The Thaw (2009)

Think "The Thing" and you'll be left out in the cold. Think, worthwhile, interesting film, and you won't get much warmer.

Mark A Lewis directs the inevitably compared to "The Thing" story of a group of scientists, lead by Dr. Kruipen (Val Kilmer, Red Planet, The Saint) who stumble across a long frozen parasite that infects organisms and brings about a rather painful death. For an unknown reason, Kruipen allows a group of students, who are inadvertently are accompanied by Kruipen's daughter Evelyn (Martha MacIsaac, The last House on The Left) to venture out to the tundra laden, isolated base camp where they uncover the grizzly truth about what's been going on. Debating between getting help, or staying put to keep the parasite from spreading, they battle each other as one by one they succumb.

This film really had potential, but a few, well... more than a few things held it back. One, the acting... blegh. Though Val Kilmer did not play a lengthy role, he sucked for the time he was there. Most of the supporting cast really didn't support much, let alone their own weight. I thought Martha MacIsaac and Aaron Ashmore were half decent however. The story was very slow moving, too much for my taste, and it really didn't add much ya know, it's been done. Unless you're a germ-a-phobe (so it might actually scare you), or someone really into parasite invading human type movies, this is just an average, B movie that I'd recommend passing up for something you'll remember the next day.

5.9/10

Rated: R
94 mins