Top drivers, top production company, top shots in top locations. You'd think these would be ingredients that could only make a top movie. Well, well. Well, here's the thing... On the one hand, we have a soundtrack that, for the most part, comes across as pretty insignificant: semi-electronic downtempo music underpins heroic ski shots. It should be clear that this doesn't necessarily get you going in the long run. Unfortunately, these are the film's interesting moments.
On the other hand, we have an end-time story that gets by exclusively with movie kids. A kind of primary school Mad Max without the violence, leather, rivets, psycho bangers and motorcycles, narrated by a sniffy 8-year-old. Sounds good? Look forward to what feels like 45 minutes of this inspiring story. Briefly broken down: The world is perishing because of people's stupidity, everything is a desert. Children hang out near an old house where a skier apparently used to live. Child finds snow globe. Snow globe is madness. Dramatic twist! Water runs out. Child sets off on skis to find a mountain and snow. Child returns: happy ending. Accompanied by endlessly long-winded children's talk that makes you wish he would shut up or at least blow his nose for once.
Luckily, the Disney film is interspersed with clips of actual skiing. Pretty good skiing, too. With pretty good shots and pretty boring music. I've seen the movie just under 1 1/2 times now, the first time actually without skipping parts. I fought hard with sleep. I'm not writing that because it sounds mean, by the way, it's the truth.
