FROZEN (2010) review

written by: Adam Green
produced by: Peter Block and Cory Neal
directed by: Adam Green
rated: R (for disturbing images and language)
runtime: 94 min.
U.S. Release Date: February 5, 2010

You’re enjoying a fun day on the slopes, but it’s getting late and you go back to college tomorrow.  The ski resort is closing down, but you and your friends decide you want to take another run down the mountain.  The guy running the lift tells you everything is closing, but you convince him to let you get on one last time.  As you take the ride up the mountain, you’re at least 50 feet in the air, it’s cold, and nobody is skiing.  All of the sudden, the lift stops and the lights go out all over the mountain.  You and your two friends are completely stuck on the lift.  By the way, it’s Sunday night and the mountain doesn’t open again until Friday.  What would you do?

This is a question that writer-director Adam Green does a great job getting the audience the bite on quickly.  I asked myself, “What would I do here?” several times throughout the film.  “Frozen” stars three young actors (Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, and Shawn Ashmore – who ironically plays Iceman in the “X-Men” films) as the focal points of the film.  As the plot progresses, it becomes more evident that no matter what choice these characters make, it’s not going to be an easy escape.  They get to choose from: jumping 50-60 feet to the ground (and if they make it unharmed, who knows what’s in the wild to greet them), shimmying across the thick, sharp metal wire and destroying your hands, or just waiting for help to arrive (while probably getting frostbite, sunburned, or dying).  Again, what would you do?

You’d think that the phrase “one-set horror film” might be a bit of an odd one, as this movie takes place mostly on the lift.  Doesn’t there need to be action, or running from a crazy killer?  “Frozen” manages to include plenty of action, even while these characters sit perched up in the ski lift.  In between the craziness, the three college students get into discussions (sometimes very ominous ones) to keep their minds off the cold and their predicament.  One of the characters even goes into a long monologue about the horror film “Jaws”.  “Frozen” actually draws similarities to “Jaws” in several ways, but most notably the fact that “Frozen” brings up feelings of horror about one specific place, just as “Jaws” does.  After seeing “Frozen”, viewers who go skiing this winter will not be able to help but think about this film as they slowly move up the mountain.

Overall, “Frozen” definitely delivers on what it sets out to do, which is make viewers uncomfortably shift in their seats as they are confronted with this story.  What made me more uncomfortable as a viewer is continually wondering what in the world I would do in this situation.  Some of the dialogue gets a little cheesy at times, but what horror film doesn’t have lame dialogue here and there?  Even with their presence, the sometimes lame horror movie lines didn’t pull me out of the story.

This movie comes highly recommended from both David and me.  I can see this one being a must-watch horror film before those annual ski trips with friends.  If “Frozen” is playing in your city, go see it and let us know what you would’ve done if you were stranded up there!

RATING: ***