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.
