Frozen is written and directed by Adam Green. It stars Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegers. Music is by Andy Garfield and cinematography by Will Barratt.
Three friends on a skiing trip are left stranded high in the air when their chairlift suddenly stops and it becomes apparent that everyone else has gone home; for the week...
Utterly simple in premise but mined for maximum suspense and horror, Frozen comes from the realist scenario movie that asks you what you would do in a similar circumstance? Green has an hour and half of film to play with, he basically spends the first thirty minutes by establishing his characters, letting us get to know and engage with them, and they are very likable sorts, then for the next hour he puts us up in the air with them on a chairlift as the temperatures drop, the night closes in and the wolves circle down below. Once the realisation kicks in that the situation is far graver than they first imagined, decisions must be made, something has to give, and we are not just talking about wanting to go to the toilet!
Yep, it's an everyday possible problem that turns into a nightmare. The characters make solid decisions, their options are few but Green doesn't insult the viewers by foraging in the ridiculous horror bin for solutions. It's a unique location for a film, and Green had his three actors actually up on a chairlift to further enhance the realistic set-up. There is not much blood and guts on offer for the gore hounds to feast upon, but a couple of scenes really do make for a cringe and breath holding session. Tension is high, very much so, this at times is edge of the seat stuff, again this is impressive given it's just three young adults up on a chairlift.
Spoilers In Next Paragraph.
Problems? Yes. There's a distinct lack of acknowledgement of pain on two occasions involving two different characters, and these instances can't be excused as saying the characters were in shock. The initial pain felt in the first instance would have been excruciating, anyone who has ever broken a bone will tell you that. Emma Bell tarnishes what is an otherwise good performance (all three leads are commendable) with a gross piece of overacting, her inability to do convincing grief hurts a key scene. While the finale is a touch anti-climatic. But Frozen mostly soars, clinically taut and tense, it's one of the better films of its type. 7.5/10
Three friends on a skiing trip are left stranded high in the air when their chairlift suddenly stops and it becomes apparent that everyone else has gone home; for the week...
Utterly simple in premise but mined for maximum suspense and horror, Frozen comes from the realist scenario movie that asks you what you would do in a similar circumstance? Green has an hour and half of film to play with, he basically spends the first thirty minutes by establishing his characters, letting us get to know and engage with them, and they are very likable sorts, then for the next hour he puts us up in the air with them on a chairlift as the temperatures drop, the night closes in and the wolves circle down below. Once the realisation kicks in that the situation is far graver than they first imagined, decisions must be made, something has to give, and we are not just talking about wanting to go to the toilet!
Yep, it's an everyday possible problem that turns into a nightmare. The characters make solid decisions, their options are few but Green doesn't insult the viewers by foraging in the ridiculous horror bin for solutions. It's a unique location for a film, and Green had his three actors actually up on a chairlift to further enhance the realistic set-up. There is not much blood and guts on offer for the gore hounds to feast upon, but a couple of scenes really do make for a cringe and breath holding session. Tension is high, very much so, this at times is edge of the seat stuff, again this is impressive given it's just three young adults up on a chairlift.
Spoilers In Next Paragraph.
Problems? Yes. There's a distinct lack of acknowledgement of pain on two occasions involving two different characters, and these instances can't be excused as saying the characters were in shock. The initial pain felt in the first instance would have been excruciating, anyone who has ever broken a bone will tell you that. Emma Bell tarnishes what is an otherwise good performance (all three leads are commendable) with a gross piece of overacting, her inability to do convincing grief hurts a key scene. While the finale is a touch anti-climatic. But Frozen mostly soars, clinically taut and tense, it's one of the better films of its type. 7.5/10