Eye Candy #122 - "Whiteout"

Whiteout: I’m a fan of the original comic series upon which this film is based, so my expectations going in are fairly high. Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) is a US marshal living a remote existence on the American bases in Antarctica, having taken the world‘s worst posting after being compromised by her former partner. When Antarctica’s first murder takes place, it’s up to Stetko to figure out who killed him and why, while fighting against both the killer and the brutal arctic environment itself (and all the fun that entails like extreme frostbite and frozen bodies). Sure, it’s basically a detective story, but it’s the window-dressing here that makes it different. What didn’t make it from comic to script is disappointing. The comic was great at communicating the loneliness and sexism of being 1 woman alone in Antarctica for months at time, ostracized by her male peers because she refused to have sex with them. The killer was almost an afterthought to how dangerous Antarctica was. In the film, it makes McMurdo look like a giant frat party complete with band and the actors can have an extended physical fight outside in sub-zero temperatures and not even have red cheeks once they go back inside. Also gone is Lily Sharpe, the British agent from the comic series, replaced by Gabriel Macht as a UN investigator. Tom Skerritt also stars. Beckinsale is just not a good fit as Stetko - Carrie is very plain physically, not a supermodel that looks too fragile to survive. For a thriller, it’s not all that thrilling, with weird CGI interludes that illustrate various plot points that look fake as all get-out. Another underwhelming effort from Dominic Sena (who is very much style over substance). Woodchuck sez, “Disappointing.”