Parents' Guide to

Whiteout

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

South Pole-set whodunnit is bloody but bland.

Movie R 2009 96 minutes
Whiteout Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

2Simple
2Simple Adult
October 30, 2010
age 15+
Why was this only given 2 stars?? It was really good!! Very scary!

This title has:

Too much violence
stacymavros
stacymavros Adult
March 9, 2010
age 16+

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.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (3):

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. 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

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