Fall [Blu-Ray]

Director: Scott Mann

Cast: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Release Date: October 18, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

Synopsis:

For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from the producers of 47 Meters Down. Costarring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Please Note: Lionsgate Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Fall’ accompanies Becky, a talented climber and risk taker who after losing the love of her life to a terrifying accident becomes lost. Nearly a year after the tragedy she has disconnected from her father as well as her best friend Hunter and has no desire to move on. But when Hunter manages to talk her into accompanying her for an internet stunt climbing a massive 2,000 foot radio tower, the two reach the top only to become trapped there when the aging ladder attached to it crumbles and falls, leaving them with no way to descend. Now, the two friends will have to find a way to get ahold of someone in the remote area and too high to receive cell reception. But with the odds against them and only a small platform to hold them up, time will quickly become their worst enemy.

Directed by Scott Mann (Heist, The Tournament) from a screenplay that he additionally co-wrote with Jonathan Frank (Final Score), Mann does a capable job at the helm of ‘Fall’ keeping things tense and somewhat emotional, while also cleverly utilizing the scenario and environments to keep us on edge throughout. The film’s cast includes Grace Caroline Currey (Annabelle: Creation), Virginia Gardner (TV’s Runaways), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (TV’s The Walking Dead) and Mason Gooding (Scream 2022) with most offering fitting and decent enough performances for the most part in each of their respective roles and helping to keep things moving along smoothly.

‘Fall’ is an enjoyable and often nerve wracking thriller that plays off of the common fear of heights and the even more terrifying concept of being stuck thousands of feet up without any way to get down; something bound to hit the nerves of even those who don’t mind heights in general. It wisely takes its time to set up some background on the limited collection of characters within and allots some time to get to know them before throwing them into their predicament. The cast does quite well for the most part and while this one probably won’t be flooded with award nods, it still does its job competently and keeps things fairly tense and uncomfortable throughout much of its duration which helps to allow the unease to build along the way as our characters become increasingly more desperate while time goes on without any sign of reprieve or salvation in sight. ‘Fall’ largely plays by a somewhat generic formula and while there may be a couple surprises or unexpected moments occurring along the way, it keeps things mostly familiar and instead focuses on offering up a thrill ride that attempts to keep you on edge, something at which it largely succeeds.

Overall, ‘Fall’ delivers an entertaining thrill ride that can be uncomfortably intense and nerve wracking at times, especially for those who don’t enjoy heights in the first place. Utilizing smart camera shots and angles to help us better appreciate just how terrifying and dire the situation our two leads are stuck in is and backed up by the capable guidance of director Scott Mann and a cast led by Grace Caroline Currey and Virginia Gardner who each hold their own quite well. It may not be brimming with originality but it does a pretty solid job of what it attempts to and that’s keep the audience uncomfortable and engaged. ‘Fall’ is recommended, especially for anyone that typically enjoys a notably intense and peril-centered thrill ride that won’t have any trouble holding your attention and keeping you on edge. If you’re already looking forward to this one it should be worth the time and price of a rental to check out.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Fall’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.00:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks quite great as a whole and provides a clean, smooth and well detailed presentation from start to finish. It holds up without any issue even during the few darkly lit or heavily populated moments and never allows anything that’s occurring on screen to become negatively affected, let alone rendered indiscernible; retaining a sharp and balanced appearance on everything from characters to backgrounds and landscapes. Overall, this is a solid high definition video presentation that should please fans as well as first time viewers.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack offers a clean, crisp and at times somewhat hard hitting audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes advantage of all five channels at its disposable in order to send wind whipping and the tower creaking, along with some nature effects and more throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while always ensuring that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain sharp, clear and fully audible. Overall, this is a fully capable 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Fall’ includes a couple of notable extras that fans of the film should appreciate. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Producer/Co-Writer/Director Scott Mann and Producer James Harris’, in addition to the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘Fall: The Making of’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length) which includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. Also included on the release are the ‘Madison Beer “I Have Never Felt So Alive”’ Music Video (running approximately 3 minutes) and the film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (approximate 2 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 7.5/10

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‘Fall’ Arrives Home on Blu-ray & DVD October 18, 2022 & is Now Available on Digital from Lionsgate Home Entertainment

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