FALL

(director/writer: Scott Mann; screenwriter: Jonathan Frank; cinematographer: MacGregor; editor: Robert Hall; music: Tim Despic; cast: Grace Caroline Currey (Becky), Mason Gooding (Dan),Virginia Gardner (Hunter), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (James), Jasper Cole (Dog Walker Dan), Darrell Dennis (Randy); Runtime: 107; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers: David Haring/James Harris/Christian Mercuri/Scott Mann/Mark Lane; Lionsgate Films; 2022-UK/USA)

“The story was too slight.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A fun survival thriller directed and written by Scott Mann (“Final Score”/”Heist”). It’s co-written by Jonathan Frank. It features two carefree young daredevil lady climbers, Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner). To test their fears of climbing and raise the spirits of the grief-stricken Becky after her hubby (Mason Gooding) was killed in a rock climb, that caused her to become a big drinker, not want to live any more and not listen to her overbearing dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Hunter suggests they try a daring climb. Sensing her despondent best friend needs her help, Hunter gets Becky to test her mettle by scaling with her, on an illegal climb, the B67 TV tower — an abandoned 2,000-foot communication tower that’s located in the middle of the California desert. It’s supposedly the fourth highest structure in the country.

The pic is based on the simple formulaic story based on the climb, that’s filled with frights (especially when they come to a situation where things go wrong and there’s no way down) and it uses a few gimmicks (with hard to detect CGI effects making it difficult to tell if the climb is real or not). It’s set in one location, and plays on the viewer’s fear of heights and love of recovery stories.

“Fall” was superbly shot in the Imax format in the Mojave Desert. But the story was too slight (and was padded) and had too many cheesy moments to be taken seriously.

REVIEWED ON 8/13/2022  GRADE: C+