Chelsea Alexandra
Imagine working in a quiet, out-of-the-way storage facility, expecting just another boring, routine shift. Same ole, same ole. However, this time when you clock in everything gets flipped on its head and now you are trapped in a claustrophobic death maze. That’s the setup for Cold Storage, a wild, goo-soaked sci-fi horror comedy directed by Jonny Campbell, a green mutating virus, and a cast of likable heroes collide in messy chaos.
Travis (aka Teacake), played by Joe Keery, expects his graveyard shift at an isolated self-storage facility to be as boring and mind-numbing as it was the night before. With him is a new hire, Naomi, played by Georgina Campbell. She roams the halls making sure that there is nothing out of the ordinary happening with any of the units. It’s a pretty boring night until Travis begins to hear a persistent beeping that seeps through the walls. The two follow the sound down to the underground, where a hidden ladder opens into something far more sinister.
Unbeknownst to Travis and Naomi, the warehouse in which they work is built on the site of an old U.S. military base. This particular base was designed to contain the most dangerous substances known to man. Worst among some that were housed is a highly contagious, highly dangerous green virus that hijacks the brain of its host. Once infected, they rapidly deteriorate and eventually explode. The last time that the virus was loose in the outside world was back in the 70s, where it was introduced to former U.S. agent Robert Quinn, played by Liam Neeson, who has seen how quickly this virus can destroy a town. When rising temperatures set it free all these years later, the organism spreads fast, infecting humans and animals and mutating into increasingly nightmarish forms.
Back in the present day, Robert, Travis, and Naomi are in a race against the clock to contain this rapidly mutating virus and save all of humanity.
The influence that Invasion of the Body Snatchers has on this film is pretty obvious. In fact, one of the first moments we are introduced to Keery’s character, we find him reading a copy of the Jack Finney novel, which is a nice nod. It pays homage to the ‘80s midnight madness horror flick in all of the details, from the gooey body horror to the gross, creepy, zombie-ish virus-infected running around. Although there is a clear love for the B-movie genre, Cold Storage tends to play it a little more safely than take chances. Sometimes going with the safer, more contained option isn’t a bad thing. The setup is refreshingly straightforward. It tips its hat to its inspirations and keeps the story tight with its 90-minute runtime.
Cold Storage gets all of its power from the performances. Keery plays a comically awkward lead who’s basically built for freaking out in an underground nightmare. Campbell, on the other hand, brings this sharp, no-nonsense energy as Naomi, keeping the movie grounded whenever they are faced with the oozing threat. Together, the chemistry between the two is undeniable and fun. Both characters are instantly likable, with just enough mystery in their backstories to keep you interested. In the last few films I have seen Neeson in, including this one, he is having a lot of fun. Neeson has mastered the artform of delivering deadpan seriousness with just enough self-awareness and silliness that give the audience exactly what they want.
If you are looking for a dark film with complex themes and a more sinister virus that feels more rooted in reality, this is not the film for you. Cold Storage never puts its heroes in real danger, and sometimes that is also okay. Sometimes that is what we all need, to escape reality for a bit and watch a group of people in the midst of their own silly chaos and beat the bad guys, in this case it is a green mutating virus.
Rather, Cold Storage is the kind of movie that doesn’t ask you to think too hard or stress too much. What is charming about Cold Storage overall is how much fun it is and the stakes never feel life-or-death. Sometimes it’s nice to just let go, turn off the world outside, and enjoy a story that’s fun. It delivers in the fun tenfold. The characters are likable and easy to root for. The real world feels extremely sinister at times; sometimes it is nice to just escape it all with a silly film.
