SNOW WHERE TO GO
Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 06/28/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"AVALANCHE ALLEY is one of those movies that you enjoy because of the awesome scenery and the extreme snowboarding. The plot in this one is fairly simple, if slant: A ski lodge is undergoing financial difficulties and owner Ed Marinaro decides his wife can turn things around by encouraging snowboarding, the youthful way to re-establish the lodge. Current manager Nick Mancuso is an alcoholic, jealous of the wife, and so he convinces Marinaro that the wife is having an affair with Ski Patrol Captain Wolf Larson. Meanwhile a group of teeny boppers decide to go against Larson's advice and snowboard down a slope that is in danger of succumbing to an avalanche. Sooo..one night the bad boys and girls sneak up the slope, Larson and Marinaro's wife go to plant bombs to cause a controlled avalanche...they spot the snowboarders, try to warn them, etc., etc., avalanche comes and its up to Marinaro and one of the youths (Simon) to save the day. The movie tends to drag at times, but it does manage to keep you on the edge of your seat. We feel for Loren as she lies trapped beneath the snow and ice, desperately trying to free herself and the final avalanche is CGI impressive. Of all the actors, only Tobias Mehler (Wishmaster 3) as Simon is enjoyable to watch and his comic relief and devotion to a cause are well captured.
Not a great movie, but fun to spend a few minutes with."