In an era where videos of free solo climbers go viral and survival challenges rack up millions of views, "Fall" takes that obsession to the extreme. The movie traps two young women at the top of a 600-meter (2,000-foot) tower, with no way to call for help and dwindling resources, turning a realistic setup into an open-air claustrophobic nightmare. Director Scott Mann builds the story within the survival horror subgenre, which has given us films as intense as they are nerve-wracking, like "127 Hours," "Open Water," and "The Shallows." But unlike the best examples of this type of story, "Fall" struggles to maintain immersion and credibility, stumbling over narrative choices that undermine the emotional impact and believability of the situation.
The film kicks off with a prologue that sets up the tragedy shaping protagonist Becky (Grace Caroline Currey). During a climbing trip with her husband Dan (Mason Gooding) and her best friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner), she watches helplessly as Dan falls to his death. A year later, Becky is emotionally wrecked, drowning in grief and isolated from everyone, including her father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, completely wasted in a role that seems to exist solely to justify a few phone calls). Hunter, now a social media influencer obsessed with adrenaline, suddenly reappears with a questionable idea: climb a massive abandoned transmission tower and scatter Dan's ashes from the top as a way to "face fear." The reasoning is flimsy, but the movie needs to get the characters up there somehow, relying on expositional dialogue and shallow emotional beats that weaken the drama's foundation.
If the first act is clunky and predictable, "Fall" finds its footing when it finally focuses on what it does best: the climb and its sheer vertigo-inducing intensity. The direction effectively captures the vastness of the desert and the dizzying height of the tower, making the danger and vulnerability of the characters feel tangible. The moment when the ladder collapses-kicking off the true survival portion of the story-is genuinely nerve-racking and marks the film's high point. Mann uses strategic angles and camera movements to amplify the fear of the void, with some shots so well-executed they provoke a real physical discomfort, especially for those afraid of heights.
Unfortunately, after that burst of pure tension, "Fall" starts to unravel. The script tries to inject emotional conflict between the characters, but the dramatic reveals feel artificial-forced in for shock value rather than genuinely enriching the story. Hunter, in particular, gets hit with a completely unnecessary twist that feels more like something out of a soap opera than an organic dynamic between two friends fighting to survive. The movie also throws in extra obstacles-like vultures circling above and desperate attempts to contact the outside world-but these challenges feel more like scripted conveniences than natural developments in the story.
Another issue is the lack of authenticity in how the survival scenario plays out. Survival films live or die by the internal logic of the dangers they present, but "Fall" leans way too much on contrivances and inconsistencies. The characters constantly make irrational decisions, and some of the solutions they come up with are so implausible that they completely deflate the tension. On top of that, there are moments where the CGI and digital effects are glaringly obvious, breaking the immersion in a movie that desperately needs a sense of realism to work.
Despite its weak script and questionable technical choices, "Fall" undeniably knows how to use its setting. The isolated tower, the endless sky, and the overwhelming sense of insignificance against the vast desert create a genuinely palpable sense of despair. The film aims to be a sensory experience, and in that regard, it does hold the audience's attention. But once you look past the visuals, it becomes clear that there isn't enough substance to elevate this premise beyond a flashy gimmick.
Overall, "Fall" delivers a few genuinely nerve-wracking moments but struggles to sustain its tension all the way through. It's the kind of movie that works best on a big screen, where the scale of the tower can really hit you, but beyond that, it doesn't leave a lasting impact. If the goal was to make the audience afraid of heights, mission somewhat accomplished. But when a survival thriller relies more on artificial plot twists than the real danger of its premise, the impact fades-and what should have been a visceral experience ends up feeling like just another forgettable thrill ride.
The film kicks off with a prologue that sets up the tragedy shaping protagonist Becky (Grace Caroline Currey). During a climbing trip with her husband Dan (Mason Gooding) and her best friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner), she watches helplessly as Dan falls to his death. A year later, Becky is emotionally wrecked, drowning in grief and isolated from everyone, including her father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, completely wasted in a role that seems to exist solely to justify a few phone calls). Hunter, now a social media influencer obsessed with adrenaline, suddenly reappears with a questionable idea: climb a massive abandoned transmission tower and scatter Dan's ashes from the top as a way to "face fear." The reasoning is flimsy, but the movie needs to get the characters up there somehow, relying on expositional dialogue and shallow emotional beats that weaken the drama's foundation.
If the first act is clunky and predictable, "Fall" finds its footing when it finally focuses on what it does best: the climb and its sheer vertigo-inducing intensity. The direction effectively captures the vastness of the desert and the dizzying height of the tower, making the danger and vulnerability of the characters feel tangible. The moment when the ladder collapses-kicking off the true survival portion of the story-is genuinely nerve-racking and marks the film's high point. Mann uses strategic angles and camera movements to amplify the fear of the void, with some shots so well-executed they provoke a real physical discomfort, especially for those afraid of heights.
Unfortunately, after that burst of pure tension, "Fall" starts to unravel. The script tries to inject emotional conflict between the characters, but the dramatic reveals feel artificial-forced in for shock value rather than genuinely enriching the story. Hunter, in particular, gets hit with a completely unnecessary twist that feels more like something out of a soap opera than an organic dynamic between two friends fighting to survive. The movie also throws in extra obstacles-like vultures circling above and desperate attempts to contact the outside world-but these challenges feel more like scripted conveniences than natural developments in the story.
Another issue is the lack of authenticity in how the survival scenario plays out. Survival films live or die by the internal logic of the dangers they present, but "Fall" leans way too much on contrivances and inconsistencies. The characters constantly make irrational decisions, and some of the solutions they come up with are so implausible that they completely deflate the tension. On top of that, there are moments where the CGI and digital effects are glaringly obvious, breaking the immersion in a movie that desperately needs a sense of realism to work.
Despite its weak script and questionable technical choices, "Fall" undeniably knows how to use its setting. The isolated tower, the endless sky, and the overwhelming sense of insignificance against the vast desert create a genuinely palpable sense of despair. The film aims to be a sensory experience, and in that regard, it does hold the audience's attention. But once you look past the visuals, it becomes clear that there isn't enough substance to elevate this premise beyond a flashy gimmick.
Overall, "Fall" delivers a few genuinely nerve-wracking moments but struggles to sustain its tension all the way through. It's the kind of movie that works best on a big screen, where the scale of the tower can really hit you, but beyond that, it doesn't leave a lasting impact. If the goal was to make the audience afraid of heights, mission somewhat accomplished. But when a survival thriller relies more on artificial plot twists than the real danger of its premise, the impact fades-and what should have been a visceral experience ends up feeling like just another forgettable thrill ride.