I love COLD STORAGE and every deliriously pulpy, smartly crafted minute of it. This is the kind of sci-fi thriller that knows exactly what it is, leans into its genre DNA with confidence, and still takes the time to honor craft, character, and clarity. It’s funny, tense, occasionally campy in the best way, and relentlessly entertaining.
Directed by Jonny Campbell and adapted by David Koepp from his own novel, the film drops us into a self-storage facility built atop an old U.S. military base—always a good idea—where a parasitic fungus sealed away decades earlier decides it’s time to stretch its spores. What follows is a breathless, darkly humorous ride that balances body-bursting horror, clean science exposition, and character-forward storytelling without ever losing momentum.
The chemistry between Joe Keery (Teacake) and Georgina Campbell (Naomi) is an absolute pleasure. Koepp smartly foregrounds Naomi’s scientific acumen—she explains the science without drowning us in jargon, and the film consistently makes sure we can hear and understand her reasoning. It matters, and it works.
Liam Neeson is beyond reproach as Robert, the grizzled retired bioterror operative, delivering just the right mix of authority and weary self-awareness. The tongue-in-cheek dialogue about age and aching body parts between Robert and Lesley Manville’s Romano is pitch-perfect—funny, affectionate, and grounded. Manville provides exactly the level of snark required.
And then there’s Vanessa Redgrave. Her introduction as storage unit owner Mrs. Rooney is genuinely poignant—and when she comes out firing to save Naomi and Teacake, it’s pure cinematic joy. A badass moment that thrilled me to my core.
Special mention must go to Abigail—played with striking expressiveness by Ellora Torchia—whose character arc is deeply satisfying. If this story were ever to continue, I could easily see Abigail and Naomi stepping into DTRA roles as the next generation. After all, who knows what we’ll bring back from Mars… or the Moon.
Visually, the film is a blast. The fungus—its growth, mutation, and takeover—sparked fond memories of the organism evolution sequences in 2001’s “Evolution”, and that’s high praise. The visual effects are playful and effective, complemented by excellent makeup and special makeup effects that sell the body horror without excess.
Production designer Elena Albanese does outstanding work within a primarily contained location. Concrete-walled spaces are constantly refreshed through set dressing and design variation, keeping the environment dynamic. Cinematographer Tony Slater Ling elevates this further with smart visual grammar—lighting and camera placement shift subtly but purposefully as we descend underground. Flashlights and phones reveal dust-laden gas masks and cobwebbed military panels, while the sickly gold of wall sconces contrasts beautifully with the vibrant, hostile green of the fungus invading the facility’s clean blue-and-white palette.
Editor Billy Sneddon delivers pacing perfection. (I loved his work on “Stan & Ollie”, and this only confirms his range.) The opening sequence—before the opening titles—sets the table brilliantly, grabbing us immediately, misdirecting our expectations, and then snapping into place with a sharp “27 years later” time lapse that tells us exactly where we’re headed.
From there, the film never lets up. It’s high-energy, emotionally engaged, and expertly balanced between tension, sci-fi spectacle, and dark humor. Stealing 70-inch 4K TVs? Painfully accurate—and flat-out funny.
The visual effects work by MPC is impressive throughout, but the finale is a standout. As our heroes make their escape (yes, we knew Romano would arrive in time to save her old partner and our new young heroes) the implosion sequence echoes the cathartic destruction of Sunnydale in the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” finale episode “Chosen.” I will always love a good implosion, and MPC absolutely delivers.
Composer Mathieu Lamboley provides a terrific orchestral score—refreshingly not canned—and the needle drops are inspired: “I Get Around” kicks things off, One Way or Another punctuates the YEARS–HOURS–MINUTES montage (hilarious and uncomfortably true), while “Don’t Fear the Reaper” soars over the end credits. I don’t even want to think about the licensing costs for these classics, but whatever they were, they were worth it.
Known primarily for episodic work, Jonny Campbell—this being only his third feature—hits this one out of the park. COLD STORAGE is smart, propulsive, unapologetically entertaining genre filmmaking that understands both its audience and its craft.
And if David Koepp ever decides to write a sequel? Count me all the way in.
Directed by Jonny Campbell
Written by David Koepp adapted from his novel of the same name
Cast: Liam Neeson, Lelsey Manville, Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, Gavin Sparks, Vanessa Redgrave
by debbie elias, 02/09/2026
COLD STORAGE is now available On Digital.
