Nick Copus
Ice

The skepticism of the majority, even among fans of the genre, in front of yet another science fiction film with dramatic and apocalyptic content that has global warming as its central theme is clearly understandable.

This is especially true when, as in this case, we are faced with a work with a total duration of more than three hours.

Initially conceived to be a 'TV miniseries' in two episodes, 'Ice' (2011), directed by Nick Copus and based on a novel by James Follet, fundamentally narrates the story of an environmental scientist, Tom Archer (Richard Roxburgh), who in the year 2020, during studies among the Arctic glaciers, discovers that the melting process of the Greenland glaciers is dramatically accelerated by the drilling of Halo, one of the most powerful oil multinationals.

Unlike other films of the genre, we find ourselves in a global context where certain limits regarding environmental disasters have already been exceeded: our planet is already subjected to severe global warming, which in fact has caused the desertification of vast regions of Southern Europe (Italy and Spain primarily), forcing the population of these regions to migrate northwards in search of refuge.

Alongside this phenomenon, which naturally involves social complications, a severe energy crisis deepens, worsening living conditions in the Northern Hemisphere countries, particularly, given the film's setting, in England.

The gravity of the situation in this film is therefore, unlike other films of the genre (I think of 'The Day After Tomorrow' and '2012' by Roland Emmerich), established as a fact already at the start of the events.

What we witness is consequently a worsening of situations when, in the face of what is identified by scientist Tom Archer as the critical point not to be exceeded, his warnings are ignored by the arrogance of Halo's management, particularly by its 'boss' Anthony Kavanagh (Sam Neil) and his defense attorney, the beautiful and enterprising Sara Fitch (Frances O'Connor).

The interests at stake, in the first part of the film, appear to be multiple, and the proven observations of gravity by Tom Archer are outweighed by motivations that are somehow still worth considering, such as tackling the energy crisis while avoiding further unemployment.

In particular, it refers to a social context, that of England, which is practically one of the main destinations for migrants, where they are treated in a manner practically not dissimilar to what the news tells us about one of those themes that is and will remain one of the central and most challenging issues of our society for the years to come.

After being literally 'defeated' in a confrontation with Halo's management, Tom Archer decides to let the matter drop, but when he is recalled to Greenland by his old collaborator Ben Peterson, he immediately decides to return there, where he indeed finds concrete evidence of the damage caused by Halo's drilling, namely the presence of 'archaea,' 'a fundamental systematic subdivision, at the lowest level, of cellular life (source: Wikipedia)', which develop in temperatures decidedly higher than what one would expect to find in the waters of the Arctic Ocean.

At this point, the film: a) Loses any scientific credibility in dealing with the issue and generally neglects every socio-cultural aspect deriving from the crisis; b) Becomes practically a half-adventure and half-dramatic film.

In fact, while Tom Archer is in the Arctic witnessing the destruction of Halo's oil platform and at the same time forming an alliance with his old adversary, lawyer Sarah Fitch, his family is in England, in London, where his wife and daughter have gone to visit their grandfather.

The deteriorating situation, due to Halo's continuous drilling and the destruction of the platform itself, causes an immediate climate change and a lowering of temperatures across the globe.

Thus, two stories are told simultaneously: that of Tom Archer's wife and daughter trying to escape an end in a London where martial law is declared and which must be immediately evacuated due to freezing; the story of Tom Archer himself who, from the Arctic, makes an incredible aerial crossing to England and where, once on British soil, ventures through snow and ice in search of his family.

It should be said that the second part of the film, although lacking any scientifically relevant and 'useful' content, is objectively adventurous and somehow engaging in its drama.

But what I was looking for was not obviously a 'high tension' film, and consequently, I can say without any regret that the second part of the film does not measure up to the first. In the first part, fully aware of being in front of a film that is not particularly brilliant, I clung to certain intuitions and confrontations between the different situations and points of view at play, seeking something different from the usual arguments (even if truthful and not to be underestimated) regarding global warming, and looking at the issue from various perspectives like witnessing a kind of debate. Everything else is practically equal to Roland Emmerich's already mentioned films: the similarities, particularly with 'The Day After Tomorrow,' are really many. I would dare to say so many - too many - that in the end, they warrant an overall insufficient judgment even for Copus' film.