Powers' Review: The Grey

By CJ Powers -

This artic thriller puts Ottway (Liam Neeson), a man who is hired to protect workers from wolves at an oil refinery, into a battle for his life against the harsh Alaska elements (Shot in British Columbia) while a pack of wolves track the survivors of the crashed plane and eat them off one at a time like a typical horror film. Neeson’s performance is excellent, but the film is very depressing with bloody remains soaking a great deal of the white snow throughout the adventure. 

The wolves, mostly comprised of animatronics, appear to be ominous and foreboding in some scenes, and incorrectly sized in others. There were two scenes where the wolves were so distorted, it seemed like they had been borrowed from the Twilight franchise. The end of the film was designed to get the audience talking, but those who left before the credits missed the second part of the ending, which filled in some of the speculation that the first ending drove. Regardless of the ending you stick around to watch, plenty is left up to your imagination.

This lower production cost ($34MM) is sure to make back its money within the first three weeks due largely to Neeson’s popularity. Neeson is credited with five films releasing this year including the “Taken” sequel, “The Dark Night Rises”, “Battleship”, “Wrath of the Titans”, and “The Grey.” Other titles that brought about his popularity included “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, “Batman Begins”, the “Narnia” trilogy, and “Shindler’s List.”

While Neeson’s performance is captivating, the brutally slow pace caused the couple sitting in front of me to discuss their mortgage. Yet the numerous wolf attacks played very dramatically and put me on the edge of my seat several times. Unfortunately, I could guess the outcome of every fallen survivor. I just didn’t know how they were going to meet their demise.

The film is packed with stare downs with the wolves and Neeson trying to outwit the alpha dog until they come face to face in the final duel. With no holds barred, the final battle takes place during the credits and the 30-second epilog only gives you a hint at the film’s outcome. If you like intense emotional moments, you’ll love this film, but if you’re looking for great depth of story or character development, it won’t be for you.