The Frozen

Mediocre acting... but a decent plot twist, some interesting scares, and beautiful winter scenery helps keep this movie decent.

I'd like to be honest before I begin my review. Actually I was trying to find movie entitles something like "Frozen" because I found an article saying that the movie is good. I didn't get much information about the movie other than the title contains the word Frozen. So picked it up and later I realized that I got the wrong movie. The title I want is actually Frozen River.

So I decided to watch it alone, in the middle of the night because I wanted to get scared. And I did. But then I got mad because it was just a dream. I didn't happen only once, but almost all the time. Why??? I think it would be cool to make it real. I kinda tired with this kind of twist.

A couple drive to the snowy woods to spend their holiday adventure together. After driving a while they take a snowmobile and go further into the mountains. Suddenly they see someone between the trees and after taking their eyes off the road they crash.

Now, I can understand why the ratings are so low for The Frozen. It doesn't contain much action, no special effects really, dialogues are honestly poor and choices of protagonists seem irrational. However, if you love films like The Edge with Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins, you will probably like this one as well. I love films taking place in the nature. They are simple. There are no intrigues, gang violence, corporate competition and cops chasing bad guys. It's all about surviving and this is what The Frozen is about. The couple has to survive in harsh conditions and they can only count on themselves.

From the start to the end of the film I could feel the tension. There is hardly any music, so most of the sounds you hear come from the nature, which makes you feel on edge. The acting is fine. You can probably remember Brit Morgan from True Blood series. She plays a hardly likable character, but it's fun to watch her.

All in all, it's probably not a masterpiece of cinematography, but if you like films taking place in the nature, you will enjoy it. I give it 7 out of 10 for the unexpected ending which changes everything.

The Frozen starts off promisingly, with an intriguing and watchable female lead and a better than decent male lead. Their interpersonal dynamics are ridden with ambiguous tension and the situation, a snowmobile accident that leaves them stranded, is grist for the mill of suspense, thrills and maybe horror. This goes on for two thirds of the film. Thereafter, the movie gradually reveals itself to be none of these, neither thrilling, suspenseful nor scary. It begins to drag. Badly. Nothing happens. Nothing keeps happening. The woman wanders, discovers a wedding ring intended for her, lights a fire, and on and on. But nothing engages, nothing moves forward and nothing comes together. This goes on -or off- for a good (actually bad) twenty minutes.

Then comes the finale. A trite, amateurish, bad film student's conception of a "cool" resolution. In fact, what we are treated to is a caricature of a prototypical Twilight Zone conceit. it's the one you were convinced no one would ever try again for its embarrassing familiarity and pretension.

I don't think you'll like this film.

There are probably going to be some reviews bashing the simplicity of this film, but amazingly enough that is what I found most intriguing about it. For a simple ultra-low budget this is the best I've seen in a while. The synopsis is simple. Guy talks his girl into heading up to the snowy mountains in a bold (if not ignorantly risky) attempt to get some alone time. Survival becomes a factor after a foretelling crash, and then of course there is the menacing bad guy to contend with. The director is knowledgeable of the area and the expertise shows in the scenery takes. Great camera work and some effort put into good angles. The musical score helped out quite a bit, at least for me. Good tension rifts and effectively moody when needed. I was most amused by the first half of the film. The focus is the interaction between the guy bending over backwards in optimism to cater to the ever-skeptic and ego-crushing girlfriend. Sounds cheesy I know, but my opinion is that for some reason this worked.. I'm sure some couples are going to relate.. and then the added bonus of them ripping around on an RMK sled while dripping with naivety. They did pack quite well at least. I think I was more nervous and tense for them than they were. If you've ever personally crossed that moment in the outdoors where you just aren't quite sure if you are going to make it back to the truck... even if just briefly, then you know what I mean. Anyway, some nice details that make sense in a survival struggle were present.

I'm not saying there weren't flaws. There we're. Both in tech details for what was being portrayed and in the story itself. For instance, snowmobiles are heavy and tricky to ride in a couple plus feet of mountain powder. Not something for a novice. It would have been fun to show the realism of getting one unstuck.. lol. Also 3/4 of the way into the film my plausibility meter was gagging with the bad guy, but that one worked itself out.. just have to be a little patient.

All in all I was entertained by this cheap trip into the woods. Not everyone will be, but if you dabble in the outdoors with your spouse, it might have a better effect.