The film examines a different experience lead by Wight, her husband Mike and his brother Sean, by going out into a secluded forest reserve on a fishing trip. In these moments, the trio are threatened with an invisible danger, these people are in real trouble and the camping trip in the woods turns into a competition for survival at that moment.
Denham's film has the anxieties of post-9/11 America firmly in it sights, asking what kind of example the nation's recent history of violent adventurism abroad has set for the next generation of boys with toys.
Survival horror is a tough enough genre to pull off; defining the characters within one through tired clichés and boring archetypes only makes it more so.
Preservation finds itself fracturing into two halves. Both are moderately effective yet their contrast hinders us from staying invested without being jolted by their artifice.
A violent yet agreeably goofy throwback to the survival-in-the-woods genre, with shades of Southern Comfort, Deliverance, and even The Blair Witch Project.
Chockablock with instances of characters not shooting, running, attacking, or sneaking away when they can or should, this thriller comes off like the world's most rigged game.
If you've seen the Spanish 'King of the Hill,' the denouement will come as no surprise. Still, the basic situation is so primal, what young filmmaker wouldn't want to attempt a knockoff?
