Verdict
Summary
It’s no fun at all, and even with a dependable Yen as the lead, the movie sinks under its own weighty sentimentality and manipulative plot devices. It’s well produced, but it’s not what I’d call entertainment. Yen fans deserve better.
Plot:
While on a wintry vacation, two parents scramble when their young son disappears in the snow and only has hours to live before he freezes to death.
Review:
A family on a road trip makes a pit stop when their young son misbehaves and wanders off by himself in the wintry snow. At first, the father De (Donie Yen) thinks his kid is playing hide and go seek or something, but it very quickly becomes apparent that the boy has vanished. His wife (Cecilia Han) is all the more panicked because of the boy’s age, and the two of them travel to the nearest police station where the authorities treat the disappearance as if it’s the parents’ fault, and as the hours tick away, the threat becomes much more apparent when the conditions outside become inhospitable and dangerous to be left out in. A search party is formed, and police, citizens, and the despondent parents desperately seek their child in the wilderness, and as the night wears on into morning the clock is ticking away, each second and minute becoming more dire as the boy’s chances of being found alive dwindle. With the police becoming braver in their search and rescue attempts, De’s willingness to do anything and everything to save his son trumps all, and each little clue leads the rescue party inches from the final destination where De’s son might be waiting to be rescued …
A full-on dramatic thriller using the elements as the antagonist, Polar Rescue becomes a heart-wrenching slog that manipulates its audience with impossible odds and a very sentimental center that makes Yen’s protagonist a desperate hero that is willing to sacrifice it all for a chance to save his son. It’s no fun at all, and even with a dependable Yen as the lead, the movie sinks under its own weighty sentimentality and manipulative plot devices. It’s well produced, but it’s not what I’d call entertainment. Yen fans deserve better. From director Chi-Leung Law.
Well Go USA’s new Blu-ray edition of Polar Rescue is out this March 26, and comes with some bonus trailers. A DVD is also available, and the film is available digitally as well.
