Whiteout

Scott Hardie: “It sucked.”

Somebody went to a lot of expense and effort to make this movie look great, but they couldn't save it. The uniqueness of the location is undermined by the utter familiarity of the plot: There's no twist that you don't see coming miles away, long before the protagonist, who you'd expect to be more competent in her profession. Over and over, characters make dumb decisions that no rational person would make; one person even asks aloud why highly-credentialed scientists would make these mistakes, but the movie keeps moving along and hoping that we don't wonder too. I really like one thrilling (if very implausible) scene, where three characters chase each other through a deadly blizzard with only tethered ropes to guide them. But the other 90 minutes of the movie are a slog, and a waste of good source material.

− February 3, 2013 • more by Scott • log in or register to reply