BLOOD GLACIER (2013 - German)

Studio:       IFC Midnight
Director:    Marvin Kren
Writer:       Benjamin Hessler
Producer:  Helmut Grasser
Stars:     Gerhard Liebmann, Edita Malovcic, Hille Beseler, Peter Knaack, Felix Romer, Brigitte Kren

Review Score:

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Summary:

A climate research team stationed in the German Alps discovers a mysterious substance that can morph different species into hybrid creatures.

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Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

While scientist Birte and technician Harald stay behind at Climate Research Base Glazius, mineralogist Falk and fellow researcher Janek follow Janek’s dog Tinnitus and discover a strange glacier carrying an unknown red liquid frozen over a cave. As the two men inspect the glacier, Tinnie goes inside the cave and is bitten by a mutated fox. Janek and Falk are also injured.

The two men report their strange discovery to Harald and to Birte, who insists on collecting samples. Meanwhile, their camp awaits the arrival of Minister Bodicek and her party that consists of Bert Krakauer, Luca, Urs, and Irene. Janek is distressed to learn that his ex-flame Tanja Monstatt is escorting the minister’s party to the outpost as their guide.

Janek investigates strange noises and ends up attacked by a rabid fox with the head of a beetle. He reports his encounter and insists on cancelling the minister’s visit, but the others pass it off as a side effect of Janek’s painkillers and alcohol.

The next day, Janek takes Birte to where the glacier was, but they find that it is gone. As Birte collects environmental samples, Janek goes to relieve himself and inadvertently rouses an insect-like creature the size of a dog. Back at the station, Birte discovers that the substance from the glacier is capable of taking the DNA from separate species and mutating it into hybrid creatures. Janek wants to warn Tanja and her party, but the other scientists fear that the minister may halt their research. Janek arms himself with a rifle and goes to meet the hikers anyway.

While the minister’s group hikes to the station, Urs is bitten by a mutated insect and later collapses. The hikers find a woman named Geli after she is hurt in an attack from a mutated falcon. The falcon then returns and kills Luca. Urs runs away. Janek finds Tanja and the others and brings them back to base.

Upon returning, Janek learns from Harald that Birte and Falk went to the measuring station to conduct more research and took the satellite phone with them. Elsewhere, Birte is suffocated when one of the specimens hugs her face. Falk tries to beat the creature with a rock, but ends up killing Birte in the process.

Janek and Tanja discuss their past while alone in Janek’s cabin. Tanja reveals that she had an abortion in secret after becoming pregnant with Janek’s child. With Tinnie still suffering from the mutated fox bite, Tanja gives Janek an injection that he reluctantly uses to euthanize his dog.

Janek and Tanja return to the others in the main base. Falk also returns after being chased back to the station by another mutated creature. Everyone takes cover as the walls are attacked from outside. After the battle subsides, Janek takes Tanja and Falk to look for the satellite phone so that they can radio for help.

Bodicek is forced to perform emergency surgery to remove the creature embedded in Geli’s thigh. Urs suddenly arrives covered in strange wounds. Mutated insects emerge from the pustules on Urs’ body and attack the others before he drops dead. Harald dies in the ensuing commotion when he accidentally sets himself and the station on fire.

While searching for the satellite phone, Falk threatens Janek and Tanja with a flare gun. A creature kills Falk and then attacks Janek before Tanja fights it off. The couple returns to base and learns that Geli died.

A rescue helicopter arrives for the five survivors. Before leaving, Tanja and Janek discover a newborn baby creature in Janek’s cabin where Tinnie was. Janek moves to kill the baby, but Tanja stops him and they decide to take the creature with them. The copter passes over the blood glacier as it flies away from the research station and a creature lunges at the camera.

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Review:

Howard Hawks and John Carpenter have forever condemned all movies about scientific expeditions at remote research outposts to be compared against “The Thing.”  That is illustrious company to be lumped in with, yet it is also a high standard of both quality and entertainment value.  Imitators are thereby required to stack up against not one, but two classic films.  “Blood Glacier” does all it can to capture that same style of desperation drama while dropping in pinches of “Alien” and “The Mist” for its twisted take on Mother Nature run amok.  This particular recipe almost gets the mixture right, until the final flavor bottoms out in the bigger picture.

Previously known as “The Station,” “Rammbock” director Marvin Kren’s film was rechristened with the much cooler title of “Blood Glacier,” although said ice floe only makes very brief appearances to kickstart the story and to bookend the finale.  Anticipatory dreams of seeing a sentient iceberg wreak havoc dissipate in an “aw shucks” finger snap when it is revealed that the titular glacier is merely the carrier of an unidentified red substance capable of mingling various DNA profiles into ravenous hybrid creatures.

From a fox mixed with a woodlouse to a falcon merged with who knows what, “Blood Glacier” is at its demented best when throwing monstrous mutations on top of outmatched scientists.  The actors wrestle against the beasts with only modestly more enthusiasm than Bela Lugosi mustered for his fight against the octopus in Ed Wood’s “Bride of the Monster.”  “Blood Glacier” is still careful about not dipping too deep into snickering silliness though.  Kren is thus able to deliver B-movie charm to shots of rubbery monsters writhing and wiggling as they have a battle royal with bearded eggheads and attractive academics without becoming unnecessarily campy.

Not quite as inventive as the creations in “Frankenstein’s Army” (review here), nor as clearly depicted, these creatures are no less imaginative in their hybrid designs.  “Blood Glacier” utilizes its bag of practical FX tricks with effective results, especially during a squirmy scene of meatball field surgery to remove an alien organism embedded under human flesh.  In its homage to invasive isolation horrors of filmdom past, the movie does borrow liberally from ideas like the “Alien” face hugger, but retains enough visual flair to keep eyes focused on the madcap mania.

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                  "Blood Glacier" actor Felix Romer and Pat O'Brien: Separated at birth?

While the action sequences pack plenty of vigor, the slow moments in between suck out too much of the spirit.  Two separate threads involving two groups of people take their time merging, and the pauses taken to flesh out characterizations linger long after the fervor from the previous fright has worn off.  The mistimed sense of balancing dreary drama with energetic frenzy makes for a movie whose excess fat of belabored backstory is in need of slimming.

There is a brief tease of distrustful paranoia a la “The Thing,” but the seed never really bears any satisfying fruit.  The monster mayhem is fun, albeit doled out in too few and too small doses.  The story depth is unfortunately a bit shallow to add anything of substantial value to the eye candy.

A late revelation regarding a key past event between two characters seems tailor made specifically to remedy such problems.  Except the subject matter used to fill in the blanks is so heavy given the rest of the movie’s mood that it adds weight in a way that drags the tempo instead of buoying it.

Perhaps because it pulls from so many varied sci-fi and creature feature sources, “Blood Glacier” never really grabs a firm handle on a personalized tone that makes sense for its style.  Visceral thrills play tug of war with drawn out dramatizations that feel out of place when the rest of the movie just wants to snap its chains and let loose.  And the person who ends up losing that identity struggle is the viewer caught up in a movie undecided about exactly what it wants to be.

NOTE: The film’s German title is “Blutgletscher.”

Review Score:  60

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