If you want an idea of what the extraordinary 8 part show, The River, is really like then you may have seen The Dinosaur Project (2012), or to a lesser degree Anaconda (1997), especially the found-footage camera techniques of the first example, or the wonderful characters of the second. The River is a startlingly original supernatural thriller, full of really good action tension and supported by a creepy suspenseful story, that has several alarming evolutions. Each episode features at least one or two good cgi sequences, low key but impressive and believable, nothing like the giant snakes of Anaconda, but pulling their weight. It all winds and treks with bucketloads of sweat and terror toward an unexpected and satisfying end, leaving room for more if ever there is a second series, but not ripping us off. Found-footage dramas are often frustratingly hard to watch either because of the camera shake or because at important moments the camera simply loses focus or gives us rushed impressions of the ground as people flee. The River never suffers this problem as so many cameras are used, from shoulder cams, or from static cameras set up around camps and or from cameras set up all over the boat. In fact, I think the format helped the editing and lent a great weight to the possibilities for extra suspense. The use of light was really impressive. Where raw nature crept in, especially insects or storms, it was also impressive but should have been much more so (don't expect to see shots of jaguars or monkeys or capybaras). I thought there was a lot of over-dramatisation, but when I think back I can't quite put a finger on where believability lost ground, but certainly the profound emotional ties in this story lead to a lack of common sense here and there. Then again, maybe that's a good thing. The River is a rare gem that all horror and sci-fi fans need to experience. It is definitely an experience!
