Ice Quake (film)

Ice Quake is a 2010 television action film written by David Ray and directed by Paul Ziller and shown on the Syfy channel. It stars Brendan Fehr, Holly Dignard, Jodelle Ferland, Ryan Grantham and Rob LaBelle.
Set primarily in Alaska, the film follows the members of a family caught amidst a natural disaster. As the permafrost thaws, subterranean rivers of liquid methane and disastrous earthquakes are unleashed, threatening to lead the Earth to a catastrophic end.
Plot.
"Ice Quake" is an action film about the Alaskan landscape. Under the permafrost, organic materials have been rotting for thousands of years and the compound is very deadly to the planet. As the permafrost thaws, volatile liquid methane and gases are released which causes a succession of destructive earthquakes. A family ends up going to this Alaskan landscape on the hunt for a Christmas tree, hoping to have fun, and unfortunately finds out firsthand how deadly this can be.
As they are exploring these mountains, their dog runs away for an unknown reason and soon after there is an explosion of gas from underneath the ice that ends up causing an avalanche. The family has to run for their lives. The father takes charge and tries to lead them to safety when suddenly another tremor occurs. This time, it causes the ground to split open, creating a deep ravine dividing the family apart - the parents on one side and two children on the other. They cannot group back together as there is dangerous gas flowing out the ravine so the father tell them to go to the summit and wait for rescue. The children head up to top to then find out there is a storm on their way causing more concern. The younger brother suggests they keep moving until they can stop at a safe place
As this chaos is going on, the military based around the mountain are investigating the tremors. At first believed the tremors were being caused by earthquakes but then discover that there have been no tectonic movements and nothing has showed on the Richter scale. They then thought it could have been a volcano eruption causing this but also ends up to be false. It is a race against time to stop these harmful liquids and gases before it leads to a catastrophic explosion that threatens the planet.
Production.
"Ice Quake" is the Syfy Cable television company's own holiday TV movie production. The filming of the movie took place in three different locations.
In the production and post-production other companies helped with Syfy's work. Movie Central was one of the main companies that helped with this production of this film. Northwest Digital worked with the production teamto create a quality visual experience, along with The Exile Visual Effects Studio who provided the visual effects to create the perfect atmosphere for a holiday disaster. Pinewood Sounds was in charge of the movie's sound effects and recording.
Music.
The movie has two credited soundtracks. As a holiday TV movie both of the songs are traditional Christmas carols. In the movie, we can listen to them as a performance by the Occidental Glee Club.
Reception.
The film's opening scenes has been mentioned in many reviews due to their weird nature:
"The opening of the movie (and first couple of deaths) has a man for no reason at all doing geological research dressed in full Santa gear. Cue Santa to then get blown up in an ice geyser. It’s not as great as it sounds I’m afraid but it’s certainly a startling opening."
"The opening of "Ice Quake" is either going to make you smile or grimace as we see Santa on a snowmobile! It turns out Santa is actually party of a military geologist team who was meant to be playing Santa at a community event but has had to head up to the mountain to place some sensors with another man. But there is more because lo and behold a crack forms in the snow between them, something which you may have seen in a ton of other disaster movies but we get a bit of a switch up on the obvious, a frankly predictable one as one of the men leaps across the crevice. The thing is that these opening scenes are indicative of "Ice Quake" as the movie is predictable but with some entertaining twists." 
From a film-lover's point of view, the movie has received mixed ratings:
""Ice Quake" isn’t quite the disaster of a movie compared with other Syfy made-for-TV movies but it’s still not very good. It was more interesting to see Victor Garber’s lack of interest than even those whom seemed to actually try. The Blu-ray doesn’t have much to offer with average video and audio transfers."
"Drastic shifts in the Alaskan permafrost have begun to cause earth-shattering quakes and ice geysers, trapping an archaeologist and his family out in the cold during their winter retreat. For what it is, ICE QUAKE stacks up against other low-budget, made-for-television disaster pictures like ARCTIC BLAST or METEOR STORM in delivering cheap thrills and moderate effects on a meager budget. Disaster is always the operative term here, since the plot inconsistencies, stagnant characters, and poor computerization have become characteristic of the genre, but director Paul Ziller has done everything he can to try and make this passable entertainment. The sequence of events are predictable and contrived as always, but this keeps the action moving at a decent pace throughout. TV's Brendan Fehr and Victor Garber both do what they can to attach some emotionality to the characters. These low-budget mockbusters wouldn't continue to be made if there was not already a built-in audience, so fans of THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW or ARCTIC BLAST should enjoy!"
Release.
"Ice Quake" was first shown on the "Syfy" channel on December 11, 2010 in the U.S. and was released on DVD on July 2, 2012. Since then it has been shown on television and released on DVD in numerous countries including the UK, Germany and Italy. It has also been released on Blu-ray. On Amazon you can buy Ice Quake on DVD for £3.00 or on Blu-ray for £6.00.