Under a Gibbous Moon

Movie adaptions of graphic novels seem to be all the rage these days. While I have never read the source for this movie, I have no particular doubt that it is far superior to this movie. Within the first ten minutes you’ll see Kate Beckinsale in her underwear. The movie goes downhill from there.

The premise of the movie is that it takes place in Antarctica just before the long winter sets in and cuts off the outpost from the rest of society. As everyone is getting ready to leave, there is a series a murders that must be solved before darkness sets in and the murder gets away with whatever he is trying to get away with (by the end, you won’t care either).

Within the first twenty minutes you know who is behind the murders. There is no ambiguity as each event that occurs only strengthens your conviction. This leaves you with an hour and twenty minutes to kill as our heroine catches up to where the audience is at. This lack of opacity or even a surprise twist makes the movie stumble around (literally) as the characters try to figure out the obvious. Even the red herrings are easily dismissed.

The movie is dull, the romance is forced, and people wandering around in a snowstorm gets old after forty-five minutes.