Given that Netflix plans to release almost as many original movies on an annual basis as the rest of Hollywood’s major studios combined, it’ll theoretically become harder for titles that don’t cost a fortune or come packing A-list star power to break out from the pack and find worldwide success.
With that in mind, Against the Ice should be commended for becoming the number one most-watched film on the platform just 24 hours after premiering. As per FlixPatrol, the historical survival thriller has topped the viewership charts in 55 countries, despite a fairly middling 53% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by Peter Flinth, Game of Thrones veteran Nikolaj Coster-Waldau headlines the cast as polar explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, while he also co-wrote the script with Joe Derrick. Based on the fateful 1909 expedition to disprove America’s claim to the northeastern area of Greenland, an intrepid and inexperienced crew face innumerable setbacks as they head out on a dangerous voyage across icy terrain.
Peaky Blinders‘ Joe Cole, the always-welcome Charles Dance, and Icelandic actress Heida Reed round out the principal cast, and the end result is an effective old school adventure. Some of the plot and character beats may feel overly familiar, but that’s par for the course when almost every movie to have revolved around a small group of specialists attempting to traverse the wild unknown have suffered through many of the same experiences.
Clearly, that hasn’t put Netflix subscribers off in the slightest, with Against the Ice becoming the platform’s latest in-house feature to shrug off a lukewarm critical reception to prove hugely popular among audiences.