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Slightly-above-average Canadian eco-horror film, part of the most recent batch of Ghost House Underground films released by Lion's Gate. Well-filmed, but darkly lighted in spots, and suffering from the lethargic pacing that most of these direct-to-dvd genre film directors/writers seem unable to overcome (exception: Mulberry Street, not a Ghost House but similar low-budget indie directed with a nice sense of action in a limited space).

Viewers who can overcome a rather preachy message involving the perils that await humanity from global warning should find a reasonably entertaining 87 minute break (93 minutes with credits). Val Kilmer lends a professional seriousness to the proceedings, even though he must be resorting to stuff like this because he needs the money. Other recognizable players -- particularly if you follow Canadian film or TV releases -- include Kyle Schmid (better in Blood Ties), Martha MacIsaac (of the long running Canadian TV series, Di-Gata Defenders; and for the rest of us, the 2009 Last House on the Left remake). William B. Davis appears for a few seconds during the credit montage. Other actors do a pretty good job with the material given.

There is some resonance with The Thing. Global warming has uncovered the carcass of a woolly mammoth that an out-of-its-territory polar bear munches on, picking up some parasites that multiply quickly in any warm-bodied structure. A global warming scientist/terrorist (Kilmer) and his research crew stumble on the critters, and you can probably guess the rest. A cliched-but-acceptable family dysfunction brings his daughter and some budding eco-terrorist students up to the research site, where they find... nobody. Just the decaying carcass of a polar bear. The pilot of the helicopter poses with his arm around the bear, gets stung/bitten by something, and... you know the rest.

There are some surprises. The special effects are minimal but pretty effective, particularly in the opening scene of the film. The action revs up a bit in the last 15 minutes, and the finale held a tiny bit of surprise that is ruined by a stock coda us jaded Monster Kids have come to expect and abhor.

Certainly not the worst direct-to-dvd genre film I've watched. Could have been a lot better with a more creative screenplay and a director who can handle action sequences.

... Reed