In 7 words or less: A murder mystery slasher in the snow
What's it all About? US Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kat Beckinsale) has been stationed at a research base in Antarctica for 2 years with nothing but petty crimes and misdemeanors to handle. However, with just 3 days to go before she is set to fly home, a murder occurs and Carrie decides to stay put until she solves the case.
Did it make you think thoughts? This is a real head scratcher of a flick. It starts out fairly well, with some character introduction and scene setting which doesn't manage to avoid cheesy set pieces and a hammy script but does at least put you in the mood for a tense thriller. Sadly it just meanders along and you just don't care about the twists and sub plots. The flashback scenes involving Carrie in a sun drenched Florida are particularly woeful. The film also can't decide what it wants to be. You think it's a thriller but the moment it strays into faceless pickaxe wielding manic mode I sighed a big sigh.
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| Make-up in the snow? Hmmm. |
Ultimately, this pic is a prime example of a worrying trend. The comic book adaptation. It's not just the spandex crowd that are slinking onto the silver screen out of the pages of comic book lore. Non superhero fare such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (an awesome comic), Judge Dredd (The Chief's top comic book character of all time) and now Whiteout all failed to make the transition to celluloid. More on this in an upcoming feature article exploring the connection between comic books and Hollywood.
Would you watch it again? No point
Rating (out of 100%): The problem is, the film is just Meh. I like good films and strangely enough I like bad films (if you're a regular reader that might not seem so strange actually as I seem to watch a large percentage of crap). After all is said and done, I give Whiteout a mediocre, off-white 40%
