The
Film: Frozen (2010) BUY IT
The Principals: Shawn Ashmore. Kevin Zegers. Emma Bell. Wolves. Adam F’in Green (who
directed).
The Premise: Three kids get stuck on a ski lift and face brutal weather, scary heights, hungry wolves, and their own psyche.
“It was then that I realized I was no longer fresh faced enough to be in a Bryan Singer film…”
Adam Green goes from hatchet wielding Hodders to Hitchcockian suspense in a high concept little number that works way better than it ought to. I mean, stripped down it’s basically Open Water in a Cold Chair. Two best friends (including chilly X-Man Shawn Ashmore) convene for their ritual of hanging out and partying and skiing, but this time one of them (Zegers) has brought his girlfriend (Bell) and it messes with the dynamic because she’s a novice skier and because it was supposed to be a gentleman’s weekend. As a result they feel compelled to get one more ride down the mountain in but the park’s about to close so they bribe the ski lift operator to let them go up…
…and they’re forgotten about. Hanging up above the frozen earth in the rapidly cooling air with the park about to be closed for a week, three young people come face to face with mortality. And the bonds of love and friendship. And wolves that like the taste of YOU!
Is It Good: Yes!
“Gripping.” – Orlando Sentinel
Is It Worth A Look: Yes, provided one doesn’t expect to be totally blown away. There are some nice moments and Shawn Ashmore really shines in a role that asks us to buy him (sorta) as a nerd. Though the idea of a pack of wolves showing up over the course of one night and really putting a damper in people’s plans is a bit of a stretch [I graduated from Wolf School with a major in Wolf Thoughts and a minor in Wolf Stuff so I know], I’m not too put off by it. And these wolves really like to eat humans. Like hairy snouted piranha, clicking their teeth and licking the blood away and stripping a person down to their bonebody in no time. These wolves are HARSH.
Adding to the mix is the frostbite that threatens to ruin delicate perfect twentysomething flesh. And the impressive heights!
Newsflash: Do not jump/fall from a ski lift chair.
“Zzzzzzzzzzzz-WHOA! Honey I had this awful dream that I was trapped on a ski lift and I concussed you and your best friend and ate you both even though we’d only been trapped for six minutes and…. honey? Honey’s best friend? OH NO, NOT AGAINNNNNNNNNNN!”
The movie cranks along at a nice pace, doesn’t make the conversations too arch and expository, and has the guts to do some pretty unfortunate things to the trio of young people. It’s a painful film to watch at times and that’s how it’s supposed to be. Adam Green’s a good addition to the horror genre and he seems to be in it for the long haul. Frozen‘s a good little flick, and certainly not one I’d overhype, but one that’ll deliver a few nice bends where you expect forks and a flick that is going to set man/wolf relations back a few decades.
See it.
Random Anecdotes: There’s a Sarlaac Pit discussion. There are references to web horror dudes like the lovely Spooky Dan. The wolves are much more menacing than the wolf in Grizzly Park.
“Tastes like Jerry Mintt.”