cosmo_tiger Review of As Above, So Below

As Above, So Below (2014)

A very neat idea that was ruined by the jump-scares that never seemed to fit.

[7/10 · 1 December 2014]

"As above, so below as I believe the world to be, so it is." Scarlett (Weeks) is searching for the philosopher's stone and thinks she has finally found the resting place of it. She puts together a crew and heads to the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris. What they end up finding is something no one is prepared for. This is a difficult movie to review. The idea of a type of horror Indiana Jones/National Treasure is great. This starts off very strong and the fact that they actually filmed in the catacombs beneath Paris gave this "found footage" more of a reality based feel. The real downfall and problem with the movie is the horror aspect. The horror of the movie is really nothing more than jump scare after jump scare. Normally that isn't a terrible thing but in this movie it just doesn't make sense. You watch the interesting aspect of the explorers trying to figure out the symbols they find and then from out of nowhere someone jumps at the camera, then the exploring continues. The horror would have been better if it was done more suspenseful like The Cave rather than having it feel like an afterthought. Overall, a very neat idea that was ruined by the jump- scares that never seemed to fit. I give this a B.