Liam Neeson has made quite the comeback as an action star ever since he appeared in Taken. The Grey places him in an ice cold environment with his enemies in the form of the cold weather and an angry, vicious pack of wolves. Does it have you howling at the moon or does it make your heart as cold as the snow this takes place in?
When it comes to story this movie isn’t very difficult to summarise. Neeson’s character, Ottway, works on a remote oil site as professional hunter, protecting his colleagues from wolves that try to attack them. When it’s time to head back home he gets on a plane, but he never manages to arrive there as the plane crashes. Together with others on the plane he has to survive the extreme circumstances, one of them being wolves that are trying to kill them as they don’t allow them to be in their territory.
The Grey is a survival movie with an enemy that can attack any time and it uses this fairly will to give tension and occasional scares. Of course the men fight argue with each other on what to do and how they will survive.
The thing I mostly liked about this movie was its sound design. Now this is normally something I don’t pay much attention to (not consciously anyway), but here the sound was convincing and scary at times, especially the scene with the plane crash. What I didn’t like though was that this movie was extremely predictable. If you know that Liam Neeson is the only well-known actor playing in this it is not hard to predict what will happen and who will be grabbed by the wolves. Because of this predictability it had no surprises at all and I felt like I was just waiting for the next person to be killed off. I wished the story would have taken some unexpected turns, which would have made this a lot better, but even a very interesting standoff and fight is not shown. So in the end the movie left me disappointed and cold.
Score: 6
I had very similar thoughts on this one matey. I thought it was alright, but not great.
Also I am so fed up with films that have this type of ending..
Yeah Scott, it just didn’t click enough with me. I didn’t mind the ending, although it seems movies apply it more and more and leave it up to the viewer to decide what really happened.
Oh and I am liking the Banner matey!
Thanks Scott. I’m home alone for two weeks so finally got around to making it. Took a bit more time than expected, but I’m happy with the result.
Damn right it was predictable. I found myself sitting there going ‘he’s next’. and though I found the opening a bit cheesy and cliche, I was unexpectedly thrown by the ending and the revelation about Neeson’s wife. I found it quite emotional! Not brilliant but pretty damn entertaining still!
Hahaha, yes I had the same feeling although I personally wouldn’t recommend it quickly to others;;;
Nice post.
Thanks!
I really enjoyed it. OK so it was predictable that Neeson was going to make it to the end, but for me it was the constant tension that made the film so good. Neeson always has a great commanding presence as well.
I somehow didn’t feel that tension as much. Agree though about Neeson’s presence!
Yeah, I wanted the film to be much better than it was. In the end it was just an “ok” movie, but I won’t be watching it again. Nice review!
Me neither. Thanks T!
An interesting idea to have a cast of nobodies and see who survives…the screenwriter would have to be a master of character though because sympathies have to be developed from the characters alone…that’s the problem though with these kinds of movies…you don’t watch for the outcome…you watch for the journey. Cheers!
Maybe, but then it should have had a cast with all unknowns…
right…hehe, I’m saying a do-over without the big name… 🙂
Pingback: The Grey (The Jaws of Ice…or the wolves of Mumble Mumble) | Improbable Frontiers
Pingback: » Movie Review – Non-Stop (2014) Fernby Films