Out this week in Irish cinemas is Cold Storage, a gross-out comedy starring Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell and Liam Neeson.
Cold Storage is a comedy in the vein of films such as Tremors and Evolution. There’s a charming cast, a tight runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and a clear understanding of what to do with its budget when it comes to prosthetics and CGI. There is even a Bacon in the film; Kevin Bacon’s daughter, Sosie Bacon, makes an impactful cameo.
Cold Storage deposits audiences right into the action. 18 years ago, an adaptive and aggressive fungus landed on Earth. What does this mean? Nothing good for humanity, so the government locks this messed-up organism underground, kept behind a vault in a sub-zero biome, never to be found again. Fast forward to now, and unfortunately, the bunker is now beneath a storage facility, and global warming over the years has caused issues with the containment of the fungus. Now, Teacake (Joe Keery)and his new coworker Naomi (Georgina Campbell) have to contend with a terrifying force no one was prepared for.
Even Item No. 7?
Cold Storage is a lot of fun; it stems from the charm of its cast. Keery and Campbell have a great rapport, and it makes them instantly endearing. Teacake is both jaded and naive, a balance that Keery pulls off wonderfully, continuing to prove in my mind that he is the standout of the Stranger Things cast. Naomi is the cheeky adult in the room, who steers Teacake in the right direction when the shit hits the fan. Campbell is the straight man of the duo, but there is still an infectious giddiness to her that is thoroughly enjoyable.
Along with them is an intimate cast of quirky characters that enter this location, who give memorable performances. The obvious one to bring up is Liam Neeson’s Robert Quinn. At this point in his career, Neeson is just having fun, and you feel it in his character. He knows the film he’s in, and he’s giving the right level of camp to the film with some of the most over-the-top lines given with his signature deadpan style.
What’s a rat king!?
There is also another Irishman in the cast, Aaron Heffernan. His character, Mike, is memorable as he is the embodiment of what the fungus will do if it is let loose on the population. He’s funny, he’s freaky, and he is a lot of fun to watch. He is also a showcase of the practical effects, and they are brilliantly grotesque.
As I said earlier, Cold Storage promises to deliver this generation’s Evolution, Tremors, or Slither. And though it is a lot of fun and has some messed-up images which will remind you of those films, it doesn’t quite live up to the legacy of those other films of the genre. It’s never as funny as Tremors, it’s not as quotable as Evolution, and it’s not as messed up as Slither. It is still a fun film with a great cast that makes it a definite fun time at the cinema for fans of camp horror.
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