293) Whiteout (2009) Dir: Dominic Sena Date Released: September 2009 Date Seen: September 13, 2009 Rating: 2.75/5
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't affected by the claustrophobia in Whiteout, Dominic Sena's adaptation of Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber's comic by the same name. Its setting, evocatively parsed in the French subtitle for the film, "L'Enfer Blanc," and the obstacles it creates for its protagonists do a hell of a job of creating tension. But obviously that's not enough. The retooling and post-production monkey shines that plagued the project and almost ruined the film's script, stuffing it with inexpert info dumps and unnecessary asides*, is apparent. Which is a shame because as sloppy as the film was, I got the feeling that it had the right idea but wasn't allowed the chance** to realize it. Good material handled clumsily out of a studio's need to appeal to a mass audience? And we wonder why there are so few good comic book movies.
*It's freezing cold outside, so what's the first thing we see in the film? Kate Beckinsale taking her clothes off. Nice.
**Or the funds. Some of the CGI, especially in the flashbacks, is risably bad.
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