The Thaw

I did persevere for 20 minutes, then just could not stand any more..... 1. Shockingly bad dialogue 2. Cliché upon cliché upon - yep - more cliché. Stroppy teenage daughter, Val Kilmer doing a 'Val Kilmer' ie. Sleepwalking through this role - not that you can blame him. I would need strong sedatives indeed to get through this. 3. I disagree with the reviewer here who thought this was 'left wing' - oh contrare! This is a right wing depiction of the Environmental movement, why else would these people be depicted as such complete eejits? The ideology is in the representation. Mysteries of film fame Number 1: What precisely happens to some actors? Yes, I know Val Kilmer was never a Robert De Niro, but he was okay wasn't he? Suddenly, his name on the Cast list connotes an instant warning in my brain: 'Ooer - this might be very bad indeed....' and he never disappoints. His ex - wife Joanna Walley is the same. See her name on the Cast list? Probably it is not too good. Did they have some hard partying years in the later 80s / 90s when their decision making skills went amiss? Did they share a Manager who couldn't read a script? Did they stop caring? Whatever the answers to this pressing question, I can assure you that any time wasted watching this rubbish you will not get back. That bad? Sadly yes.

The Thaw (2009) I enjoy the mixture of horror, and political commentary. That is, after all, how this blog was born. I'm from the George Romero school of political commentary though, in the sense that it should be subtle. The political commentary of 'The Thaw" is not subtle. I'd liken it to carving "Global Warming" into a 4x4, and smacking the viewer in the face with it. Regardless, I found enjoyment in the film. Val Kilmer(Felon) Plays Dr. David Kruipen, who is researching global warming at a remote artic research station. Dr Krupien discovers what appears to be a wooly mammoth thawing in a melting glacier. Marth MacIsaac(The Last House On The Left) is Evelyn, Dr. Kruipen's daughter. Against her father's wishes, she hitches a ride on a helicopter with 3 college students, going on a global warming study. We soon discover, that it's not just the mammoth that is thawing out. The Thaw has a lot of the same elements of "The Last Winter" but manages to stay somewhat original. The message is obvious, Make personal sacrifices to slow global warming, or die. The opening montage shows various media sources, either validating global warming, or claiming it's a complete myth. Whichever camp you belong to(hopefully the former) you're sure to at least have fun with this borderline body-snatcher'esquire film. The acting is good across the board. The premise is somewhat believable, and the tension is thick. The location lends to the creepiness, being such a remote location. The few scenes of special effects seem to have been handled practically for the most part. There isn't an overwhelming amount of CGI, although there is a bit, conservatively used for things that just aren't possible with practical effects. Even though I wasn't thrilled with the fact that the political commentary was so in-your-face, it did leave me thinking after the credits rolled. I would rather it have been handled with a little more tact, but the obnoxious presence of the message fits in with the extremities discussed within the story. 3/5 -napalmfuzz http://liberaldead.blogspot.com

There are many films which warn of Global Warming, this is one. In this movie called " The Thaw ", a research scientist, Dr. David Kruipen (Val Kilmer) working in the Artic discovers a prehistoric Wooly Mammoth frozen in ice. The bad news, as it begins to thaw, he also releases a deadly contiguous parasite which devours any host within hours. Into this hostile environment, a group of research students have come to help him including his daughter. One by one the students become aware of the parasite's deadly effect as each is exposed. Soon the entire station is under attack from the deadly creature and it becomes alarming just to survive. There is a substantial list of criticism aimed at this film, beginning with it major star. Val Kilmer is perceived as a major attraction with some of the finest movie roles in his past achievements. Time has elapsed and we now see him in shallow low budget films such as this one and ask why? The story is grudgingly plausible, but there is much lacking. Was this suppose to be a ecological awakening or a standard horror movie? In either case, it fell short. It does have a few interesting points in its favor, but are tiny in comparison with its detriments. As a result, Mr. Kilmer has traded his star status for trinkets and simple Waupun and like the film, it's sad. **