Cold Storage (2026)
David Koepp is no stranger to genre cinema, having written the screenplay for such films as Jurassic Park, Spider-man and War of the Worlds. Where these titles are big budget, major studio productions, Cold Storage is a far more modest production with a smaller scope. Adapted from his own novel, the screenplay is by David Koepp and the film is directed by British film-maker Jonny Campbell. At first glance, Cold Storage seems a somewhat derivative science fiction horror film with a relatively modest budget, financed through a convoluted US and French co-production. Lurid green and red colours feature heavily in the marketing artwork and it is easy, after a cursory look, to write the film off as cheap, generic, direct-to-streaming filler. However, Cold Storage is prime example of why you should not judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case, a film by its posters and online advertising. It is in fact an amusing and fun endeavour that can fill an evening.
David Koepp is no stranger to genre cinema, having written the screenplay for such films as Jurassic Park, Spider-man and War of the Worlds. Where these titles are big budget, major studio productions, Cold Storage is a far more modest production with a smaller scope. Adapted from his own novel, the screenplay is by David Koepp and the film is directed by British film-maker Jonny Campbell. At first glance, Cold Storage seems a somewhat derivative science fiction horror film with a relatively modest budget, financed through a convoluted US and French co-production. Lurid green and red colours feature heavily in the marketing artwork and it is easy, after a cursory look, to write the film off as cheap, generic, direct-to-streaming filler. However, Cold Storage is prime example of why you should not judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case, a film by its posters and online advertising. It is in fact an amusing and fun endeavour that can fill an evening.
In 1979, Skylab burns up in the atmosphere but an oxygen tank survives and is found by a farmer in Western Australia. 28 years later, biochemist Dr. Hero Martins (Sosie Bacons) accompanies Pentagon operatives Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and Trini Romano (Lesley Manville) to the an isolated Australian town, where they find it overrun by an infectious fungus. Martin becomes contaminated and the fungus starts to control her actions. However, she commits suicide. The military subsequently incinerate the town and take a sample to an underground cold storage vault in Kansas. In the intervening years, the government seals the vault and the facility is bought by a self storage company. In the present day, Travis (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell), who work the night shift at “Atchison Storage”, hear an intermittent alarm behind a false wall. They soon find the former government vault and discover a new fungal outbreak. The military, aware of the situation, send Robert Quinn to investigate.
Cold Storage draws heavily from The Andromeda Strain and The Return of the Living Dead. It certainly leans into the light heartened tone of the latter film. However, two things lift Cold Storage above the average. The dialogue between the main characters is amusing as they trade quips and ironic remarks. This isn’t a complete horror comedy but the humour does give the story an engaging tone and trajectory. The presence of Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville also does much to bolster the proceedings from the standard to the wryly entertaining. There is an effortless chemistry between these two actors which is aided by Koepp’s plausible bickering dialogue. The next, notable aspect of the film is the targetted use of VFX. The budget obviously kept the visual scope focused but what digital and practical effects there are throughout the 100 minute running time, are done well.
At a time when the US film industry is beginning to learn that audiences are fast becoming tired with bloated, soulless, multimillion dollar budget films, Cold Storage provides an object lesson in “less is more” and how to work within some fairly tight parameters. The cast of characters is minimal, the action scenes and visual effects are efficient and the film tells its tale in the right amount of time. It does not outstay its welcome. Although not a genre milestone by any shake, it does take several familiar tropes and presents them in an engaging manner and with a new spin. Cold Storage is entertaining in that “Friday night, back from the pub” way and also manages to captures the creativity and humour that can be found in similar movies from the eighties and nineties. Like I Come in Peace (1990), which is hardly surprising as David Koepp wrote that as well.
