The nature of cinema (or any artistic medium) is that it is divided into periods, and in each of these, certain genres and movements wax and wane, peaking in popularity and then declining. It’s the way the industry works, especially since they base their work on audience expectations and desires. As a result, certain genres that have either been reconfigured into entirely different forms (whether visually or structurally, such as the case of westerns), and others seem to be almost entirely extinguished. The B-movie is an example of this, and while it hasn’t been completely eradicated, it has lost most of its lustre, becoming far too intentional and usually failing to be anything more than a novelty. Those days of late-night channel surfing, where we stumble on some long-forgotten masterpiece that may not have redefined the industry or done much to elevate the genre’s status, but certainly offered an hour or two of solid entertainment. From time to time, we find certain people making a concerted effort to return us to this era, where mindlessly enjoyable works of horror and science fiction are freely accessible and widely embraced. When it is done right, it can be absolutely splendid, or at the very least genuinely entertaining, which is the case with Cold Storage, a film written by David Koepp (who has proven to be very strong when it comes to putting together memorable genre works), based on his own novel, and brought to life by Jonny Campbell, who has also done some solid work in science fiction and horror. The story is set in a storage facility somewhere in the United States, which has inadvertently become infected with some extraterrestrial bacteria that turn any living creature it encounters into a grotesque zombie-like entity. This becomes a big problem since the only witnesses to what is happening are a pair of young workers who are entirely ill-equipped to handle such a situation, which prompts them to contact the authorities, who quickly assign a grizzled veteran and his partner to the case. Suddenly, the entire fate of the human race is held in the hands of four people, who need to race against the clock to save the planet. Bitingly funny and wickedly entertaining, Cold Storage represents a welcome return to the classical style of science fiction horror, proving that there is still some momentum in the genre, even if it can sometimes be overlooked.

The premise behind Cold Storage is gleefully simple and frankly very compelling in how it makes its intentions very clear. Campbell may be the director (and we’ll discuss how his particular skills proved to be quite beneficial when it came to bringing the film together), but a lot of credit needs to go to Koepp, whose own efforts to adapt his novel to the screen show that he is very much aware of the various necessary nuances that come to telling an enthralling story, especially one that exists between genres. The brilliance of his writing is not that he attempts to redefine the genre, but rather the exact opposite: he takes a very familiar subject and reworks it into something unexpectedly engaging. We often see films about enormous threats to humanity, and where the responsibility to protect civilisation falls into the hands of the most unexpected people, usually those who we would not normally associate with such situations. From this, the film builds quite a compelling narrative, one that is structured around the collision of personalities between the skittish young storage assistants and the grizzled, overly-serious military professionals – in reality, we know such a situation would never lead to an odd couple scenario (which is purely done for the sake of the comedy at the heart of this film), but it doesn’t stop Cold Storage from being a wickedly funny leap into the unknown, delicately handcrafted by a director who recognises the abundance of potential lingering throughout this film. There are no grand revelations to be found anywhere in this film, and its frank simplicity is what makes it so appealing – Koepp has enough experience in the industry to know exactly what works, and taking this film further than it needed to be, such as in trying too hard to turn this into some heavy-handed indictment on the relationship between government departments and the people they serve, or the disconnect between those in power and those who are simply trying to survive. None of this is present here, since the focus is instead on making a film that is entertaining, heartfelt and compelling, never overstepping its boundaries beyond reason.

Something that we have come to expect from the kinds of works that inspired Cold Storage is that it is perfectly acceptable to just make a film that allows itself to be wacky simply for the sake of being entertaining. Campbell has never come across as someone particularly interested in stories that are overly complex or unnecessarily dense – both his previous work in film and television shows someone wholeheartedly committed to simple ideas that are executed well, usually within genres that tend to be more based around spectacle than narrative complexity. This is not a film that takes itself too seriously, and its irreverent humour and ability to be wickedly funny through the most simple of means is a credit to both the witty script (which is filled with unexpected nuances, a result of it being handled by someone with a lot of experience), and the solid direction, which knows exactly how to handle the various twists and turns that come pre-packaged with the genres with which it is working. Campbell is clearly very skilled, and while there’s nothing in this film that is all too surprising, it does contain some interesting elements that draw us in, quietly reworking some complex ideas into something more engaging and compelling, while also not neglecting to keep us entirely invested. The setpieces are strong, especially when it comes to dividing the film into various episodic moments that coalesce into a brilliant showdown towards the end, the climactic moments being genuinely enthralling while also never going so far that it becomes too overly complex. This is a film driven by its underlying tension, which is combined with off-the-wall humour (it’s a wickedly funny film in several ways, combining witty wordplay and offbeat slapstick) and a genuine sense of danger. It’s not realistic, but it is strong enough to draw us in, which is more than sufficient for a film of this nature – in fact, it is the absolute ideal scenario, and the perfect model for what a contemporary low-budget science fiction horror comedy should strive to be.

We don’t normally associate horror comedy with strong performances – many actually find that one of the most appealing aspects of these films is how they don’t rely on star power, and can get away with some more abstract casting, or choosing entirely unknown actors that subsequently become stars after a while. However, on occasion, we find an example of the inverse, where such a film is unusually packed with notable names that it actually becomes part of the experience to witness some of the most respected names in the industry taking part in a genre that is rarely offered to them. The two leads are Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell, who are more expected names (with the former spending many years toiling in Stranger Things, which reignited a sincere affection for more offbeat science fiction, even if the show itself was not always very good), but who nonetheless can very effectively carry the film. Their chemistry is solid, and they bring something very special to a film that benefits from their natural, easy-going charm. Conversely, we’ve got a trio of unexpected veterans who are enlisted to take part, and who form the core of what makes Cold Storage so intriguing. Liam Neeson is the most obvious of the three, since the last two decades of his career has been spent bouncing around genres, usually settling on these rapidly-made, action-packed thrillers that rely on both his gruff personality and willingness to do just about anything to make a scene work – and while there’s nothing out of the ordinary here (in fact, Neeson is at the stage where he is openly parodying himself and his tendency to be very self-serious), it does work very well. Somehow, Campbell manages to recruit both Lesley Manville and Vanessa Redgrave to not only appear in a film far out of their wheelhouse (since neither of them is particularly known for horror or science fiction), but to place them in roles where they’re the unexpected heroes. They’re both terrific, and their very presence piques our curiosity, especially in the case of Redgrave, who has seemingly been in semi-retirement before signing onto this film. It’s a strong cast, and everyone is doing solid, reliable work that is compelling and intriguing.

If nothing else, Cold Storage represents a return to a genre that we have long considered mostly dormant in the sense that a film can be made without any overarching message or attempts to be intensely subversive, but instead can function as a perfectly straightforward, compelling science fiction horror that is wickedly funny and genuinely thrilling. It’s a simple film, but one that knows precisely how to capture our attention, especially when it comes to quietly revealing itself as a more layered affair than we would expect at first, while also never deviating from its intentions to be a more solidly-crafted blend of comedy, horror and science fiction, which is all that it was required to be. It’s a genuinely strong film, a wonderfully curated dark comedy about how it is sometimes the most unexpected people who are tasked with saving the day – its dedication to these ideas is what makes it such a wildly entertaining work. There isn’t any attempt to make the premise more complicated than it needed to be, or elevate it to being more unwieldy than it needed to be. Instead, it embraces its own absurdity with the kind of confidence that comes when a film is made by someone who isn’t trying to prove anything, allowing Cold Storage to shed the burden of needing to be original and instead embracing its underlying peculiarities. There is no subtext here (unless someone wants to read more into the film, which is perfectly reasonable; it just isn’t at all necessary), and the film chooses to find strength in simply being a well-crafted, sharply-written work that is consistently entertaining and engaging. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but reminds us of why these kinds of films worked in the first place, which is more than enough to make it a genuinely brilliant and enjoyable work.