The Film
There's a brilliant episode of "Seinfeld" where George and Jerry are pitching their "show about nothing" to an NBC executive. Behold:
NBC Exec: "No stories? So what is it?"
George: "Alright. What did you do today?"
NBC Exec: "I got up and came to work."
George: "There's a show. That's a show."
NBC Exec: "How is that a show?"
Jerry: "Well, uh, maybe something happens on the way to work."
George: "No, no, no. Nothing happens."
When I first heard about Frozen, the above episode of "Seinfeld" immediately came to mind. How I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall at the pitch meeting for this film.
Studio: "Well, maybe somebody comes to rescue them, or..."
Writer: "No, no, no. Nobody comes. Just the kids and the chair. That's a show."
Is it ever. Before you think I'm bad-mouthing Frozen, let me remind you that I'm comparing it to "Seinfeld," the greatest television series of all time. In point of fact, Frozen is a brilliant idea and its utter simplicity is what makes it so compelling. As a viewer, there's nothing to think about beyond, "What would I do in this situation?" And make no mistake: it's a horrific situation.
Remarkably enough, the set-up for the film is quite convincing. It's dark, it's late, the ski resort is about to shut down the lift, but these three kids promise to be quick on the way down. Some cash in the lift operator's pocket greases the wheels (so to speak) and before you know it, our doomed trio is halfway up the mountain. A believable case of mistaken identity leads to the lift shutdown and soon after, the resort closing up shop for the night. After all, it is Sunday. The problem is, like many ski mountains in New England, this one doesn't open again until Friday. How do you survive for five days in sub-zero temperatures with no food and no water? Simple: you don't. You either attempt to escape this fatal situation or you freeze to death. There is no third option.
Frozen was written and directed by scare-meister Adam Green, the man who gave us modern horror icon Victor Crowley in Hatchet and Hatchet II. I'm not a huge fan of slasher films, but Frozen is a suspense thriller more than anything else. It's actually much closer to Jaws - three people in the middle of nowhere facing a no-win, scary-as-hell situation. And these filmmakers are clearly fans of Spielberg's famous shark; Frozen is the first feature film from upstart production company "A Bigger Boat." The name alone makes me giddy and I couldn't have suggested a better logo animation than the one they came up with. After Frozen, I'll be keeping an eye out for that big yellow barrel in front of future films.
The Picture
Technically speaking, Frozen is not a disc I'll be grabbing to impress my friends. It's not bad, it's just not particularly noteworthy in any department. Anchor Bay brings Frozen to Blu-ray and the presentation has a film-like appearance with a pleasing layer of film grain visible. As expected, the film's color palette is rather subdued, with the only real color being the ski jackets of our chairborne passengers - but even those lack substantial punch. Apart from some occasionally creative overhead camera work, the snowy landscape and surrounding trees come across looking relatively flat. Black levels are for the most part good, though there were a few scenes that suffered detail loss in the shadows. Fine image detail fared well during facial-closeups, and the convincing frost bite make-up held up well under the scrutiny of 1080p.
The Sound
Like the video, Frozen's soundtrack doesn't offer much to write home about. The film is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, but when your film is rooted in three kids on a bench you can't really expect too much. There were a few missed opportunities here and there, namely the fact that I expected to hear some far-off mountain echoes when the kids start calling for help. Unfortunately, the sound stage rarely ventured beyond the front three speakers and only a few bursts here and there had need for the subwoofer. All that said, dialogue was clear and intelligible throughout and that's really all that's needed for this film to work its magic.
The Extras
In addition to a few deleted scenes, a theatrical trailer and a pair of audio commentaries, the main extra to speak of is a four-part making-of featurette. This lengthy documentary of sorts features some candid conversations with cast and crew and overall it's surprisingly well done. My favorite is the segment entitled "Shooting Through It," as it goes into the logistical and physical challenges of shooting the film on an actual chair lift in some very harsh conditions. Taken together, this four-part look behind the scenes is an engaging experience and left me with a new found respect for Mr. Green and the talented team he assembled here. (And how cool is it that his stunt coordinator is Kane "Jason Voorhees" Hodder?)
Final Thoughts
This film doesn't end the way you think it will, and I'm still deciding whether or not I appreciate that fact. Sill, Frozen is a brilliantly simple and taut little thriller and it'll surely keep me off the slopes for at least a few years. But do go ahead and give it a spin because you're guaranteed to have a blast. I'll just stay here in the lodge with my hot cocoa.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
