A solid, if uneven man-versus-nature suspense film in the general vein of The Edge or Open Water. Urbane couple Alex and Jenn (Jeff Roop and Missy Peregrym) go camping. He is eager to show her a secluded spot he loved as a child and, unbeknownst to her, has come with an engagement ring. Intended to be idyllic, their trip descends into disaster amidst various poor decisions and mishaps, building to an encounter with an enormous predatory bear. The film's first hour foregrounds the dynamic of their relationship. In a borderline heavy-handed way, it hints Alex's macho outdoor brio is a false, compensatory facade, one she plays along with. He, for example, declines a map of the area. Maps? Who needs maps? It is therefore fairly predictable (though not unsatisfying) when Jenn, played well by Peregrym, emerges as the more resourceful and courageous figure. The film in general slowly builds a reasonable amount of dread and suspense (including a red-herring meeting with a knife-wielding, lecherous guide played by Eric Balfour with an inexplicable Irish brogue), though the handful of bear-centric sequences are undermined to a certain degree by hectic editing and in-and-out-of-focus photography, with the human cast and the bear rarely sharing the frame for more than a second. Perhaps this stems from a budgetary limitation since it stands in sharp contrast with the more atmospheric and elegant aesthetic of the rest of the film.

B-

I thought it was great. Really liked the main characters. The movie was pretty intense at times. Nicely shot. A very good creature feature.

8/10 (A-)