JACK FROST is another snowbound Russian fairy tale with an interesting, occasionally perplexing storyline to keep you intrigued throughout. The tale is about a pair of young lovers who have to contend with an evil old witch who decides to make their lives hell. The girl is mistreated by her family while the boy is assaulted by a mysterious mushroom-headed magician and turned into a human bear.
If that sounds all rather odd then it is, but in the best Russian tradition. I do like the atmosphere of these films and the sheer amount of effort having gone into the special effects and action sequences. The mystical, snow-covered landscape is very well realised here and subsequently the film has a strong visual look to it. Scenes of the characters being attacked by living trees and the titular character using magic to cover the land in snow are great fun, if you can overlook the inherent cheesiness and bad dubbing.
If that sounds all rather odd then it is, but in the best Russian tradition. I do like the atmosphere of these films and the sheer amount of effort having gone into the special effects and action sequences. The mystical, snow-covered landscape is very well realised here and subsequently the film has a strong visual look to it. Scenes of the characters being attacked by living trees and the titular character using magic to cover the land in snow are great fun, if you can overlook the inherent cheesiness and bad dubbing.