Verdict
Summary
Any comparisons to John Carpenter’s The Thing are totally fair and obvious, as the film uses that as its template, right down to a very similar Ennio Morricone-esque tonal score. The major problems that the movie has, though, are that there’s absolutely no suspense, scares, or even a proper mood, as the movie is very well lit with ultra sharp digital photography, and the antagonist openly declares its intentions, though the movie counteracts that with the creature killing rather than “spreading.” I went into this one hoping to see something a little similar to The Thing, but instead it felt way too reliant on its inspiration, using it as a crutch rather than a starting point.
Plot:
Am Antarctic science research station is under siege by an alien organism, posing as a human.
Review:
A meteorite lands near an Antarctic research station manned by about a half a dozen men, prompting a small convoy to investigate. What they find is grisly: Another group of French scientists who got there first are found dead – one decapitated – but there is also one survivor: A woman in shock. They bring the woman back to the research station, and right away she begins seizing and goes into a coma. Their doctor, a cancer-ridden, grief-plagued man (played by Vernon Wells), is befuddled as to her condition. When the rest of the team goes about their business, the woman – dressed in yoga pants and a tight halter-top, which seems inappropriate for a freezing temperature – breaks free of her fasteners on her hospital bed and begins trolling the vast hallways with glowing red eyes. She has the intent to “spread,” as she openly declares to anyone whom she encounters, but it’s the spreading of a kind that is never clearly defines, as she seems more inclined to kill anyone she encounters, rather than “spreading,” as she flatly intones. When the others realize that this visitor has a parasite in her that might be a threat to human civilization, they try to stop her, but she’s clever and very strong, and by the time they get a plan together, it might be too late …
Any comparisons to John Carpenter’s The Thing are totally fair and obvious, as the film uses that as its template, right down to a very similar Ennio Morricone-esque tonal score. The major problems that the movie has, though, are that there’s absolutely no suspense, scares, or even a proper mood, as the movie is very well lit with ultra sharp digital photography, and the antagonist openly declares its intentions, though the movie counteracts that with the creature killing rather than “spreading.” It might’ve been more fun for the woman to be like the alien in Species, seeking ways to breed rather than kill, but the movie only halfheartedly seems to understand what kind of creature it features and how it intends to accomplish its task. It cops out with an easy-to-spot homage to The Thing by introducing a dog character that ends up being sort of important to the film’s conclusion, and while that’s okay to a degree, the movie just doesn’t have an original bone in its cold body. I went into this one hoping to see something a little similar to The Thing, but instead it felt way too reliant on its inspiration, using it as a crutch rather than a starting point. From director Jesse Palangio.
Blood and Snow was just released by Cleopatra Entertainment onto a DVD and a Blu-ray. The disc comes with a trailer and an image slideshow, but nothing else.
