Cold Storage wears it’s genre bona fides with confidence and style, and delivers big laughs and satisfying action along the way. A pathogenic alien fungus is breaking loose in a storage unit, trapping some hapless love struck teenagers within. A government agent gets the call, we’ve seen this episode of the X-Files before, right?
The opening act introduces our “Mulder & Scully” pair, Robert and Trini (Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville) discovering a deadly fungus from space in a fairly gruesome scene set in Australia. 17 years later, Robert gets an alert call from Abigail (Ellora Torchia) a desk agent responding to an alarm in the cold storage unit. Neeson has lately proven a reliable comedy lead, following the hysterical smash hit Naked Gun revival last year, and he brings the same dry, droll delivery here.
At the storage unit, Naomi and “Teacake” (Georgina Campbell & Joe Keery) are dealing with a strange alarm. The pacing provides ample space to allow their chemistry to work, and they provide an endearing pair to carry the action. Dubliner Aaron Heffernan delivers a memorable, full bodied performance as Mike, Naomi’s hapless ex and father of her child, turned infected predator.
What comes together is a breezy, fun splatterfest (mainly in green, this is a 15A movie after all), with sumptuous horror elements, action, tension and comedy in good measure. It’s a rip roaring good time at the movies, suitable for your teens and iron stomached adults alike. What sets it apart is the attention to character, and strength of the relationships built together over the 99 minute runtime.
Cold Storage releases in cinemas across Ireland on Friday, February 20th