I recorded this movie on my PVR, thinking it was going to be just another cheapo actioner imitating Asylum's garbage. Planned to fast-forward through the painfully boring parts, and stop by only for the delightfully stupid or violent (nudity was also promised by the warnings, but it turned out to be not female :))....and I ended up watching it from beginning to end. This movie actually has an interesting SF and Cold War premise; several great veterans of acting (Michael Ironside and Adam Beach) and performers I have never heard of before (Camille Sullivan, and Gabriel Hogan whose evil perfection is genuinely captivating), and they all seem to fill out their roles comfortably and believably. The actors manage to make their characters interesting enough that you want to listen to what they say, however banal that sometimes turns out to be. The writer(s) also tried to drag a bit of science and historical 'authenticity' into their story, and the dialogue is pretty decent (sometimes even good) most of the time. On top of all that, the sets are solid (if indubitably inexpensive), there is an excellent use of real life locations, and the effects range from competent to good. This film is not a shoot'em-up actioner, but the action it does have (and when it has it) seems well-paced, and integral to the story. Low-budget, frequently flawed, and somewhat cliché'd (I thought the 'big reveal' at the end was obvious after the first 5 minutes of the film), it is mediocre at best. Considering how many TRULY horrible movies you are flooded with on a daily basis, though, 'Ice Soldiers' is definitely not a bad movie; and it tries in every area - and really hard - not to go out of its way to offend your intelligence. Plus, this is one of perhaps only two or three movies in which Dominic Purcell is actually perfect for the character he plays!

This Canadian movie is one of a rare breed where the action takes place in Canada with Canadian characters. Aside from that fact, and maybe also with Adam Beach's somewhat likable performance as a Native who helps the main protagonist, there's nothing good to say about this entire package. How this got a decent review in the Canadian newspaper "The National Post", I cannot say. The first half of the movie is almost entirely deadly dull, taking forever to reintroduce the threat that first reared its head in the introduction. The second half of the movie is not that much better, with a still sluggish pace and action sequences that are slow and clumsy at best. It's actually a miracle that we do get some action sequences, because a number of key moments either take place out of camera range or were simply not filmed at all. When Michael Ironside (who is in less of the movie than you might think) cannot give himself or his surroundings any life, you know that something is very wrong.

I didn't expect to have such a good time with Ice Soldiers. The plot sounded like a hybrid between The Thing and Frankenstein, and I expected it to be a piece of crap, but it ended up being a very competent B-movie with good direction, solid performances and a good dominion over the suspense. Dominic Purcell makes a credible work in the leading role, expressing his character's internal turbulence with his body language and his intense looks. The rest of the cast includes some famous faces from the fantastic genre (Michael Ironside, Camille Sullivan) and other ones which are unknown (like the trio of Russian super-soldiers), but they all bring conviction and enthusiasm to their characters. The special effects are sporadic and not very flamboyant; after all, this isn't a gory film and it didn't require any spectacular moments... just the tension of the "human hunt" in the frozen Arctic tundra, accentuated by occasional fights and a few explosions to season the recipe. I'm glad to say that that was enough for me to enjoy this amusing movie. On the negative side, the ending is kinda anti-climatic, and there are a few absurd scenes. But, for the rest, I liked Ice Soldiers pretty much, and I think it deserves a recommendation, specially to the ones who like fantastic cinema.

Ice Soldier is really a nice surprise. Well written and with some truly original ideas, the movie keeps the viewers attention for its 90 minutes; and even let you waiting more.Even the acting is different. Dominic Purcell plays his character not as an action hero (no even a very cool person) just somebody very strong (with an agenda), but far from invincible. The rest of the cast do what they can (most of them are dead by the first half of the movie anyway).The fist half is enclosed in an Artic oil station, with snow everywhere; but when things start to become claustrophobic; the second half moves to civilization (really a not very civilized small town); thus lightening the environment.In brief; it is a B movie (far from a masterpiece) but it pretty entertaining.