In the landscape of modern sci-fi, David Koepp’s Cold Storage arrives as a film that is refreshingly aware of its own DNA. Based on Koepp’s own novel, the film doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel of the ‘containment gone wrong’ subgenre. Instead, it leans comfortably into a self-aware silliness that makes for an entertaining, if occasionally uneven, ride. While it benefits from a stellar cast and some inventive visual flourishes, it struggles with the one thing a thriller needs most: a genuine sense of escalating dread.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its central pairing. Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell exhibit a bubbling chemistry that provides a necessary emotional anchor amidst the chaos. Keery brings that familiar, slightly frantic charm he’s mastered in recent years, while Campbell provides a grounded, capable counterpart. Together, they feel like a team of underdogs you actually want to root for, largely due to Jonny Campbell‘s direction, navigating the subterranean depths of a decommissioned military facility with a rapport that feels organic rather than scripted.
Adding a layer of veteran gravitas and a healthy dose of physical comedy is Liam Neeson. Here, Neeson dials into a performance that feels very familiar: he is the cool good guy who is clearly slightly past his prime. Much of his humour is derived from a recurring bit about his bad back, a choice that humanises the action star and leans into the film’s lighter tone. The movie also serves as an unexpected reunion for Neeson and Lesley Manville, who previously displayed a very different kind of intimacy in Ordinary Love.
Visually, Cold Storage finds interesting ways to illustrate the mechanics of its main threat. The VFX are good enough, particularly when the camera dives inside the human body to show the infection spreading through veins and tissue in real-time. It’s a creative way to visualise the stakes.
However, the film stumbles significantly when it comes to the screenplay’s pacing and Koepp surprisingly fails to ramp up the tension effectively. This is arguably the film’s biggest pitfall. Because it leans so heavily into its identity, the transition into high-stakes body horror often feels muted. This lack of tension is exacerbated by some glaring plot armour for the main characters. The internal logic of the film dictates that even a single speck of the fungus touching human skin results in immediate infection. Yet, despite bodies exploding left and right in close proximity to our heroes, certain characters remain miraculously unscathed. It becomes difficult to feel they are in any particular peril when the one-touch rule applies to everyone except the names on the poster.
The film leaves several questions dangling regarding the fungus’s intelligence. Is it merely a mindless contaminant looking to spread, or is it taking control of the host to force them to enact their final conscious thought? The script flirts with these ideas but never quite commits to a definitive answer, leaving the mechanics of the villain feeling a bit fuzzy.
Ultimately, Cold Storage is a dangerously fun, breezy creature feature that benefits from a great soundtrack and a cast that is clearly having a blast. While it won’t keep you up at night—partly because the tension never quite reaches a boiling point and the characters feel a bit too safe—it’s a solid piece of entertainment that knows exactly what it is. It’s a film that prioritises a good time over a terrifying one, and for many viewers, that will be more than enough.
★★★
In UK cinemas from February 20th / Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, Vanessa Redgrave / Dir: Jonny Campbell / 15
Related
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
