If you liked Fall (2022) you might be dumb (like me)

Overview

The reviewer calls Fall one of the most entertaining movies he has seen all year, despite finding it ridiculous. He praises its striking desert cinematography, convincing tower shots, and nerve-rattling sound design, while gleefully picking apart the characters’ questionable decisions.

Plot and Commentary

After losing her boyfriend in a climbing accident, grieving Becca is persuaded by her friend Hunter to climb a huge TV tower. They reach the top, but the ladder breaks, leaving them stranded with little water, no phone service, and a backpack just out of reach.

The reviewer repeatedly shouts obvious solutions at the screen: tie themselves to the central pole, try climbing down, or move the rope to the right spot. He also pokes fun at the pair for watching videos on their phones instead of conserving battery, and at the movie’s constant use of Hunter’s name.

The rescue attempts provide several of the video’s biggest laughs and tense moments. Becca and Hunter try lowering Hunter to retrieve their backpack, then use a drone to send a message toward a distant town—only for it to be spectacularly flattened by a truck.

The reviewer also jokes about the movie’s conspicuously mild “freaking” dialogue, which he says replaced a slew of original f-bombs through AI dubbing. His mother, who watched the film with him, supplied the profanity the movie wouldn’t. He secretly recorded her reactions, including her shouting at the screen.

A late twist reveals that Hunter died during the backpack attempt, and Becca has been imagining her presence ever since. The reviewer says the reveal works better on a second viewing, with clues including Hunter’s injured hands and her odd behavior after the fall.

Alone at last, Becca kills and eats a vulture for energy. She then uses Hunter’s body as padding for her phone so she can drop it safely and send a message to her father. The reviewer treats this grisly final plan as the film’s greatest gag—and a fittingly outrageous finish.

Verdict

Fall is a strange mix of genuinely skilled filmmaking and baffling choices, but its suspense and absurdity make it a blast to watch.

Personalities Featured or Discussed

• The reviewer
• The reviewer’s mother, whose reactions were recorded
• Becca and Hunter, the film’s two climbers
• Negan, briefly encountered by Becca
• Becca’s father, addressed in her final recording