User reviews

I'm not sure why this film is rated so low. It is not a Hollywood blockbuster, not a Citizen Kane, you can tell its low budget. Regardless, the acting is pretty good, the directing and cinematography are good. It IS difficult to tell a story when we all know the outcome, so it feels a little long at times, but it is otherwise watchable.

The film was made with the utmost respect for John Jones. Aside from the scenes of him in the cave, there are many flashback and dream sequences that make John Jones a real person, not just the "guy who got stuck in the cave."

I will say that I do NOT recommend this film to anyone who suffers from claustrophobia or anxiety. I do not think you will enjoy it, as it will only exacerbate those issues.

This movie deeply impacted me, on many levels. I'm old, but in my youth, I did things, pushed the envelope, that to others might seem crazy. After med school, after marrying, my life choices flattened out a little. I can understand why John went into the cave, the feeling of needing one more adrenalin fix. But, and I say this with love and humility, John was a damned fool. Loving beautiful wife, the girl he dreamed about. Through med school, soon to be a pediatric cardiologist. One healthy beautiful child, soon to have a second. Parents and siblings that loved him. Good health and prosperity. And instead of dropping to his knees and thanking God for his gifts, he crumpled that life into a ball and threw it away.

Its important in life to appreciate good, and not beat yourself up, because you think there should be more. Youi think you deserve great.....whatever that is. In nearly 50 years as an M. D. I've seen so much imaginary discontent, people that seemed to have it made, but managed to find something to feel bad about. Things that 99% of their family. Friends would think, "are you crazy?"

Personally I think this is why theres so much addiction in the world. The inability to find contentment. The movie was well made. The acting solid. Directing, casting etc., all great.

But, if you want to give Dr. Jones tragedy meaning, look to your own life. Examine the self destructive behaviors that put your "good" at risk. Too bad John was unable to do this.

I saw this story as a clip on a tv show and did a wee bit of research online to find out the story of what happened. This film is heart wrenching and if you aren't claustrophobic before then that may change by the end of the film. I don't want to spoil the film for those who haven't seen it but it is worth watching.

This movie is inspired by the true story of John Jones. I was unfamiliar with his story of getting stuck in a narrow passageway while caving with his brother in 2009. This movie is a sweet, sad, and surprisingly romantic story. It isn't extremely exciting or entertaining but it is an emotional movie. My wife watched less than 10 minutes with me and still left the room crying. The movie is obviously low budget and some of the acting is not great. But considering what it has to work with, some things are done really well. I'm a little ambivalent about movies where one person is stuck in one spot throughout the whole movie. It's a challenge to keep such movies from getting tiresome. This movie keeps things interesting enough by jumping around between the rescuers above ground, John's situation inside the cave, and the romantic flashbacks with John and his wife. There is also a mysterious figure that keeps popping up in John's hallucinations which creates a little mystery. Some will appreciate this sweet story while others will find it to be too slow. What I appreciated most was the honest dialogue between John and the rescuers who stayed by his side. John felt just like the kind of family man we know from our own lives. He was very relatable which made this story even more emotional.

As you'd expect, this is not for anyone who has above average claustrophobia and it's tough enough anyhow. They soften the technical details of how he's stuck but the point is clear.

Knowing it's a true story and knowing the ending doesn't make it easier. I don't get the negative reviews, or how it might have been done better, except as a gritty technical exercise (a different type of movie).

The flashback and premonition scenes are well done, also. This was a difficult story to tell under any circumstances.

Based on a true story that happened in 2009, this movie 'The Last Decent' is similar to another movie called "147 Hours" concerning Aron Ralston, but in this film a caver or Spelunker named John Jones who is accompanied by his long-suffering brother Josh, go to Utah to begin exploring an unmapped section of what is called Nutty Putty Cave and Josh gets out safely, but John becomes stuck upside down 150 feet underground. Actor Chadwick Hopson who plays John Jones, is such an emotional character and you feel his overwhelming sense of dread and sadness. The rescue efforts to bring John out to of the hole to be re-united with his loving wife Emily (played remarkably by Alexis Johnson) and the whole scene between John and Aaron(Landon Henneman), is imprinted in your mind. There's a few scenes with Susie (Jyllian Petrie) that are truly heart felt and the Stock footage of scenes from the actual newscast interspersed in the movie make you feel the impact of what actually happened back then. Aaron, and John's interaction wrench your heart. I'm still reeling from this. That's all I can reveal! Please watch this!

Poorly written, poorly directed and poorly acted, with a lot of pointless hallucinatory scenes of John Jones staring across a field at his wife and his daughter. You really feel like the film was a rush job - put together in a hurry, merely to make a buck on the back of this tragedy. Don't waste your time buying the vid... It's a shame though, with a talented writer-director and experienced actors, this could have been an excellent movie - paying tribute to John Jones and the brave men and women who tried to save him.

I was a little surprised to see this movie score below at least 6.5, and my initial thought was the usual "don't make entertainment out of a real life tragedy"-remark, but it seems to be the opposite in this case. Sure I was a bit bummed by some of the technical inaccuracies as well (hole being a lot bigger etc), but when I realized that this movie is more about John's story than the rescue effort, the movie grew immensely on me. It is mostly flashbacks and conversation all in all, but it's there for a purpose; to make you feel for the main guy as opposed to just watch the technical aspects of a failed rescue mission that there are tons of videos about on Youtube.

I don't think it's cringe either, most of it is well acted and it makes the ending so much more heart wrenching. I see people here complaining about not immediately getting the little plot twist which is thoroughly explained - I personally thought that was a touching little detail.

Try to think of it as Titanic - there's more to the story than a ship sinking in the Atlantic, but if you really just want to see the technical aspects of the sinking, maybe you should watch a doc instead. This is a very emotionally driven movie, and if you're not an emotional viewer it might not be for you.

Chadwick Hopsin gave a stellar performance as John. Kudos to Halasima for a beautifully done mosaic of John's life & ordeal. All actors were believable, set was well-done w/great attention to detail. Those saying you shouldn't watch if you're claustrophobic weren't kidding; it is very tense when John is scooching thru the narrow passage. Later, that extreme level of tension diminishes. However, I found that days after watching, this story still haunts me. Many call it similar to 127 Hours but it's more similar to Everest (Rob Hall), imo. Despite the horrific ordeal, there simply isn't the same level of suspense.

Some reviews are unhappy with the way the film was done. But w/any art, you need to look for what the presentation is trying to convey, not what you think it should convey. This is a beautiful retelling of who John was, what became of him, & some interesting ideas of what he might have experienced. But it does leave a lot out, which can be found on the web. IE, it doesn't reveal they tried to dig rock away to make more room, that 2 rescuers got stuck, or that only 15 were qualified to actually go into that part of the cave. It doesn't tell that the son of the cave-access manager was sent in to do the final crawl with a stethoscope. The nimble 15 y/o was a regular caver who also brought with him the radio for a final goodbye to Emily, which never took place.

I would definitely recommend watching this part-documentary/ part-drama & then do a search where you'll find things like a drawing depicting how John was positioned & the narrow access routes. The rescuer called Aaron in the film was actually Ryan Shurtz. In the only detail I could find about Ryan it was said despite his cave & rescue expertise when he first saw John's predicament he had to hold back tears. Both Ryan & Susie became friends of the families. But be warned: This film will stick to you. Many viewers find their way to YT channels like TFIL or CBG, where seasoned spelunkers film their adventures and make it back out. For me, watching those videos gave me some relief and a better understanding of what happened to John and even what kind of person would attempt such a challenge.

For those complaining there was a religious thread, this film wasn't designed to avoid personal triggers but to portray a man's touching journey. I think those who fear believers to the point they're compelled to constantly draw attention to their distain are the very people who need such trust & tranquility in their own lives. It's yours for the asking. I found this aspect of the film to be very moving, personally. Regardless if a person considers themselves a believer, we all long to know our loved one has found some solace and that they are not really lost.

Truly an amazing, intense watch. So glad I stumbled onto this film. There are many other harrowing stories of cavers around the world but, to my knowledge, this is the only full-length docudrama. But I will stress again, this will haunt some of those who watch.

Way too Many flashbacks. Took up a third to half the film. Film too long. Ending rubbish.

And this can't all be blamed on being a low budget film. Cccc ccc.

I can not stand it when Hollywood is clueless and lumps cults in with mainstream Christian movies. I totally wasted my time with this movie and didn't know it until well into it. There should be an additional rating on LFS produced movies as they in no way represent mainstream Christian belief. Also the production quality was simply awful anyway.