Cold Storage – Review

After the Skylab space station fell to earth in 1979, most of the debris burned up on re-entry, however some of it crashed to Earth’s surface. NASA did their best to collect everything, but apparently… they missed a spot. 18 years later… as a biker zooms across western Australia, things are tense right out the gate. He makes a late-night phone call to NASA Space Biosciences Research, who passes the call along to Dr. Hero Martins (Bacon) in Rome, Italy. He frantically tells her that something has come out of her tank!

Martins is a research biologist who consults for NASA on epidemiological surveillance. The caller warns that they are all dying, and it is a NASA tank of some kind. The call is disconnected over a bad storm. A day later, and Martins and her crew are on scene. Here comes Major Robert Quinn (Neeson) and his partner Trini Romano (Manville). They are all there to secure a fallen oxygen tank which was recovered nearby and used as a tourist attraction.

Unfortunately… this was not an empty tank. It was sent to space with a microbial organism, a parasitic fungus which could adapt from one organism to another. Even worse, what likely went into the tank, does not seem to be what is coming out. Why was this hazardous organism sent to space? Research and to develop an anti-fungal for astronauts. The experiment may not have worked out as intended. Regardless, the crew suit up and head to ‘contain’ this outbreak.

As the plot continues to morph, we get new characters and a lot more of this hazardous organism. Things definitely get wild, and all sorts of ‘matter spray’ hits the screen. Will these scientists be able to get their quarantine on, and save the world? If not… what else could happen? How big of a threat is this parasitic space fungus?!

Cold Storage has plenty of humor, but it is still a blood and guts filled splatter-fest. Eventually the story settles into a primary location, but the fungus trouble remains the same. While the threat may be an amalgamation of other films and shows, it remains a strong foe for any humans trying to stay alive and un-exploded.

The acting is pretty good from all parties, including some of the newer players like Joe Keery and the always strong Georgina Campbell. The script is from an industry veteran who has covered all sorts of ground and produced some very good results, and it works well enough. The first-time film director has done tons of TV series work, and his experience translates just fine into features as the movie was fun and moves along just fine. Fans of explosive gore will have a fun time with this one, and the characters involved are worthy enough to spend a bit of time with.