Whiteout is a thriller based on the graphic novel of the same name. Like many adaptations it had a long and arduous development cycle, and like many adaptations the final result has had to endure complaints about its differences to the source material. Sometimes these complaints are justified, as the film loses what made the books o special. Others are just people picking on small insignificant issues that no one actually cares about. Whiteout falls into the former category, turning a decent source into a forgettable by the numbers thriller.

The plot involves Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale), a US Federal Marshal stationed at a base in Antarctica. She is haunted by demons from her past which led to her eventual move to such an isolated area. When a body is found, Stetko becomes a part of the continents first ever murder investigation. Stetko must then race against the harsh Antarctic conditions to find the killer and solve the mystery. The whole thing moves at a particularly slow pace and the isolated and foreboding setting does nothing to raise the tension. In John Carpenters classic The Thing, the cold climate felt like it really added to the story and helped to ratchet up the tension, whereas here it feels like the setting could be interchangeable. Now the two are obviously fairly different films but it seems like Whiteout could have learnt a thing or two in regards to creating suspense.

The story plays out boringly, and has a plot twist that is broadcast from a mile away. It also contains a few ludicrous chase scenes with the killer, who appears every so often and wreaks havoc like a villain from a slasher film. It’s all rather silly really, and not in a good way. Beckinsale tries to do her best with the material, and as always looks absolutely stunning. Apart from that though there is little to recommend about this film, seeing as there are many others where Beckinsale looks just as lovely. The rest of the performances are good enough too, although nothing really raises the bar.

The film looks lovely with all the Blu-Ray trimmings, and if the Antarctic never feels threatening in the film, it at least looks cold and forbidding. The features are also a decent bag, with some deleted scenes that don’t really add much, and a much more interesting behind the scenes look at how the film was made.

Whiteout is a bland thriller, offering nothing that is easily recommendable as there is nothing that stands out about it. It is not a terrible film, but it is by no means a good one. It looks very nice, but then every Blu-Ray film tends to look nice, so that doesn’t really work too well in its favour. Ultimately it is a film that does not live up to its source material, and some of the tensest moments from the book seem lifeless when played out in the film version.