I was kind of hoping going in that “Whiteout” was going to be a history of the Nesmith Family, where we would learn all about my favorite Monkee’s mom and how she overcame insurmountable odds to create Liquid Paper. I also kind of hoped that they would do a good Holywood-ization of the true story and bring in aliens or terrorists and make us believe that Bette Nesmith Graham actually saved the world with her invention. (~sigh~) But that was not the case. “Whiteout” actually takes place in Antarctica and has nothing to do with Michael Nesmith’s mom. Instead, it turns out to be an adaptation of a graphic novel (re: comic book) about the first murder to take place in the coldest of all cold places. Once I learned this and started watching it, I thought it was going to a slasher flick… but again I was wrong. It ended up being a taught, well thought out murder mystery, complete with a few nice twists and turns that kept me guessing.

Oh, and it has Kate Beckinsale in all of her Kate Beckinsale-ish hotness. (Kinda wondered how the ice kept from melting…)

Beckinsale stars as U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko, who is assigned to a research station in Antarctica. Why they need a U.S. Marshall in Antarctica is beyond me, but when a body is found… I guess I would be happy she was there. And while she has her own reasons for being there, she’s not so happy when the killer tries to add her to his body count. Fortunately the killer fails, and Stetko begins her cat and mouse pursuit in the hopes of catching him before the heavy winter sets in.

Okay, “Whiteout” has a lot going for it on the surface. Tom Skerritt is in it as the station’s doctor… a plus in my book… but somehow the overall premise seems kind of thin. It’s well shot and looks great, but every major plot point feels like it’s been seen before. There’s not much new brought to the table in terms of storyline, with the exception of taking place in Antarctica. It really made me curious to read the graphic novel just to see how close it stayed to the original story.

Warner’s Bluray release does offer a very crisp and clear transfer. The Antarctic vistas are both bleak and beautiful and as a travelogue some parts of the video would be right at home. Yet, sometimes this sharp imagery seems to make it less real looking. It’s hard to explain, you’d have to see it to understand. The audio track is pretty much perfect, though. The storm sequences come through especially strong. There are a handful of special features, including a behind the scenes featurette. Much better is the ‘Page to Screen’ feature where the authors of the graphic novel, Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, are given the opportunity to talk about how the whole project came to be. You’ll also find a handful of short deleted scenes. There is Digital Copy of the film, which I will probably re-watch on an upcoming trip I’m taking.

“Whiteout” is worth checking out as a Saturday afternoon thriller. It’s not a great movie, but not bad either. All in all I still enjoyed it.

Directed by: Dominic Sena
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt
Extras: The Coldest Thriller Ever; Whiteout – From Page to Screen; Additional Scenes; Digital Copy
Specification: 1080p High Definition Dolby; TrueHD 5.1; Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 1/19/2010
MPAA Rating: R
http://www.whiteoutmovie.com

We'll give Whiteout (Bluray) a B-.