Fall 2: Deadpoint (2026)

​“Fall 2: Deadpoint” stars Harriet Slater, Arsema Thomas, Tom Brittney, and Grace Caroline Currey.  Released on September 2, 2026, the film follows two women as they’re left stranded on a mountain in Thailand.

The film was directed by Peter and Michael Spierig, who also directed films such as “The Big Picture”, “Daybreakers”, “Jigsaw”, and “Winchester”.  It is a sequel to the 2022 survival thriller “Fall”.  Some people are brave enough to perform life-threatening stunts to “live life to the fullest”.  Others, on the other hand, prefer to live by not constantly putting their lives on the line, and I don’t blame them.  Despite the differences, we all share a common trait that’s been in our system for a long time: our phobia of heights.  That fear was displayed on the big screen via Scott Mann’s “Fall”, chronicling the two friends left stranded on the world’s tallest broadcasting tower.  It not only provided an enjoyable yet consistently tense experience worthy of such treatment, but also reminded audiences why they’re better off remaining on the ground.  Its mild success led to a sequel that features a new duo tackling an even more dangerous stunt, testing their thrill-seeking limits and even their sanity.  Does it provide the similar heart-pounding tension of its long-feared phobia, or are audiences better off remaining on Earth?  Let’s find out.

The story is set after the events of “Fall” and focuses on the new protagonist, Jax Hunter (Slater).  Jax is the older sister of Shiloh, who died from her attempt at climbing up the 2,000-foot-tall B-67 TV Tower.  While grieving over Shiloh’s death, Jax is approached by Shiloh’s friend, Luce (Thomas), with an idea to honor her memory.  They decide to travel to Thailand to perform a treacherous plank walk on Mount Kwan, guided by John (Brittney), intending to pay tribute to Shiloh’s bravery.  Unfortunately, their stunt quickly turns into a fight for survival when a rockslide traps them at 3,000 feet above the ground.  This forces Jax and Luce to work together to stay alive as they try to find a way off the mountain.

“Fall” is the type of movie that’s best enjoyed as an experience rather than an actual film.  While nothing special in its narrative, I admire Scott Mann for using the film’s dizzying cinematography and intense sequences to convey the terrifying reality of being on top of the world.  I am a really big chicken when it comes to heights, especially when I’m really high up with nothing to protect me from unintentionally falling.  In a way, the movie helped me be super careful with how I approach tall buildings and everything else, or stay far away from them.  Whichever works.  So, of course, I was willing to brave its out-of-nowhere sequel, which not only gave us new characters to care about, but also a new location that seems more life-threatening than a television tower.  The reason?  The planks are too flipping narrow!!

That fact alone is the main reason I’m better off admiring Mount Kwan from afar rather than risk my life traversing its illegal plank walk.  “Fall 2” easily validates my decision, to the surprise of no one.  While the views from Mount Kwan are nothing shy of breathtaking, they’re immediately shut out by the urge not to fall more than 4,000 feet from a teeny tiny, unstable plank.  It’s enough to give me and someone else pure anxiety to the point of panic, but it’s also what made this and “Fall” enjoyably frightening.  Granted, you’re seeing actors perform stunts on screen, but both “Fall” and “Deadpoint” share a common ability to transport audiences into this horrifying predicament.  Whether it’s the height, the limited amount of space, or the mental stress, these movies make us feel like we’re literally high up in the sky.  It’s the kind of experience that feels like real life rather than a fake, Hollywood-esque location.

Unsurprisingly, “Deadpoint” managed to retain this cinematic tactic, mainly for the plank walk on Mount Kwan.  The Spierig Brothers have been hit-and-miss with their filmography, and the only movie I’ve seen from them was “Jigsaw”, a fine yet flawed installment in the Saw series.  So I’ve been pretty cautious about how they’ll replicate the heart-pounding tension Scott Mann created for its predecessor.  Safe to say that they got the job done without fail.  The Spierig Brothers provide a dizzying, constantly tense excursion that can take a bit to reach that specific point.  Once it does, it never lets me go until the end.  Of course, I mean that in a literal sense because I do not want to fall off the plank.  Regarding the brothers’ approach to the fittingly disoriented cinematography and good suspense, Scott Mann may have found himself a respectable successor in retaining the fear-inducing anxiety stemming from these death-defying tricks.   

With that said, it’s also worth pointing out that this thrilling conquest isn’t for everyone.  Similar to “Fall”, “Deadpoint” is designed for those brave enough to conquer this daring feat.  If you have a severe case of anxiety or a drastic fear of heights, I would advise you to stay clear of the film at all costs.  Since we might get a franchise out of “Fall”, it’s also best to stay away from its potential sequels.  You’ll thank me later.  But even with this extremely risky trek across the mountain, there’s also the matter of the story’s execution that makes the trip worthwhile.  Sadly, like its predecessor, “Deadpoint” seemed dead on its tracks when trying to express its characters and emotional depth.  As I mentioned before, “Deadpoint”, as well as “Fall”, are best seen as cinematic rides rather than as movies themselves.  Admittedly, there are admirable attempts at character-driven moments.  Sadly, the direction for those scenes outside the tense climb somehow lacks the push it needs to propel past that limit.

Again, the Spierig Brothers did a good job representing the anxiety of being stuck on the world’s narrowest plank walk.  But when they get to the dramatic scenes, I couldn’t help but wonder if it’s directed by the same guys.  Most scenes felt like the movie was made to be released on a streaming service before being sent straight to theaters, including the character-driven drama, lighting effects, and pacing.  The moments involving the characters are practically the bridge that connects the film’s gripping sequences.  But the journey to those scenes is like the plank walk itself: wobbly and unstable.  Even when it tries to take the emotional route through the characters’ anxieties, it comes off as underwhelming, mainly because of the cast’s performances.  Harriet Slater is probably the weakest of the bunch as Jax, delivering a performance that lacks a human touch in her character’s grief and fear.  Arsema Thomas was a bit more tolerable as Luce regarding her attempts at levity, but that’s about it.  As for the editing, it wasn’t overly terrible; it had one scene with a flip-camera trick that strengthens the dizzying sense of the mountain’s height.  However, that doesn’t excuse the other times when it looked scattershot in its transitions.  Then, there were the visual effects, which looked surprisingly mediocre compared to the first film.  They’re not noticeably bad, like “direct-to-video” bad, but they do take me out of the illusion in most cases.

It’s certainly a case of having a sequel that’s less effortful in its quality than the first film.  But to the credit of writers Scott Mann and Jonathan Frank, there’s at least an effort in its story progression.  Instead of a flavorless retread of the predecessor, “Deadpoint” aimed to expand the universe it introduced, both in its locations and its characters.  They knew that climbing up the radio tower was a one-and-done deal, so having another tower to climb would’ve been too obvious.  So they decided to go even bigger on the danger, thus Mount Kwan.  Additionally, the story continues to highlight the central theme of fear seen in “Fall”, focusing on Shiloh’s sister, who strives to conquer her own, as well as her relationship with her late daring sibling.  It’s a noteworthy way to inspire audiences with what it means to live, but the script was anything but inspired.  At times, the dialogue felt rough around the edges, and the film has a habit of setting up future sequels or revisiting familiar tropes without much gusto.  It’s as smart as any other low-bar popcorn thriller could get, but at least it’s better than having to climb up the radio tower for the second time. 

Overall, “Fall 2: Deadpoint” retains its anxiety-inducing stakes seen in its predecessor, but it also fails to grasp onto its storytelling roots as hard as it could.  It has the proper supplies to give audiences another cinematic reflection on fear, especially its tale of finding the courage to overcome it.  Not to mention, the dizzying sequences involving Mount Kwan are undoubtedly worth watching on the big screen…unless you have a dreadful fear of heights.  However, when it comes to the story’s execution, these merits aren’t quite strong enough to carry it through its cheap quality and subpar direction.  It’s not a massive fall from grace, thanks to the Spierig Brothers’ commitment to delivering an immersive, constantly tense thriller from a technical aspect.  But regarding everything else, you might be better off staying on the ground.  If they’re really moving forward with another sequel, then I wouldn’t mind giving this franchise another shot.  However, they really need to patch up its quality to make their new dangerous trip worth taking.  

C-