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WHITEOUTMovie Reviews
Mystery suspense story about a U.S. Marshall stationed at Antarctica's South Pole research base who must unravel the mystery of a murder with only 72 hours to go before the sun abandons Antarctica for the next six months. Cast:Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Alex O'Loughlin, Shawn Doyle, Tom SkerrittDirector:Dominic SenaRelease Date:September 11, 2009DVD Release:January 19, 2010From:Warner Bros.Rating:RLength:1 hr 41 min
Whiteout played to poor reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "...a bland, inert excuse for an action film." • And Robert Butler wrote in New York Newsday, "...a federal marshal played by Kate Beckinsale strips down and takes a shower.... That scene makes about as much sense as anything else in Dominic Sena's thriller." More Reviews Below...
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...conventionally jam-packed, dutifully ludicrous... features the lithe marshal in a steamy shower and a chase scene in zero-degree visibility..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 136 words, 09/11/09
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...succeeds as a half-brained but intriguing whodunit. It's not a fraction of 'Fargo,' but its solid-enough performances and cool mood give it a noirish pulse."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 09/10/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "Not all that much happens.... The unusual setting is definitely the highlight; just about everything else in this action thriller feels rehashed."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 09/11/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...walks the line between implausibility and predictability.... The problem lies in the movie's perfunctory, by-the-numbers approach to the story and its characters."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 09/11/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...sadly, 'Whiteout' wimps out, starting out like 'The Thing' and winding up like 'CSI: South Pole,' wasting whatever it has going for it."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 09/11/09
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "Despite the promising source material, some impressive visuals and the earnest performances from the talented cast, it often plays like a slasher movie in a parka."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 797 words, 09/11/09
Robert W. Butler, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...a federal marshal played by Kate Beckinsale strips down and takes a shower.... Why? No particular reason. But enjoy it while you can, fellas."(See all of Robert W. Butler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 09/11/09
Chuck Wilson, LA Weekly: POOR "...earnest but muddled... the mystery at the film's core is so hopelessly dull that one begins to long for a third-act cameo by the Abominable Snowman."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 09/17/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "It doesn't help that they're stuck with wooden dialogue, a plot so transparent you'll guess the big secret right away, and a pointless backstory for Stetko."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 09/17/09
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Dan Zak, Washington Post: POOR(cg) "...staggeringly bad... It's ignorant of how things are in the real world, of what makes a thriller a thriller, of why people seek out entertainment."(See all of Dan Zak's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 09/11/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: POOR(cg) "Dominic Sena and four screenwriters have adapted Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber's comic-book series with no ear for dialogue, no feel for paranoia and no eye for subtlety."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 09/11/09
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK(cg) "...you'd do far better renting Carpenter's beautifully gory 'The Thing'; the vicious vampire flick '30 Days of Night'; or Larry Fessenden's brilliant, 'The Last Winter.' "(See all of Tirdad Derakhshani's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 09/11/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: WEAK(cg) "...fritters away its suspense, its setting, and our indulgence. You come away wishing someone had applied White-Out to the script."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 09/11/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "...flows like molasses in January, its plodding pace underscoring the cast's lack of chemistry, the monotonous visuals and TV-level plotting."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 410 words, 09/11/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...indifferent... For all its frozen blood, assaults with ice axes and killer weather, the film turns out to be only a pale imitation of the thriller it might have been."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 572 words, 09/11/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Chuck Wilson, LA Weekly: POOR "...earnest but muddled... the mystery at the film's core is so hopelessly dull that one begins to long for a third-act cameo by the Abominable Snowman."(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 200 words, 09/17/09
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...intrigue ebbs long before the climactic storm crashes down on the smattering of generic players.... a blizzard of cheap artifice..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 155 words, 09/17/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "It doesn't help that they're stuck with wooden dialogue, a plot so transparent you'll guess the big secret right away, and a pointless backstory for Stetko."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 09/17/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...walks the line between implausibility and predictability.... The problem lies in the movie's perfunctory, by-the-numbers approach to the story and its characters."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 09/11/09
Lael Loewenstein, Daily Variety: POOR "...a frozen concoction of red herrings, incongruous plot points and thinly developed characters... some lines inadvertently yielded snickers and groans."(See all of Lael Loewenstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 713 words, 09/11/09
Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "Even a bad thriller can be entertaining, and this gory murder mystery set in Antarctica has a certain dumb fascination -- up to a point. Then it is defeated by its sheer idiocy."(See all of Stephen Farber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 09/10/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: POOR "...walks the line between implausibility and predictability.... The problem lies in the movie's perfunctory, by-the-numbers approach to the story and its characters."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 546 words, 09/11/09
22.3 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Whiteout's reviews are separated by an average 22.3 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Whiteout (24 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Whiteout's reviews cover 40.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,920 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 413 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 15.3 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Whiteout's reviews on average broke 15.3 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Whiteout's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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