The Grey (2012) Review

 "F**k it.  I'll do it myself."
-John Ottway



A plane full of oil workers crashes in remote Alaska and they quickly find themselves being hunted by a pack of wolves.  With no hope of rescue, wolf hunter John Ottway (Liam Neeson) leads the survivors on a dangerous journey to find help.


What Works:

Survival movies are my favorite genre of movies.  I love watching a small group of characters in a desperate situation trying to survive with very little to work with.  The Grey fits this bill to a tee.  It's a very well made movie in my favorite genre.  Of course I'm going to like it.

This movie is more than just a film about survival.  It's a bleak philosophical film, which I also enjoy.  The theme of this movie is; God isn't going to save you, save yourself.  It isn't even implied.  It's right on the surface thanks to some interesting discussions between the characters.  I don't see a lot of movies with this sort of philosophy and it works well here.

Liam Neeson does a great job, as per usual.  He's gruff, but intelligent and tough.  He's especially good at the very end of the film, where he pleads for help, but realizes he isn't going to get any.  His climatic stand against the alpha is totally badass and I don't mind at all that the movie ends before we see the fight.  We don't need to see it.  

Finally, the locations of the film are incredible.  The Alaskan wilderness and the brutally cold conditions draw you into the film and make you feel cold just watching it.  It's an awesome setting that gives us some fantastic action set-pieces.


What Sucks:

The biggest complaint I have with the film is the depiction of the wolves.  Everything any character in this movie says about wolves is wrong.  They don't behave the way they do in the film in any way, shape, or form.  It's actually hilarious just how wrong they are.  I don't mind movies being unrealistic for the sake of the story and I think it mostly works fine, especially when the film compares the wolves to the human characters, but this is a very egregious example of scientific inaccuracy in film.


Verdict:

Inaccuracies aside, I love The Grey.  The action sequences are great, the characters are an interesting bunch, and the philosophy of the film is very memorable and gives us a badass if bleak finale.  This movie has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 

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