‘The Sound’ climbs to the heights of mediocrity
How bad can a movie be that dares blend rock climbing, horror tropes and CIA black ops? In the case of “The Sound,” pretty awful. If not for the gorgeous cinematography, it would be devoid of any semblance of worth. Even then, it fails to divert attention from the stilted acting on the part of an ensemble selected more for their mountaineering skills than their ability to depict living, breathing characters.
Would you expect more from Brendan Devane, the writer-director of the equally discombobulated “The Canyonlands”? As with that picture, Devane can’t pick a lane, recklessly swerving across genres like a motorist with an astronomical blood-alcohol level. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t end well. Something about a mysterious sound emanating from a sacred mountain in the indigenous region of British Columbia that drives folks insane before causing them to fall to their deaths.
The natives have aptly dubbed it the Forbidden Wall, clueless to how “forbidden” will only lure hot, young climbers to their picturesque shrine. Chief among them, a gnarly dude named Sean (Marc Hills), whose family has a history with the place. It seems his PopPop attempted to ascend the intimidating edifice 63 years earlier, only for he and his colleagues to meet a gruesome end. Sean, of course, must avenge this tragedy by accomplishing what his ancestor could not.
As luck would have it, he’s among a dozen hotshots selected to scale the rock for the first time since that fateful expedition. Why now, we’re not entirely sure. But Sean eagerly awaits his chance, albeit as a backup to the six-member A-team faced with the challenge of reaching the top alive and with their sanity intact. Like that will ever happen. Predictably, it’s just a matter of time before the guys and gals, led by the taciturn Colton (Nicholas Baroudi), commence reaching the peak of their mortality in the wake of being exposed to an evil that can’t be seen, only heard.
Left in the lurch is the sweet and lovely Kristen (Rachel Finninger), the proverbial damsel in distress. And only Sean can save her, as well as all mankind, by defeating a “darkness” the CIA longs to capture and unleash upon our geopolitical enemies. Can you stand the intrigue? Me, I was yawning before the first toe gingerly contacted a narrow crevice.
The goal, Devane has said, was to toss “The Thing” and the Oscar-winning “Free Solo” into a blender and see what happens. He even recruits “Free Solo” star Alex Honnold for a clunky cameo to propel the ridiculous plot into motion. Poor Alex, he’s one helluva climber, but he’s certainly not much of an actor.
Neither are his peers, Hazel Findlay and Brette Harrington, who also play versions of themselves. At least they aren’t as inept as the real actors. I’m talking about you, William Fichtner, as Sean’s fretful dad, Connor; and Wayne Charles Baker, as Chief Guyustees, the resident sage filling Sean’s tiny brain with world-saving grandiosity. He tells his charge to embrace “the quiet.” Good advice, because the less we hear from Sean, the better. Ditto for Gabe Greenspan, the alleged comic relief as the group’s doltish IT coordinator, Radio.
Our savior is director of photography Ryan Galvan, whose camera work is nothing short of magnificent. The climbing scenes are nail-biting and the panoramic vistas breathtaking. But, as hard as he tries, he can’t make the actors look competent. You’re tempted to yell, “Just shut up and climb!” It’s a toss-up over what’s worse, the acting or the dialogue.
I’m also not a fan of the generic score by James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins. He, like “The Sound,” is anything but “smashing.” See it, if you must. But it might behoove you to watch it on the telly with the mute button activated. That way, as the chief says, you can embrace the quiet AND enjoy the view.
Movie review
The Sound
Rated: R for language and some violence
Cast: Marc Hills, Rachel Finninger, Nicholas Baroudi, William Fichtner, Christian Howard, Elise Greene, Wayne Charles Baker and Jocelyn Hudon
Director: Brendan Devane
Writer: Brendan Devane
Runtime: 104 minutes
Where: In theaters (limited) and VOD on June 27
Grade: C-
