Rated R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity.
Directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish and Gone in Sixty Seconds)
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Machet and Tom Skerritt
Great idea…horrible execution.
For U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, things are about to get even more dangerous. The only law enforcement in this unforgiving territory, she has just discovered a body on the ice…Antarctica's first homicide. A shocking discovery in itself, it will plunge her into an even more bizarre mystery and the revelation of secrets long-buried under the endless ice–secrets that someone believes are still worth killing for. As Stetko races to find the killer before he finds her, winter is closing in. In the deadly Antarctic whiteout, she won't see him till he's a breath away.
I don’t know why, but I really tried hard to not watch trailers for this one. The first teaser looked like a really interesting mystery and I wanted to be surprised as I watched it. Oh, I was surprised…surprised how bad it was.
The opening sequence looked promising, but things went south quickly (pun intended). There were just way too many flaws in the story and in the “facts.” For example, Kate Beckinsale's character never wears a face mask. If the temperature really was -65, and the winds were reaching 100mph then her face would be frostbitten in a matter of minutes. Another glaring flaw is when the wind is so strong it literally hurls characters off into the distance because they are not attached to a safety line. But then amazingly, as soon as they are attached to the safety line they have no difficulty standing in or walking against the wind.
Then there’s the acting…or lack of acting. Kate Beckinsale has given some pretty good performances, but I just don’t know what happened here. She and Gabriel Machet recite their lines like they were part of a high school drama club rehearsal.
Let me take the mystery out of it for you…Whiteout is only good for your new coaster.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No they should skip this one too.
Side Note:
As said above, we recommend you skip this film. But on the occasion that your teen actually has already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
