 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Whiteout
- Review Date: September 5, 2009
- R
- Genre: Thriller
- 2009
Common Sense Media says
South Pole-set whodunnit is bloody but bland.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this wintry murder mystery based on a graphic novel involves grisly violence, including autopsy sequences, blood-spurting wounds, and more. There's also some adult material related to sexuality and drinking, but it's glossed over fairly swiftly in favor of murder and mayhem. Expect a good bit of strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t")
What's the story?
Based at the South Pole research station, U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is the only law enforcement for hundreds of miles. She's dealing with minor concerns and trying to withstand the isolation before she's rotated out in a few days' time -- but when a dead body is found on the Antarctic ice, she has to try and track down a killer in the remotest place on Earth.
Is it any good?
Based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka, WHITEOUT has a unique setting in the frozen, deadly remote wastes of Antarctica. But that's not enough to make up for an entirely familiar plot, with Stetko trying to catch a killer among a small pool of suspects that includes someone close to her. Even after her box office success with the Underworld films, Beckinsale makes an unlikely action heroine; she seems far too hesitant and hurt to be a real-world law enforcement official.
The other actors -- Tom Skerritt as a friendly base doctor, Gabriel Macht as a U.N. troubleshooter who may be trouble -- don't fare much better. And director Dominic Sena never gets above a made-for-TV-level, even with the expensive CGI snowscapes and sudden squalls that he throws around in the finale. Whiteout may take place in the most isolated place on Earth, but it feels curiously distant from itself, as slick as ice and about as cold.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it less upsetting than what's typically shown in a "horror" movie? What makes this a "thriller" instead?
Is Carrie a positive female role model? How does she compare to other female law officers in movies and TV shows?
What drives people to explore the South Pole? What scientific work goeson there? What happens to people living under those conditions ofisolation and harsh weather?
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AGE
Why was this only given 2 stars?? It was really good!! Very scary!
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AGE
i thought it was a very boring movie. not much action. a real sleeper!
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AGE
Your best bet...look for a better movie to watch--boring.
Honestly....this one was on the boring side...too predictable and then a fuzzy sort of ending...may be worth a rent if not much else is available at the moment but don't pin your hopes on this movie being very entertaining or interesting.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 1, 2009
AGE
its ok
its ok
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | Dominic Sena |
| Cast: | Gabriel Macht, Kate Beckinsale, Tom Skerritt |
| Genre: | Thriller |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 11, 2009 |
| DVD release date: | January 19, 2010 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity |
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