A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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.

You know.. Sometimes they have a great idea, good cast, even a budget, and they could have had a great movie, and instead produce a mediocre one. All because of a few tiny mistakes, a couple dumb choices, and boom. A failure. This movie could have been great. It could have been the next Thing. This movie is totally gross. It's totally going to creep you out no matter what. It's totally disgusting. It will turn even a Nurses stomach. ( mine) OK so let's talk about what made it lame. They took away the realism of it by making the actors do really stupid things that no one could ever rationalize away. With movies , we have to believe what we are seeing. When actors do probably the dumbest Things ever , we can't excuse it. I think filmmakers make this mistake , because they are trying to extend the suspense. With this movie they didn't have to do that. Like for instance. The Doctor knows there is a bug infestation. Yet, when the students and his daughter show up at the lab with the infected polar bear, he neglects to tell them anything and doesn't tell them to stay away from the polar bear. Why? Then, for some reason, another doctor shoots everyone because she is obviously dying of the big infestation and drives to the lab and super infects everyone. Just in case they weren't infected yet. This movie really suffered from those dumb ass choices. The graduate students who can't seem to figure anything out either really perturbed me. We of course , figured it all out right away . With as much info as they had. Brilliant graduate students that are as dumb as rocks. Uh huh. How about the mourning scientist girl that just needs to wipe away the green vomit from the ladies mouth? And then even attempt CPR. I think any dimwit or scientist esp would know to stay the hell away from anyone as sick as that as soon as they showed up. Isn't that just every day logic? But then pretty boy with the gun, he just really did the movie in. He was so Dumb, that I think we all just wouldn't have knocked him out asap. And then tied him up. Anyways. If you want to watch what would happen if a bunch of really dumb people found a new species of bug that devoured humans go ahead. It's good for a lot of gross out moments. Anyways.

I did persevere for 20 minutes, then just could not stand any more.....1. Shockingly bad dialogue2. Cliché upon cliché upon - yep - more cliché. Stroppy teenage daughter, Val Kilmer doing a 'Val Kilmer' ie. Sleepwalking through this role - not that you can blame him. I would need strong sedatives indeed to get through this.3. I disagree with the reviewer here who thought this was 'left wing' - oh contrare! This is a right wing depiction of the Environmental movement, why else would these people be depicted as such complete eejits? The ideology is in the representation. Mysteries of film fame Number 1: What precisely happens to some actors? Yes, I know Val Kilmer was never a Robert De Niro, but he was okay wasn't he? Suddenly, his name on the Cast list connotes an instant warning in my brain: 'Ooer - this might be very bad indeed....' and he never disappoints. His ex - wife Joanna Walley is the same. See her name on the Cast list? Probably it is not too good. Did they have some hard partying years in the later 80s / 90s when their decision making skills went amiss? Did they share a Manager who couldn't read a script? Did they stop caring? Whatever the answers to this pressing question, I can assure you that any time wasted watching this rubbish you will not get back. That bad? Sadly yes.

I enjoyed this movie I can see why others didn't as movies with religious or global warming reference's sometimes get unfair low ranting., I will say if you believe in global warming or not please put your views aside while you watch this movie and enjoy the fiction of it.I would have given this movie higher marks if the main lead girl was a better actor.What I liked about this movie is that everyone acted differently when faced with this prehistoric bug.I don't live giving long reviews so watch the movie and make up your own mind.