The Frozen

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.

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.

This movie starts off bad and gets worse. Terrible acting and equally bad dialogue are the two things I remember this movie for, poor storyline is the third. It is a low budget film granted, but that is no excuse. A poor plot , bad acting and no connection with the two main characters, in fact I found the male lead character extremely annoying and lost count of how many times the phrases,"seriously" and "give me a second" were used. The eventual twist at the end of the film could be guessed well before it is revealed. The only good comment I can make about this movie is that there were occasionally some stunning shots of snow covered landscapes.

Fun fact, I fell asleep while watching this. I had sense enough to pause; when I resumed, it turned out that I'd stopped mere seconds before the course of events first takes a turn, right around the 15-minute mark. Under the circumstance I don't think I can meaningfully blame the movie for me passing out - but on the other hand, I'm not sure that 'The frozen' wouldn't have inspired such a reaction after all. It's not that this is bad, per se, but there's rather a lack of eventfulness, or anything to help the picture stand out. A camping trip goes bad; creepy nightmares, sounds, or happenings pop up - and that's a wrap. However much we sympathize with the stranded couple, major suspense is not forthcoming, and the tale becomes one of many about survival in the elements. I discern no specific fault otherwise, and filmmaker Andrew Hyatt created a fairly sound feature for his debut as both writer and director - only, chances are low that one might stumble across it, and there's no special reason to seek it out over comparable features.

Stars Brit Morgan and Seth David Mitchell are fine. The filming location is gorgeous. I think this is well made from a technical standpoint, and the contributions of those behind the scenes are swell. Hyatt demonstrates competence in his direction, and there are some good ideas in the screenplay. Yet more than anything else what most makes an impression in 'The frozen' are the sound effects, and the original music of James Grundler. Whether ambient themes, light and ethereal guitar chords, or more immediately tense strings or distorted guitar, the score provides a tinge of atmosphere, and is pretty fun of its own accord. Would that the rest of the film came off so strongly, because what we get is only fleetingly and irregularly compelling - and not always convincing, as protagonist Emma sometimes makes choices that raise a skeptical eyebrow.

Only within the last half hour does the story become more interesting, but it's still not enough to stand tall in a crowd. This is especially true as we've been able to guess for a long time an approximation of how the movie would end, and the realization of that ending seems sadly pedestrian. More than that - given certain overtones, seemingly in line with Hyatt's other films since, the ending is altogether hokey and tiresome. I had mixed expectations at the outset, and I suppose they were kind of well met considering that 'The frozen' never makes the best use of its potential. Unremarkable exposition, a middle portion that oscillates between unremarkable and "almost interesting," a third act that comes close but not close enough, a sorrily maudlin ending - I guess there are worse things you could watch, but there's many far better movies than this, too. Watch it if you like; just don't get your hopes up.