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Mike Wilder brings you movie reviews. Each week a Selection of reviews for new releases and older films plus movie comparisons.

Thursday 8 March 2012

Review of The Grey (2012) by Mike

Title: The Grey (2012)

Original UK Release Date: 27th January 2012

Original US Release Date: 27th January 2012

UK Rating: 15

US Rating: R

Director: Joe Carnahan

Genre: Adventure/Thriller

Plot: A small group of oil workers survive a plane crash and are stranded in a snowy wilderness. They soon discover a pack of wolves have claimed the area as their territory and see the men as intruders.

Mike's Review

            The Grey is a film similar to Alive where a plane crashes in the snow, miles from civilisation and the survivors have to overcome great adversity to survive. The difference here is the inclusion of a pack of wolves fiercely defending their territory. Liam Neeson stars as Ottoway, a hunter employed to keep the wolves away from the oil rig workers. When the plane crashes he is one of only seven survivors. His knowledge of the wolves puts him in charge of the group and their survival.

            This is a good film, the main cast is relatively small and gets smaller as the film progresses. The cast along with Liam Neeson is made up of several familiar faces including Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Nonso Anozie, Joe Anderson, Ben Bray, James Badge Dale & Anne Openshaw. The performances are good and Liam Neeson is well cast as the hunter trying to get over the loss of his wife. The pace of the film is good, the tension and horror is portrayed excellently. There are quite a few shocking moments that come out of nowhere. The film, shot entirely in Canada, is a visual delight.

            This is a good and very will made film and I really enjoyed it.

            But one again my nemesis (see my About Me page) struck once more with this film. This is a critically acclaimed film. Most professional film critics rated this film high, but my nemesis gave this a 2/5 stating that it was boring and predictable! I know everyone has their own opinion but boring!? Seriously how can a film with Liam Neeson being chased by a pack of wolves in the wilderness be boring!? Ok it was a little predictable in the sense that people would be killed by the wolves, but the way they were was unexpected and shocking. She stated that The Thing was a better snow movie! However she stated that Happy Feet 2 was a better snow movie than The Thing, therefore it is better than this! Again you can’t compare Happy Feet 2, an animated film with The Thing, a horror and The Grey a thriller. You have to rate them in their own category. As a thriller this is great. She also stated that after watching this she felt that Liam Neeson’s career was on a slippery slope downwards! Sorry but Liam Neeson is one of the most talented actors out there. He is great in this and I feel her comments about him are insulting.


8 out of 10
 
Additional Information

Stand out performance:

Trailer

1 comment:

  1. "The Grey" is great! This is how the story goes: A group of oil-rig roughnecks are left stranded on the sub-arctic tundra after their plane experiences a complete mechanical failure and crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. The survivors, battling mortal injuries, biting cold and ravenous hunger, are relentlessly hunted and pursued by a vicious pack of rogue wolves.

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