The Thaw (2009) Reviews

• Mildly entertaining

  equazcion2009-09-24

  The premise: A prehistoric bug is discovered in melting Arctic ice by a renowned global warming alarmist (Val Kilmer). The bug reproduces by infecting people. A small group of students attempt to contain the new infestation. The Thaw offers more suspense than it does horror, though there are some jumpy and/or gory moments. The CGI bugs are just convincing enough, and the other effects are good. While the plot revolves largely around Kilmer's character, he doesn't get very much screen time. However the other actors were engaging enough that I didn't find myself missing him all that much. The story starts with Kilmer and his team, beginning the movie's more mysterious element. It then switches to the students for their rather straightforward horror-genre struggle against the bugs. The Kilmer part of the story is revisited in the end, to wrap up the mystery with a twist. Having the mystery lingering in the background was a nice touch, as it added some extra intrigue to carry me through the movie. Nothing to write home about, but competent film-making and moderate entertainment throughout. Has lots of blatant public-service messages about global warming, too, if you've got the stomach for that.

• Mediocre suspense, great realism and production

  oprotnes2009-09-29

  Even though the movie as a whole isn't really awesomely smashing in any way, the first thing that really struck me is how well done and thought out it all is. It features realistic portrayals of human behavior all the way through. From phobias, realistic explanations of how they came to the conclusions they did, to a person using a multimeter and electrical tape to actually fix something. Like a real person might. And they all have their agendas. Also gunshots don't sound like tanks, and they don't make 10" holes in people. There are no huge aliens, there's no gratuitous nudity and it doesn't take one chop with a cleaver to cut someones arm off. Another thing that surprised me is that bodies don't vanish, the same with tracks and bruises etc. In most movies (*ahem* multi-million dollar productions) stuff like this, commonly called realism, is just glazed over. Your focus is shifted to the CGI and the huge explosions the MTV generation seems to love, like some magician distracting your attention so he can get away with tricking you (out of a good plot). Anyone who likes realism and thrillers/horror will probably have a jolly fine time watching this one. There's a bit of bad acting on the part of a few characters (though all the main ones are excellent), and as I stated the movie isn't miraculously good in any way. It's still better than most, and it has some really redeeming qualities to it.

• A decent little chiller

  brianmccaig012009-09-29

  After reading some of the comments on this movie, I was more than pleasantly surprised at how good this smart little bug feature was A definite step up from the usual B movie sci-fi horror crap that's been out in the cinemas this year. There were decent squirm effects and gore and a nice touch of tongue in cheek humour too. The cinematography was cool and eerie and the brooding atmosphere had echoes of The Thing and Near Dark (although it's nothing like The Thing) I thought the acting and direction were assured. I Liked the twist at the end too. Don't listen to some of the other reviewers on this forum as I doubt that they have actually seen the film.

• The Thaw

  Scarecrow-882010-03-17

  Infestation horror, with a global warming message, regarding prehistoric parasites which are unleashed after a woolly mammoth is unearthed by melted ice on a Canadian Arctic island infecting a research team(..led by Val Kilmer as a famous ecologist known for his vocal outcry towards mankind's awareness and acknowledgment of our treatment of Mother Earth). The lives of students who accept an invitation from Dr. David Kruipen(Kilmer)and their helicopter pilot will become endangered once they land at the research center. Also, along for the trip is Kruipen's estranged daughter Evelyn(Martha MacIsaac). The students include Atom Galen(Aaron Ashmore), whose father is an oil man as ironic as it may seem, Federico(Kyle Schmid), with a phobia towards bugs of any kind, and Ling Chen(Steph Song). When the kids find a dead polar bear and the research cabin empty, they will soon discover to their horror parasitical "vertebrae" which enter the skin and lay eggs, multiplying at an alarming rate. Pilot Bart(Viv Leacock)is bit while posing over the dead polar bear for a picture and Ling is infected while having sex with Feddy(Federico's pet name)on the floor. When Kruipen's assistant Dr. Jane Sanders(Anne Marie DeLuise)returns from their camp worse for wear, the group will see firsthand what the parasites do to human hosts, as victims vomit as their insides become overrun by hatching eggs, with skin irritations soon evolving into open sores..it isn't too long before those infected are devoured carcasses spilling forth hundreds upon hundreds of parasites. Can those uninfected escape before the parasites get to them and was there an ulterior motive by Kruipen, frustrated by the unwillingness of an uncaring world towards helping their environment better itself after mankind's treatment over many years of pollution and other factors? Not bad for it's type, "The Thaw" is pretty much still a terror tale whose threat are hatched bugs which could become a global nightmare if released from their isolated quarantine. The cast is actually pretty solid, although Val Kilmer's part is relatively small. Instead Ashmore(Smallville)and MacIsaac's young characters are the center voices of reason/calm as Schmid's Federico loses control when it's confirmed that he is infected in his penis, and Song's Ling is steadily becoming more diseased..interesting choice, deciding instead to focus the developing story around young people, witnessing how they respond to a crisis of such magnitude. I will just say this, if you are terrified of the mere sight of creepy crawlies scurrying about, and into open wounds on the skin, make sure not to pop this bad boy in the DVD player. "The Thaw" also features the unpleasant sight of how the flesh responds negatively to infection, including a decision to chop off an arm that doesn't end well for the recipient(..we see that it isn't so easy to lop off an arm with one swipe of a cleaver). "The Thaw", I believe, will accomplish it's goal to make your skin crawl..if that is what you so desire, check this flick out. Released by GhostHouse Underground.

• Don't expect to have nightmares

  thekarmicnomad2011-09-26

  This is an enjoyable little horror movie and more a kin to the movies I watched growing up (horror with a lowercase h by todays standards) The film has a nice long run up to the action which gives you a chance to get to know the characters (which are fairly bland but that doesn't matter) A lot of the horror is creepy crawly based which is more disturbing that scary. The characters act out in fairly realistic ways (no one pops up to the attic on their own to investigate that damn scratching noise) and there is a real sense of peril. Don't expect big affects, gore, nudity, over the top action or paralysing fear. Do expect to see an intelligent movie based on a not so intelligent premises, well executed in good time.