“Whiteout”

Warner Brothers Pictures

Directed by Dominic Sena

Starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short, Alex O'Loughlin and Shawn Doyle

Rated PG-13

1 Star       

Despite the presence of an A-list cast and a critically acclaimed graphic novel as source material, the Antarctic-based thriller “Whiteout” fails to deliver any heat. The plot is predictable, the acting and screenplay are sub-par, and there are crucial moments in the movie where the filmmakers are so concerned with living up to the film’s title that it’s almost impossible to see what’s happening up on the screen.

I found myself wishing that the movie had been called “Black Out.” That way, I might at least have enjoyed a short nap.

Kate Beckinsale stars in the film as U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko, the woman who provides law and order for an Antarctic base. She’s just days away from the end of her tour of duty when she is confronted with the death of a geologist — the first South Pole homicide ever! Stetko springs into action, and quickly finds herself facing off against a maniac with an ice axe, dealing with some personal demons of an arrest gone bad back in Florida, and ultimately, delving into the rather mediocre mystery of a Soviet plane that crash-landed nearby some 50 years earlier.

Yawn.

I suppose that there’s something new and interesting about the film’s South Pole setting, but the rest of “Whiteout” is pretty mediocre. The filmmakers throw in a steamy shower scene to catch the interest of Beckinsale’s male fans, but it just feels gratuitous and is quickly forgotten as the actors rush about in their over-stuffed coats, spouting bad dialogue and trying to look like they care while the story whimpers to a conclusion.