is about her limit), my palms stayed more or less dry throughout.
It follow Jax (Slater), the younger sister of Shiloh (Gardner, who appears in flashbacks), the daredevil from the original movie. She’s contacted by Luce (Thomas), a friend of Shiloh’s. She convinces Jax to join her on a plank walk in Thailand, clearly inspired by the notorious Mount Huashan plank walk in China. Even the shape of the mountain here is similar, though the real location is much shorter, little more than a hundred yards long. Naturally, things do not go well. They are cut of from their guide, Jon (Brittney), by one rockfall; when trying to make their way back, another cuts off the return path. And with this being an unauthorized expedition, rescue will not be coming for them any time soon.
It does remain well-made, and there is a genuine sense of being a long way from the ground. So I’m not quite certain why it never engaged with the primordial part of my brain in the same way as its predecessor. I was somewhat less impressed with the characters, whose count of poor decisions certainly surpasses the last installment. Luce, in particular, seemed more irritating than anything, though to be fair, later revelations do provide some explanation. There’s also a sub-plot involving drug smuggling, which doesn’t make a lot of common sense, unless the price of fentanyl in Thailand is about ten times the price here. These problem infect in particular the first and third acts, replacing the smooth simplicity of Fall.
However, the middle still has its share of credible chills, with the horizontal nature of the route – albeit over a drop of several thousand feet – being what generates the Ninja Warrior similarities. Swinging and progressing laterally becomes the key to survival, using the remnants of the plank walk as tools, although they sometimes become hazards. Figuring out the mechanics for this is likely where the movie is at is strongest, focusing strictly on Problem > Solution > Repeat. Everything else is an unnecessary burden, because the viewers disbelief is already suspended out of bare necessity. If you need to ask “Why?” after the first shot of the precipitous drop below, this is probably not for you. Competent enough to make me amenable to Fall 3, albeit only just.
Dir: The Spierig Brothers
Star: Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, Virginia Gardner