The idea for “Fall – Fear Reaches New Heights” was actually quite simple: two friends are trapped on a small mini platform after climbing a 600 meter high antenna. This scenario not only severely triggered acrophobics and became a commercial success at the end of 2022. The survival thriller by filmmaker Scott Mann (“The Hijacking of Bus 657”) earned four times its production costs of just five million US dollars at the box office and enjoyed high international viewing figures when it was subsequently exploited on several streaming services. No wonder that a sequel was announced in March 2023, which – according to co-producer James Harris’ stated claim – should neither feel like a copy of the first part nor decrease in quality.
In fact, “Case 2: Deadpoint”, which again achieved considerable success in the USA with almost the same budget, does a few things differently: this time a ridiculously dangerous mountain climb becomes the ultimate challenge for your own fear of heights. The directing duo Peter and Michael Spierig (“Saw 8: Jigsaw”) also give the somewhat laboriously spun sequel, which is running exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Germany, a much darker note. Part 2 doesn’t quite match the original in terms of intensity, not least because of the sometimes artificial setting.
Jax (Harriet Slater) tries to come to terms with her sister’s climbing death – by setting off to dizzying heights with Luce (Arsema Thomas).
After Shiloh’s death, a real hype about the “fall girl” broke out on social media. Jax (Harriet Slater) finds her sister’s scrapbook, which not only contains extreme sports adventures she has already experienced but also planned. Next up would have been the infamous plank path in Thailand, which leads around the (fictitious) Mount Kwan at an altitude of around 1,200 meters on thin and rather rotten wooden boards. Jax flies to Thailand with Shiloh’s friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) to overcome her own unresolved fears on the extreme via ferrata. After they have mastered the first passage at dizzy heights with the dubious guide Jon (Tom Brittney), a rock fall caused by a thunderstorm destroys their path – and the two women are stuck…
While in the first part the friend duo set off in the best summer weather, here there are several warnings: it is out of season and the weather is therefore unstable. Before you go uphill, you have to pass a fence that explicitly points out the impending dangers. Feeling empathy for the predicament of the two women is a lot more difficult than in the first film – which is further reinforced by the unsympathetic and flat drawing of the main characters.
None of this is credible
Jax, played by “Outlander” series star Harriet Slater as an emotional wreck, falls into daydreams about a tandem jump with her sister even in the most inopportune life-or-death moments. Arsema Thomas (“She Taught Love”) as the daredevil Luce, on the other hand, doesn’t give a damn about any risks and doesn’t carry any water, but she does bring her video camera with her on the fatal climbing tour, which has little to do with naturalism.
Even if thunderstorms on the mountain are definitely not something to be trifled with, (amateur) alpinists will rub their eyes in amazement when rapid streams and avalanches of scree rush down the almost vertical, visibly worked rock face in the blink of an eye and – ohh! – also be accompanied by an earthquake. At least the digitally inserted backgrounds are convincing, so that the (quite sparingly used) views into the abyss are actually quite triggering – even though they were shot at a height of just six meters in a quarry in Thailand.
A suspension bridge sequence reminiscent of “Cliffhanger” is one of the highlights of the film.
In “Case 2: Deadpoint,” the two Spierig brothers repeatedly manage to create suggestive tension with close-ups of loose screws, washed-out anchors and rusted metal struts. This is particularly evident in the crossing of a rickety wooden bridge that was already teased in the trailer, which does not have to hide from a similar scene in “Cliffhanger – Only the Strong Survive” (1993).
The screenwriters Jonathan Frank and Scott Mann try to harken back to the Stallone classic at the end when they force some nonsensical action with a twist that was already hinted at at the beginning but was very artificial. The survival concept works precisely because of its minimalism and reduction. But Mann will probably have a chance for rehabilitation soon: “Fall” is to be expanded into a franchise with a third part already confirmed with him in the director’s chair.
Conclusion: Solidly tricked, fear of heights is also physically noticeable in “Case 2: Deadpoint” through oppressive glimpses of depth. However, the characters in the sequel lack the charm and the setting lacks the realism to really captivate you.