Ice Road: Vengeance

This movie is way below average. The acting is pathetic...you just laugh (and not because it's a comedy) at how bad the special effects and fight scenes are. Definitely one of, if not the worst Lian Neeson movie ever and it's a shame to waste 2 hours of your life watching something like this.

I don't understand how actors like Liam Neeson accept such roles, because they alone ruin the image they've built up over their entire life.

Unfortunately, Hollywood has been in decline for the last few years and the quality of films is increasingly execrable.

In conclusion, don't waste your time with this movie, it's simply ridiculous.

At this point, Liam Neeson's situationship with perilous situations has become a tiresome actioner trope. All the characters, except for Neeson's and Bingbing Fan's, are directly imported from the generic action template guidebook. This could've been tagged a Taken movie, and it wouldn't be any different. And for a film titled "Ice Road," there were hardly any icy roads. I forgot almost everything about the first film except for the name, Neeson's character, and the poster.. so I didn't even realize that the protagonist's brother was dead (lol!). Also, I read that most of this was shot in Australia and not Nepal, which makes it matter even less. Can Liam Neeson do less of these and more of In the Land of Saints and Sinners types with better character depth?

At this point in his career, Liam Neeson seems determined to keep his reputation as the relentless action hero intact even if the snow is thicker than the plot. Ice Road Vengeance rides on the same old tires: a few gunshots, a rugged truck, and Neeson doing what he does best growling lines and outrunning death despite looking visibly exhausted. The film tries to channel Taken-style grit into a frozen landscape, but unfortunately, what it delivers is mostly cold air. There's minimal emotional depth, barely-there suspense, and a plot that feels recycled from every other Neeson thriller of the past decade. It's not entirely unwatchable-Neeson's fans might still find some icy charm-but it's hard to shake the feeling that this road should've been left untrodden. A generous 4/10 feels fair, mainly out of respect for Neeson's enduring commitment to grit.

This film had all the ingredients to be something remarkable, a gripping premise, the raw and treacherous beauty of Nepal's unforgiving roads, and the presence of Liam Neeson, whose performance rarely disappoints. And yet, what could've been a visually stunning and emotionally compelling survival thriller fell flat, entirely due to a poorly written story that disrespected both geography and authenticity.

Instead of leveraging the naturally dangerous terrain of Nepal to drive a more grounded and believable plot, the filmmakers seemed more interested in rushing through implausible sequences. The most jarring offense? Presenting a CGI version of Everest that looked painfully out of place, especially when we know the real mountains are right there, majestic, harsh, and more cinematic than any computer-generated replica.

Even worse, the portrayal of Nepali culture and language was laughable. Random gibberish passed off as "Nepali" only served to insult rather than represent. For those of us who know and love the country, this felt careless, even offensive.

And let's address the elephant in the room: you simply cannot take a bus from Kathmandu and reach Everest in a few hours. The film treats this like a casual weekend trip. It's not just misleading; it's disrespectful to the very people whose land and struggle the movie pretends to showcase.

The only reason I gave this movie 5 stars was because of Liam Neeson. Strip him away, and this wouldn't deserve more than a 2. A spectacular setting wasted on a lazy script and cheap execution.

An attempt to shoot a B-movie? It makes no sense for Liam Neeson to want to be remembered for such bad films, but if he keeps making them, I guess this is how he'll be remembered! Once again, we're subjected to an extremely weak script and the 'White Savior' trope being shoved in our faces. The same old conflict with greedy power brokers and forced, unconvincing scenes.

Lifeless Action and Flimsy Logic: Illogical character choices, poor pacing, and fight scenes devoid of impact-sometimes unintentionally making the film's tone comedic.

Aging Action Star Syndrome: Neeson clearly wants to prove he's still formidable, but he no longer has the agility needed for believable fight scenes against younger opponents.

Overall, a waste of time! With one exception: the breathtaking visuals of Nepal's countryside... But hey, it's not even shot in Nepal!