Ice Road: Vengeance

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!

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.

So, let's not talk about the story - you already know what you're getting. "He will hunt them down" is back in business.

The plot is solid but offers no surprises. And that's a shame, because surprise is often what separates a good movie from a mediocre one.

The CGI, however, feels like it's from another planet - and not in a good way.

That planet is cheap and artificial. Take the CGI bus, for example: it's empty, even though it should be full of passengers. The scenes with falling cars look low-budget, and at times it seems like they didn't even film in Nepal - just in front of green or blue screens. The lighting was also off in several scenes.

In the end, the film didn't entertain me. It mostly screamed "bad CGI" again and again.

What a shame.

In an overall general way, Ice Road part 2 is entertaining, but it's also a ridiculous movie, with an awful script, horrible acting, and at times so bad it was funny. There is absolutely nothing in it that even slightly resembles reality. There is one sequence in the film that is so preposterous and seemed to signal that they decided to set the movie in fantasyland. Even the CGI is fake looking and on the level of something from the 1950s. Liam is doing his best and at 73 looks incredible. It's a shame he has to make films like this and while at times it is suspenseful it's also embarrassing. Worth a watch just to see how low movies have sunk.

I love Liam Neeson, even his rehular predictable fare after Taken 1 and 2. Here he growls his way through another revenge mission, this time set against the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas. But Ice Road Vengeance barely escapes the avalanche of its own clichés.

The plot: a frozen road, some dodgy mining conspiracies, a dead relative (naturally), and a long drive toward payback. It wants to be Taken on Ice, but ends up somewhere between a forgettable TV movie and a rejected episode of Ice Road Truckers: Nepal Edition.

The real letdown? The glaring lack of authenticity. Nepali politicians speaking English in a speech to the local crowd, not a single notable local actor in the main cast, and cultural details that feel as deep as a Lonely Planet summary. It's Hollywood exoticism on autopilot... all scenery, no substance.

That said, the cinematography deserves credit. The icy roads and mountain vistas are easily the film's best performers. But even Neeson's stoic charm can't steer this one out of the ditch.

Verdict: A missed opportunity: half-hearted action, surface-level storytelling, and a setting wasted on stereotypes. Watch only if you're stuck indoors with bad Wi-Fi and no popcorn left.

5/10.