Plot: What’s it about?
Dan (Kevin Zegers) and Joe (Shawn Ashmore) love to shred the slopes, but their most recent trip to the Snowbasin ski resort has been a little tense. Joe brought along his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell), who Dan feels has been taking over Joe’s life and now, their beloved ski trip. Not to mention that since Parker isn’t very experienced, the three have spent almost the entire trip on the beginner slopes. As the weekend draws to a close, the friends want to get in one more run, so Parker flirts with the lift operator and the trio begins to ascend the mountain. But thanks to a series of unfortunate events, the lift is shut down and the group ends up stranded halfway, with the trio suspended high above the ground. As the night grows colder and colder, the friends struggle to keep warm and then, the wolves arrive…
A tense thriller with some light horror elements, Frozen walks on a well worn path. We’ve seen man versus nature plenty of times, so does Frozen stand out from the crowd? I’ve seen worse movies than Frozen, but a lot of simple common sense plot mistakes and unlikable characters keep this in the shallow end. These folks are in danger based on their own idiocy, show no signs of intelligence, and fail to connect with the audience whatsoever. That all adds up to trouble, since if we don’t care if these people live or die, much of the tension is sucked out of the experience. At the same time, Frozen has some memorable moments that are worth seeing, there’s just not enough of them. The premise is good, it surrounds the leads with constant turmoil, but the execution fails to cash in on that potential. I really wanted to love Frozen, but it winds up as a middle of the road picture. I do think it is worth seeing, but a rental is more than sufficient.
Video: How does it look?
Frozen is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a superb visual effort. You will know for sure you’re watching high definition, even the tiniest of details is clearly visible here. The snow falling, facial detail, and overall depth, its all crystal clear in this presentation. No concerns with colors or contrast either, this is a sparkling transfer from top to bottom.
Audio: How does it sound?
Not to be outdone, this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is also quite good. The atmosphere is bolstered thanks to an active audio design that makes you almost feel the cold chill. The surrounds might not pulse with intense impact, but the audio is well crafted and adds a lot to the experience. The music also sounds good, while dialogue is clear and never a problem. This disc also includes a Spanish language track, as well as English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Not one, but two audio commentaries, one a laid back session with the director and lead actors, another more technical track with the director, editor, and cinematographer. These are solid tracks and regardless of what kind of information you prefer, you’ll find plenty of it here. An almost hour long behind the scenes documentary is also included, which means whatever you want to know that wasn’t in the commentaries, is bound to be in this. This disc also includes a couple more less substantial featurettes, some deleted scenes, and the film’s trailer.
