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FROZEN (2010) (***1/2)

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The tag line for the film is that it will do for skiing what JAWS did for swimming. Now in no way is it in the same league as Steven Spielberg's classic, but it's certainly on the same field with films like OPEN WATER, which found a couple left behind in shark-infested water on a scuba trip. The action for this tense horror/thriller moves the action to a ski lift in the sub-freezing cold.

Joe Lynch (Shawn Ashmore, X-MEN) and Dan Walker (Kevin Zegers, DAWN OF THE DEAD) are best friends who have planned a snowboarding/skiing trip. Joe is upset that Dan has brought along his novice girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell, FINAL DESTINATION 5). Dan is too cheap to pay for lift tickets so he has Parker charm the lift operator to let them on. Big mistake. Tensions were running high from the start and they only come to the breaking point when the threesome is accidentally left on the lift after closing.

Adam Green, who is best known in horror circles for his campy HATCHET series, goes the opposite way with this film. It certainly has it's gross out moments, but the focus is more on interpersonal conflict and dread. Green takes his time to establish the dynamics between the characters. It's actually surprising to see this much personality in characters in a scary movie.

Now, Green does have to set up a complex scenario of mishaps to get his premise off the ground, but it never destroys the credibility. So many scenarios these days are ruined by the prevalence of cellphones. The complications of being trapped on a ski lift are mined extremely well. The height and the cold are just the start of their worries. Frozen metal is far more gruesome here than when Flick stuck his tongue to the flagpole in A CHRISTMAS STORY. There are perils to climbing down that the layperson might not even think of. And there is a pack of wolves roaming below once they get to the ground. Whenever you think there is some common sense element Green has ignored, he addresses it satisfyingly. A CAT driver is a bit stupid, but you have to have stupid people in horror films, right?

In actuality, I cared little about the contrivances, because I cared so much more about the characters and their situation. I wanted to see how these characters reacted, fought and come together over the situation. Resentments spur actions that might have gone differently under other conditions. Each action that they take pushes the next reaction, driving the plot and suspense. It's one of those stories that make you wonder what you'd do in the same situation.

Who decided not to buy lift tickets? Who should and shouldn't be there? Who did or didn't decide to take dangerous actions? Each question makes one double guess each move. Guilt might be one of the most dangerous elements attacking these friends.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks