As Above, So Below Review

As Above, So Below is the perfect mesh of a movie experience that is both highly intriguing and utterly ridiculous. This new entry in the found footage horror market is filled to the bone with absurdity in its horror element, yet there is a great sense of mystery within its setting that forces you to curiously tag along with these characters. Set in the Paris catacombs, we follow our main cast in their treasure and artifact seeking quest deep within the spooky realm of the famous tunnels. With an emphasized sense of isolation and claustrophobia, the movie does at the very least deliver on the idea of keeping the viewer's attention heightened once the setting transitions deeper underground. However, as I mentioned before, the horror elements are completely ridiculous in parts having no sense of logic within its found footage set up and would've made a lot more sense if approached with a more traditional cinematic direction.

For example, there are supernatural elements that are presented primarily within the premise of these underground catacombs having the ability to challenge each character's internal guilt. It's actually a pretty intriguing concept that nicely utilizes and depicts the setting as a major character in of itself. With my personal history of the horror genre, I've usually grown attached to horror films that understood and fully exploited the power of atmosphere and setting to create its audience immersing and character affecting experience. Unfortunately, despite the potential for something equally thought provoking and frightening being rich with this particular movie's ideas, there is absolutely no clever psychological horror angle being taken as the found footage style surprisingly shows everything that was supposed to be a "personal haunting image". Therefore, since the camera is able to pick up these images or moments, the entire group of explorers in the room is also seeing this perspectively random moment occur making it less eerily intimate and more of an abrupt spectacle.

Within the movie's concept of characters losing their minds from the claustrophobia and evil powers stemming from the catacombs comes a possibly terrifying cinematic experience driven by strong performances and clever direction. Well, that gets completely thrown out and officially buried deep within the ground from the moment they decided to take the visual heavy approach by showing everything that the characters were experiencing out in the open. However, I still felt a legitimate sense of intrigue as I witnessed these people constantly find themselves seemingly digging deeper and deeper within the Earth. There's this raw internal curiosity of wondering what the unknown will reveal while watching someone or group of people dive deeper into an environment that's completely foreign. So in that sense, whether or not the horror component works, the personal intrigue element is almost guaranteed to keep someone like myself attentive.

Now, much like most found footage horror titles out there, the beginning of As Above, So Below is without a doubt the weakest part of the movie attempting to set up the characters in an entertaining fashion. Admittedly, I actually found myself falling asleep within the first 10 minutes which is never a good sign due to the bland and tiresome segments being shown. Thankfully, skipping closer towards the end credits of this roller coaster of mediocrity, things do finally begin to get a little bit more interesting with the remaining characters reaching the bottom of the catacombs. At this moment, given the history of this genre, I was expecting a giant dose of questionable visual FX with something crazy and massive in scope happening. To my surprise, they decide to go against these traditional sensibilities and focus more on elevating tension building to a somewhat effective climactic ending.

Sadly, it's nowhere remotely close to being as entertaining as other films with a similar feel in tone or direction making As Above, So Below just another easily forgettable entry in horror cinema. I recommend skipping this one entirely and opting to instead check out other movies or shows that explore something similar. If you're interested in the setting itself, keep in mind that this is in fact a real setting in the world with several documentaries that are fascinating watches worth checking out. If you're enticed by the claustrophobic and isolation driven experience component, I recommend Ryan Reynold's Buried, The Decent, Gravity, and 127 Hours just to name a few. 

Rating: 5/10