Whiteout – Dir Dominic Sena, starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt

Sometimes turning a book into a film can mean megabucks at the box office and critical acclaim among the viewing public. But sometimes the other thing happens; and the 1998 comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber should have probably just been left alone, as reviews of the film from around much of the world have been pretty icy.

Kate Beckinsale leads as Carrie Stetko, a US Deputy Marshal who is the only law enforcement officer assigned to a base in Antarctica for two years. During the last three days of her sojourn a body is discovered, encased in ice. Carrie finds herself investigating Antarctica’s first-ever homicide, just as winter begins. As the sun sets for six months, Carrie finds herself in a dangerous hunt for secrets that have long been buried in icy graves – and looking for a killer in the deadly Antarctic whiteout.

The comic book reads well, but unfortunately the film adaptation plays out rather poorly. Despite an opening scene of Beckinsale in a shower, which will probably warm up the male cinema-goers, the plot is weak, the direction pallid, and the efforts from cast and producers appears half-hearted, leaving this film well and truly out in the cold.