The Frozen

Right off I knew that there was conflict between the woman and her man. She was distant and the man was trying to energize the situation somehow. The reason for the conflict is revealed a few minutes into the movie and ties in later especially at the end. The scenery was not spectacular although I live near the mountains so I might be spoiled. However, the setting was just right for this kind of movie It did not need to be spectacular; it needed to fit the plot and. I believe it did. The female lead is not a likable person and this works well with the plot as things change. There is a French or Swiss movie I saw several years ago and I believe writer of The Frozen has seen this movie. They are similar but sufficiently different. I liked them both which proved to me that variations on a theme can be successful. Don't expect to be horrified or bloody freaked out. It won't happen. Go with the flow and you might find yourself satisfied at the conclusion. The acting worked for me. Obviously, others do not agree with my assessment but hey, that's life.

I am partially deaf so I watch movies with the captioning. Therefore, my experience is likely different from those who can hear well. I miss the vocal nuances and pick up on other physical queues.

The Frozen starts off promisingly, with an intriguing and watchable female lead and a better than decent male lead. Their interpersonal dynamics are ridden with ambiguous tension and the situation, a snowmobile accident that leaves them stranded, is grist for the mill of suspense, thrills and maybe horror. This goes on for two thirds of the film. Thereafter, the movie gradually reveals itself to be none of these, neither thrilling, suspenseful nor scary. It begins to drag. Badly. Nothing happens. Nothing keeps happening. The woman wanders, discovers a wedding ring intended for her, lights a fire, and on and on. But nothing engages, nothing moves forward and nothing comes together. This goes on -or off- for a good (actually bad) twenty minutes.

Then comes the finale. A trite, amateurish, bad film student's conception of a "cool" resolution. In fact, what we are treated to is a caricature of a prototypical Twilight Zone conceit. it's the one you were convinced no one would ever try again for its embarrassing familiarity and pretension.

I don't think you'll like this film.

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.

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.