Tuesday, March 8, 2011

"Frozen" is a welcomed breath of fresh mountain air, but it seriously drags: C

You know something f***ed up is going to happen when the movie starts with happy young people on winter break. Free from the clutches of term papers and parents, Parker (Emma Bell), Dan (Keven Zegers), and Lynch (Shawn Ashmore) take a trip up to the ski resort to shred some serious powder.

On the last night of open slopes, the trio bribes the lift operator to allow them to go up for some night-skiing. Safely on board, they head up to the top of the mountain. Down at the bottom, the lift operator changes shifts and tells his replacement that there's three more coming down the mountain - and to wait for them to arrive before closing down the lift. Unfortunately for Parker, Dan, and Lynch, there's another trio already making their way down as they are being taken up. So when that group of guys arrive down at the bottom, the lift is completely shut down without anyone knowing that Parker, Dan, and Lynch are stranded in a chair.

It took about 45 minutes to get to this point in the story, which is where all the shit really starts to hit the fan. Naturally, the trio squabbles about their plan of attack and how the hell they're going to get back to the resort. The chair lifts are pretty high up in the air, and as night falls the mountain gets blasted with snow and gusting winds. Being so high up in the cold probably isn't the best idea, so of course, someone decides to jump. REALLY. BAD. IDEA.

This movie is about survival. I get tired of horror movies with flesh-eating viruses, menacing creatures, and the like - so I do have to give props to Adam Green for choosing more subtle (yet still terrifying) plot material. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in the same situation, so it does engage you as a viewer.

BUT...
There was simply too much talky-talky. You know, after getting stuck they start to talk about missing home and which girl they're gonna call when they get back. Or how much they miss their dog. Some of the conversations between the main characters were just retarded. It ruined much of the movie for me, as I do recall being kept in high suspense at one point. You would think that you would just - shoom! - get into survival mode and figure out what the hell you're gonna do. And I know this is going to sound mean, but whenever there's a chick in the mix, a whole chunk of the story is focused on how much she's freaking out and how hard this must be for her, as if the other two dudes are just expected to handle their shit and fix everything.

There are definitely moments in "Frozen" that will make you cringe and gasp. But there are more moments in the film that will put you to sleep. It's a unique premise, and it was executed in an average manner. Put it on in the background when you're doing your laundry.

2 comments:

  1. "know this is going to sound mean, but whenever there's a chick in the mix, a whole chunk of the story is focused on how much she's freaking out and how hard this must be for her"

    If that's how it is, that's how it is. Nothing mean in pointing it out.

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  2. Ahaha this movie was quite unintentionally hilarious, thinking back about it. It's quite clear the minimalistic concept was stretched to the breaking point. However, the most frustrating thing about the movie for me was how uncreative the characters were in dealing with their ordeal. As you mention, dude leaps from 45 ft in the air, what did he expect the outcome would be? Then the wolves racing the other guy down the slope and eating him alive, that's just hilarious.

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