Have you ever been so excited about a movie, only to watch it and feel completely let down? That was me after seeing Ice Road: Vengeance. I went in expecting something intense and icy like the first film, but this one felt like a totally different movie and not in a good way.
From the trailer and poster, it looked like Liam Neeson was back doing what he does best, and I thought we’d get more of those dangerous frozen road scenes. I imagined something like the original, where the stakes felt real and the environment played a huge role. But nope. Not a single ice road in this one. I kept waiting for that cold, edge-of-your-seat tension and it never came.
The movie starts off with Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) traveling to Nepal to scatter the ashes of his brother, Gurty. If you watched the first film, you’d remember their bond, so this had the potential to be an emotional ride. He boards a tour bus heading toward Mount Everest, hoping for a moment of peace and reflection. But things go sideways fast.
Out of nowhere, the bus gets ambushed by armed mercenaries. Turns out, one of the passengers is from a powerful family, and now everyone on board is in danger. Suddenly, Mike has to go full action-hero again, protecting strangers on a rocky mountain road. The whole thing felt forced like the writers just needed an excuse to throw in some fight scenes and shootouts.
And that’s basically what the movie turns into: shootouts, car chases, and mountain fights. The plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, and the villains are barely explained. They’re just there, trying to kill people, and we’re supposed to care. But without knowing who they really are or why they’re doing what they’re doing, it’s hard to stay interested.
Now don’t get me wrong, Liam Neeson still delivers with his usual tough-guy energy. He’s consistent, even when the script isn’t. Fan Bingbing plays Dhani, a local guide who joins Mike, and she actually did a solid job. She brought a bit of calm and seriousness to the chaos. But the rest of the cast? Pretty forgettable, honestly.
One of the biggest letdowns was the CGI. There’s a part where a bus almost falls off a cliff, and the effects looked like something out of a low-budget video game. It completely took me out of the moment. For a film that had so much potential with its location and cast, the visual quality was seriously disappointing.
The only part that got to me emotionally was a short scene near the Everest base camp, where Mike reflects on his brother’s death. That scene had a little heart. It reminded me why I liked the first movie in the first place. But sadly, that’s one of the few meaningful moments in the whole film.
To be honest, this didn’t feel like a true sequel. It felt like a random action movie that they decided to attach the Ice Road name to, just to get attention. And if you’re a fan of the original, that’s going to sting.
In the end, Ice Road: Vengeance just didn’t deliver. No ice, no real suspense, and not much substance. If you’re just looking for a basic action movie with Liam Neeson doing his usual thing, you might be okay with it. But if you were hoping for a proper continuation of the first film, this one’s going to be a letdown.
I’d give it a 3.5 out of 10. Mostly for Liam and a few decent scenes, but overall… not worth the hype.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully this saves someone from wasting their evening.
