Poor M Night Shyamalan. With his last effort, The Happening, he obviously wanted to combine a scary supernatural thriller with a eco-drama about the Earth turning on humans. History shows that didn't turn out too well for him. Perhaps he should of taken note of Larry Fessenden's The Last Winter. It tells of an Antarctic oil-company base run by a brilliantly grouchy Ron Pearlman. James LeGros plays Hoffman, an oil company hired eco-scientist who suspects the environment is reacting to their presense.
It's a very still, slow burn drama that trades on atmosphere and slowly building tension than cheap shocks or lazy cgi. As the story progresses the sanity and the safety of the base's staff is called into question. Perlman is a great as the leader of the group and the cause of most of the friction in his team; he's gruff but we like him anyways. This is perhaps too quiet and restrained for it's own good, but it is a strong example of how to slowly build dread and anticipation without the need for CGI. Are you listening Mr Shyamalan?
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