Movie Review: The Last Descent

Amidst a box office full of fanciful stories and fight scenes, it’s refreshing to be exposed to real-life stories. At first glance, The Last Descent is the story of young father and medical student, John Jones, and the tragic Nutty Putty Cave rescue attempt in Utah. That is what I expected. What I saw was so much more – a raw and real look at life, relationships, and our individual defining moments. The Last Descent is an equally heart wrenching and heartwarming introspective movie that will leave you pondering the power of your own relationships and life moments.

The movie primarily takes place 150 feet below the earth in a hole 18 inches wide – part of the popular Nutty Putty Cave in Utah County. During the Thanksgiving weekend of 2009, John explored a lesser-known area of the cave and slide down into a narrow impasse 10 inches high and 18 inches wide. Stuck upside down for over 28 hours, John called for help and his brother returned with a rescue crew. The unique topography and geological makeup of the Nutty Putty Cave created intense difficulties for the rescue team that risked everything to save John’s life. Over 150 feet below the surface and at the end of over a thousand feet of tunnels, a unique friendship is formed as John and his rescuers share their lives, loves, losses and dreams.

The Last Descent possesses an It’s a Wonderful Life-esque quality that causes you to look back on your own life and rediscover your own defining moments.

I was surprised at how nostalgic the movie made me feel. In the flashbacks as John recounts his college days and courtship, I was taken right back to my own collegiate experiences. From the first few bars, I recognized Utah-based singer Kalai’s On My Mind.  Suddenly, I found myself  reminiscing backyard concerts on summer nights where I first heard the song that I promise you will listen to on repeat at the end of a long day.

Similarly, the late night studying in the library and the creative fishing date were incredibly relatable. The movie doesn’t highlight BYU specifically, but anyone who attended there  will instantly have their BYU memories rekindled. After seeing the movie, I found myself giggling over the memory of the library playing the Mission Impossible theme song when it closed for the night.  And I couldn’t help but think of all the days I spent up Provo Canyon snowshoeing in the winter or hiking Timp and the Y during the summer.

As John flashes back through his own memories, you can’t help but take a peek back at your own. A quote that still resonates with me after seeing the movie is, “You have to be on the edge of losing everything to really see the beauty in the simple things.”

Perhaps The Last Descent gifts us the chance to reexamine the beautiful simple things in our own lives without facing losing everything. That is my biggest takeaway from the movie. Treasure your family. Treasure your memories. Learn from John’s story and move forward committed to living a better life.

Hats off to director, editor, and writer Isaac Halasima for bringing this inspiring story to the big screen. There is power in telling and sharing real stories and I hope that we will see more of it in Hollywood. And a heart-felt thank you to all of the Jones family and the rescuers for allowing this story to be hold.

While the nostalgia aspect of this movie clearly gripped my heart, the rescue attempts had me on the edge of my seat. Over 127 rescuers and local authorities worked tirelessly in challenging conditions during the 28 hours. I’m grateful that their story was shared as well!

Opening in theaters this weekend (September 16th), The Last Descent will be shown in theaters across Utah, Arizona, and Idaho with more theaters being added soon. You can stay up to date with the latest reviews and show times by clicking on this web-site as well as on Facebook.