Descends but Never Rises
Documentary maker, Chelsea (Kinga Philipps), has ventured into the vast labyrinth of sewers and tunnels beneath the city to make a film about the forgotten people who live there. It is how she meets Jake (Frank Krueger) a former cop who after his wife was killed gave up on the life he had and went in to hiding down there. But whilst many of the people she meets are welcoming Chelsea also encounters Angel (Danny Trejo) who with his gang not only attacks others who live in the tunnels but are preparing to declare war on those who live above ground in the city.
I have to admit that when I read the synopsis for "Darkness Descends" I had hopes; I always do when I come across movies about under city communities which have a mix of good people who are lost souls and those with a darker, angry side. But I also have come to expect to be under whelmed by these movies as so few manage to do anything different to the last one I watched. And sadly when it comes to "Darkness Descends" not only does it end up joining that list of under whelming movies for failing to do anything new but all that it does do it seems to do in the least imaginative way possible.
As such what you get in "Darkness Descends" is lost soul Jake eventually having enough of Angel's intimidation of others as well as his murdering ways and sets about bringing an end to it all. Of course the motivation for this is Chelsea as he ends up becoming close to her and so when she ends up in danger he has to save her because he can't let another woman close to him die. There are some minor embellishments from a less than surprising connection between Angel and Jake's dead wife to some cops having an issue with Jake but none of it is new and most of it goes nowhere, just there to fill out the movie. Even the action ends up disappointing especially with Danny Trejo not actually doing much other than acting menacing.
What this all boils down to is that "Darkness Descends" is one of the most basic movies you are likely to come across, working its way through a familiar idea in the most unimaginative way possible. It sadly means that for those who love watching movies are likely to find it all a bit too under whelming once it comes to an end.
