Blood Glacier is a 2014 science fiction horror film directed by Marvin Kren, starring Gerhard Liebmann, Edita Malovcic, and Brigitte Kren.  After a glacier in the Alps leaks a mysterious red liquid, a group of scientists must defend themselves against hordes of biological monstrosities.

Positives:

• Good use of practical effects
• Good performances
• Good story

Negatives:

• Poor cgi
• Not memorable performances
• Lackluster characters
• Poor cinematography

Plot:  The story is follows a group of scientists who discover a red liquid that transforms the local wildlife into monstrous creatures.  The story does take its time to gradually reveal the secrets behind the liquid.  However, for as interesting as the plot is it isn’t really compelling.  At moments the story does become exciting but there moments where it is incredibly dull. The ending was interesting but did leave much to be desired and was a little confusing. (3 out of 5)

Characters: The characters aren’t really interesting and the majority of them were forgettable.  The only characters worth remotely liking or caring about are Janek (Liebmann) and Tanja (Malovcic).  Although they come off as flat as the other characters, the focus on them as well as their prior relationship do make them characters worth rooting for.  Bodicek (Kren) was another standout character that actually had personality.  (3 out of 5)

Cast: Despite the not so good characters the performances were actually pretty solid.  Great performances by Gerhard Liebmann, Edita Malovcic, and Brigitte Kren. (3 out of 5)

Visuals: Visually the movie is pretty sound, especially when it comes to the wide shots of the landscape.  The creature effects are pretty good; gross but pretty good.  Great use of practical although some of the designs could’ve been a bit better. The cgi was for lack of a better word; crap.  Some of the action scenes are hindered by the shaking cam during the chaos.  (3 out of 5)

Score:  Stefan Will and Marco Dreckkotter do a good enough job with the sound and music design.  However, there is nothing really memorable. (3 out of 5)

Writing: The script was decent but could’ve been a bit better.  There should’ve been more writing put into the characters to make them more interesting.  The story was interesting but there are more than a couple of conveniences that seem out of place.  The scene with the monster attacking the survivors in the building was never really addressed.  Also, there are moments where the dialogue could’ve been written better.  Despite this Kren does a good job with the presentation of the film. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Blood Glacier is a decent watch.  It isn’t compelling by any means but it is an interesting film.  Despite the lackluster characters and some of the poor cgi, the film does have an interesting premise, good performances, good use of practical effects, and some awesome wide shots of the landscape.  Blood Glacier gets 3 out of 5.  It’s not a bad movie but it definitely could’ve been better.