Three college students go skiing for the weekend. They want to go for one last ride before the night has ended, but through bad communication with the ski resort's employees, the lift is closed while they are still on the ride. Thinking at first it's a power outage, they soon realize there's something terribly wrong and they are stuck. The situation grows worse when they remember that it's also Sunday and the resort will not be open again until that Friday. Becoming a survival film now, they must figure a way to get through this dangerous situation.
A movie that primarily takes place in one spot is very tricky to pull off. The first thing you must do is to have a strong cast and I think they did a pretty good job with that. You have Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegers. So there were no large names which shows the director wanted to focus on the story and make sure that the talent was strong. Emma plays the girlfriend, Parker, who is clearly the third wheel and invited herself for the weekend. It's a little sad as you can tell she genuinely cares for her boyfriend and is trying to be friends with his best friend. Shawn Ashmore plays the best friend, Joe, who is the typical college student who enjoys having a good time and has probably had a few relationships with no success. Kevin Zegers plays Dan, who is Parker's boyfriend and Joe's best friend, he's clearly torn in the middle. He and Parker have been together for almost a year, but he and Joe have been friends since they were children and has to play back and forth keeping the peace. Each actor is very good at reacting to how a young person with no real knowledge of survival, it's not easy and I've seen some comments from others who love to provide feedback on how they would survive. It's another when you are put into that situation and it is explained very well why certain methods wouldn't work. The script is actually pretty strong for a survival film and I followed it very well. Each character is fleshed out and aren't just meat for us to watch them die.
Adam Green is a very strong director when it comes to horror. All in all, this is a horror movie. It's a horrific situation and is a very tight film. At 93 minutes, it does not overstay it's welcome and keeps your interest. The dialog doesn't come off as corny but very natural and you really feel so bad for these young adults and hope that you would never find yourself in a similar situation. I read that this was not green screen, this was all on location and I really admire that they didn't take the safe route but were at mother nature's mercy. I think it added to the actor's reactions and even the story.
Honestly, there's nothing for me to really complain about. I think the only thing I found pointless, other than it was a little nod for the horror fans, was Kane Hodder's cameo. He plays a snow plow driver who drives under the lift, but he doesn't notice them and drives away. I assume that maybe it's just another moment to get frustrated with the three characters as they are trying everything they can to get down.
Overall, do I recommend this film? Absolutely. I want people to also give it a very fair chance and don't jump to the "well, I would do this..." conclusion. The cast and crew did work hard on this film and it shows. The film debuted at film festivals with rave reviews and audiences loving it, so it looked like it was going to get a wide release. But with no big names, I think it didn't get the strong wide release it deserved. It's becoming a bigger success with TV showings, DVD/Blu Ray sales and the digital media. Hopefully it will continue to grow and get the proper praise it deserves.
A movie that primarily takes place in one spot is very tricky to pull off. The first thing you must do is to have a strong cast and I think they did a pretty good job with that. You have Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore and Kevin Zegers. So there were no large names which shows the director wanted to focus on the story and make sure that the talent was strong. Emma plays the girlfriend, Parker, who is clearly the third wheel and invited herself for the weekend. It's a little sad as you can tell she genuinely cares for her boyfriend and is trying to be friends with his best friend. Shawn Ashmore plays the best friend, Joe, who is the typical college student who enjoys having a good time and has probably had a few relationships with no success. Kevin Zegers plays Dan, who is Parker's boyfriend and Joe's best friend, he's clearly torn in the middle. He and Parker have been together for almost a year, but he and Joe have been friends since they were children and has to play back and forth keeping the peace. Each actor is very good at reacting to how a young person with no real knowledge of survival, it's not easy and I've seen some comments from others who love to provide feedback on how they would survive. It's another when you are put into that situation and it is explained very well why certain methods wouldn't work. The script is actually pretty strong for a survival film and I followed it very well. Each character is fleshed out and aren't just meat for us to watch them die.
Adam Green is a very strong director when it comes to horror. All in all, this is a horror movie. It's a horrific situation and is a very tight film. At 93 minutes, it does not overstay it's welcome and keeps your interest. The dialog doesn't come off as corny but very natural and you really feel so bad for these young adults and hope that you would never find yourself in a similar situation. I read that this was not green screen, this was all on location and I really admire that they didn't take the safe route but were at mother nature's mercy. I think it added to the actor's reactions and even the story.
Honestly, there's nothing for me to really complain about. I think the only thing I found pointless, other than it was a little nod for the horror fans, was Kane Hodder's cameo. He plays a snow plow driver who drives under the lift, but he doesn't notice them and drives away. I assume that maybe it's just another moment to get frustrated with the three characters as they are trying everything they can to get down.
Overall, do I recommend this film? Absolutely. I want people to also give it a very fair chance and don't jump to the "well, I would do this..." conclusion. The cast and crew did work hard on this film and it shows. The film debuted at film festivals with rave reviews and audiences loving it, so it looked like it was going to get a wide release. But with no big names, I think it didn't get the strong wide release it deserved. It's becoming a bigger success with TV showings, DVD/Blu Ray sales and the digital media. Hopefully it will continue to grow and get the proper praise it deserves.