tomsview If you have watched a lot of horror movies over the decades, especially all versions of "The Thing", you know that when you are in the Arctic or the Antarctic you just don't dig things out of the ice. It's nearly as dangerous as taking an alien pod on board your ship in deep space. It's the first step towards the end of mankind.In this case a team of scientists investigating global warming, dig out a woolly mammoth and transport it to their remote lab in the Canadian Arctic.Of course the mammoth, and a dead polar bear they also take back to the lab, are hosts to parasites that have been released as the arctic ice shrinks back. In the best tradition of the genre, the bugs lay eggs; lots of them. Well, Al Gore did warn us.There is a bit of a backstory to the eight characters who find themselves in danger of infestation including the troubled relationship between Dr. Krupien (Val Kilmer) and his daughter Evelyn (Martha MacIsaac).Although "The Thaw" met with generally icy reviews, I think by the middle it really starts to deliver the sort of frission you hope to get from this kind of film. There are a few predictable bits: the guy who is set on self-preservation at the expense of everyone else including his girlfriend, and those who nobly sacrifice themselves for the sake of the others, but as the tension mounts you forget the cinematic je devu.The location on the tundra is superbly desolate, and although the special effects are not on the scale of a James Cameron movie, they produce more than one wince inducing scene – I'll never look at a meat cleaver the same way again."The Thaw" had me going quite a few times. It's a bit preachy on the global warming message, but you could do worse than track this one down, although it may make you think twice next time you go to pull a steak out of the freezer.

David Roggenkamp It sounds like a thrilling movie that will be about the death of mankind brought on by some kind of monstrous weather disaster. Not quite; instead, it takes place in the arctic; as a research team discovers the carcass of a mammoth while on routine research. The movie promises a great deal with the foreshadowing, but sadly, after students are invited to join the research team – one of which is the head scientist's daughter – it goes downhill. Four students and one helicopter pilot head to the research station against the father's wishes and they slowly uncover what happens.As the DVD suggests, there are prehistoric insect-like creatures that thaw with the mammoth carcass; they are the main antagonist here and they have one purpose – find a host, burrow in, lay eggs, eat host – lather, rinse, repeat. This might work, except the scientists start turning on each other for no inexplicable reason. The students spent much of the movie yelling at each other while trying to remain in control, keep their cool and maintain composure – it doesn't work. Instead, they run around confused from one area of the base to the next trying to solve their dilemma and how they will deal with the possibility of being infected.I will point out two things about this movie – there is a cleaver scene involving someone losing their arm. Sometimes the best way to take care of a disease or to keep something from spreading is to lop off an arm. Kudos must be given for the fact the arm not only does not come off the first time around, but it is shown as would be expected – the first attempt leaves them horrified and it takes many more attempts before it comes off. The second thing I must point out is the lack of character development. The characters are clearly friendly towards each other in the beginning – but as tensions fly they care less about each other and more about saving their own hides. The scientist's daughter in particular strikes me as being loathsome in contrast to the other characters – in a strange twist she is the hero and sole survivor. This isn't to say that the insect-like creatures are wiped out, nor are they eradicated – the movie pulls a normal horror movie maneuver and has them in another part of the world already wreaking havoc.All this over global warming. An excellent movie worth watching; but be prepared to pause at least once or twice to deal with some of the more grizzly scenes – this movie isn't afraid to show some grotesque moments.Originally posted to Orion Age (http://www.orionphysics.com/? p=5110).

Leofwine_draca THE THAW is an unashamed rip-off of THE THING, with the action shifted to Alaska rather than the Arctic and a prehistoric parasite rather than a shapeshifting alien as the menace. Other than that, it's business as usual, with a small cast whittled down by an unknown enemy and paranoia erupting all over the shop.Given that this is a low-budget B-movie starring a mostly unknown cast, I thought it was surprisingly enjoyable. The director and writer focus on the sense of impending menace and the creepy atmosphere for the most part, and it works well; some parts are genuinely unnerving. There are the inevitable gross-out and medical scenes, but these are handled well; the gore effects are limited but more effective as a result. Even the expected CGI isn't too shabby.The idea of a parasitical organism has been explored quite a lot in recent years - such as in the memorably creepy found-footage horror, THE BAY - and it's always one I find pretty disturbing, and that's no exception here. Add in a value-for-money Val Kilmer and you have a decent B-movie for a change.

shtove I read one of the one star reviews - unfair criticism, because the reviewer missed some of the plot points. Although there are still a few illogical and improbable bits! This is an average chiller, with panicking youths struggling to survive a threat that stalks them.Acting, pace and soundtrack are so-so. The heroine is a bossy little thing, could be annoying, but there's a good amputation scene where she takes over from the gutless man.The twist at the end is well hidden and worthwhile, so that increases the rating to 6/10.