Customer Reviews

The Canyon

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In "Open Water" (2003), a pair of scuba divers (who were also a couple) got stranded in the middle of the ocean and found themselves imperiled by a school of sharks. Well, in "The Canyon", we have a newly-married couple stranded somewhere in the Grand Canyon and hunted by wolves. It's basically a survival-type drama with some twists, but on the whole is quite formulaic. What makes this watchable (though more as a rental and not a purchase) is the acting, which I thought was quite alright, considering this is a low-budget indie flick. The story centers around Nick (Eion Bailey) and Lori (Yvonne Strahovski) who are a pair of newly-weds and eager for adventure (well, Nick mainly) - Nick's idea of a perfect honeymoon is to explore the deepest recesses of the canyon via muleback. Unfortunately, Nick did not have the foresight to apply for a permit for their excursion and the pair decide to take on the proffered services of a grizzled old guide Henry (Will Patton).

Will Patton makes the initial part of this movie quite watchable with his dry humor and vast knowledge of the canyon - he really is quite a hoot to watch in his role as guide. Unfortunately, his role is rather shortlived, and it is left to Nick and Lori to carry the rest of the movie through as the stranded pair are forced to rely on their wits to stay alive and make it out of the canyon, even as tragedy and danger stalk them in the form of a pack of determined wolves. Eion Bailey's Nick is quite average in his role as the smart ass new husband who uses his persuasive skills in getting Lori to agree to his adventure - a plan that seems doomed from the beginning considering his lack of planning and foresight.His character as such is hard to empathize with. Lori as portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski has more of a screen presence and manages to convey a wider range of emotions convincingly and had me rooting for her all through the movie. The highlight of this movie is actually the gorgeous cinematography of the canyon - simply breathtaking. On the whole, this is basically a been-there-done-that sort of survival drama, and I'd recommend it as a rental at best.

This film would fit nicely in a gift set with "Open Water" and "Black Water". Like its less-than-warm-blooded brethren, "The Canyon" finds an attractive couple trapped in raw wilderness, ultimately pit face to face with Mother Nature and her drones - in this case, wolves. There is stunning cinematography, beautiful scenery, and a fair level of intensity on display here, which makes the so-so script worthwhile. If you're the kind of person who enjoys man-against-nature pictures, "Canyon" is a perfect fit for a rainy afternoon. Even if one isn't a lover of eco-horror, the wolves used are put on full display, and they are breathtaking to behold. No CGI here.... thank the films Gods for that one. All in all, this is an entertaining thriller with more to admire than to roll the eyes at, and even when the eyes are rolling, they're rolling over a gorgeous surface.

The canyon is a fairly predictable cliche of a film but very nicely done in terms of photography and acting. I have to say that this is just not my kind of film and so it is hard to judge otherwise. If you like films about people who make bad decisions and then get lost in nature, then you may well enjoy this one. The disasters are kept to a few, which is good because that sort of thing can be overdone. No landslides, flash floods, indian attacks, quicksand, or going totally mad. Nice level of distress. The few disasters were however terrible but sort of predictable and some people may groan.I suggest suspending disbelief, because it is worth it to keep watching and focus on the tensions between the newlyweds and the scenery.

The"making of" special feature discovering the canyon was pretty nice because they took their movie seriously and mentioned issues working with the wolves and so on and we don't often see this in special features. I wish they had left a couple of deleted scenes in the film.

All in all, not a bad film for an evening for me. But to really appreciate the quality you probably have to like these sorts of lost and stranded films and not get upset if it seems somewhat generic. In its essence, I think it is not especially innovative. It is touching.

This movie BROUGHT ME TO TEARS at the end! No significant feat. Is it perfect? lol HECK NO! Kinda slooooow...especially in the beginning. But a Definite THUMBS UP for those nights when you and that special someone wanna cuddle without graphic sex scenes or blowing stuff up (which women hate! lol). The acting is VERY REALISTIC...the plot less so...the cell phone just HAPPENS to get coverage at the right time...and the chopper shows....ooops, let not give it away!...5 STARS b cuz it MOVED ME!

I also recommend this for teens. Though I can't seem to recall if there was nudity in the beginning. :0)

Woooooooooooooooo!

I can't say enough about the trio of stars in this thriller. Yvonne Strahovski (Lori), Will Patton (Henry) and Eion Bailey (Nick) turn in great performances in this thriller set in the beautiful Grand Canyon National Park. I've never heard of them before but will defnitely check them out in IMDB to view their credits. This is a film about "fear"...the unimaginable...the horrid thought of being left for dead...like finding a needle in a haystack. Henry the tour guide gets this "fear" element going from the get-go. He's a mysterious chap that guides Lori and Nick into the canyon, but what transpires is not what the viewer expects. Though it seemed to be a little slow at points (why I gave it 4 stars...not 5), it still succeeds in great character development...much needed under these circumstances.

I watched this movie online months ago, and have looked everywhere for it to buy. I could only find it online. It has a great storyline, beautiful scenery, and surprise ending.

This was a decent movie. It will entertain you. But -- there are a lot of problems. It was far too long. The story could have been resolved by shaving 25 minutes off of the film. Also, the ending was a rip-off of The Mist. I saw it coming. Bleh. Additional risks would have helped move the story along. Seeing the same domesticated dogs (supposedly wolves) circling them the entire film became boring.

As other reviewers have said, the acting saved this. I agree.

This is one of those films that almost lost me due to it's terrible beginning. A crushingly slow B movie was in full play when a change suddenly took place. The undeserving husband adopted a more believable face towards survival and the wife's portrayals of frustration acurately increased. The viewer now gets to see a man and wife trapped in an unforgiving expanse, leading to some fresh turns. Interesting action along with life lessons made what could have been a run away bomb entertaining. A good, reasonably thought out ending really helped. A nice little tricky survival film that may fit your mood when the video idea well runs dry.

Actually a good movie, with one of Rhodes twisted really messed up ending. A couple who are on their honeymoon, vacation out into the canyons without a proper tour guide. While in the canyons, they get lost someone gets killed and they need to do what they must in oder to survive.

PROS:
*Strong performances from Yvonne Strahovski and Eion Bailey
*Beautiful scenery
*Tense wolf scenes
CONS:
*Will Patton's role too short
*Tedious at times
*Characters stupid decisions
*Preposterous ending---why no CPR?
*Misleading promo as a "horror" movie
SUMMARY: Performances save an otherwise routine movie.