REVIEW: ‘Cold Storage’ Is Liam Neeson Just How We Like Him

Cold Storage (2026) is not what one could consider a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. The characters that make up its world are slightly embellished archetypes, with the deadly fungal infection digitally rendered to absurdly comical lengths and following rules that ebb and flow with whatever the script conveniently needs next. Still, this latest project from director Jonny Campbell and screenwriter David Koepp (who wrote the novel the film is based on) is easily described as a mindless popcorn film that is there simply to entertain. Sometimes, that’s just enough to make it work the watch.

Opening with a bonkers sequence set in Australia, Cold Storage wastes no time establishing how dangerous its alien fungus is and the wild swings the film will take with its effects. It’s here we’re introduced to Trini (a rather grossly underutilized Lesley Manville) and Robert Quinn (a no-nonsense Liam Neeson, just how we like him), who are both there to investigate whatever is happening. To say that things escalate drastically is an understatement, leaving a mark on Quinn that he will never forget, to a (rightfully) obsessive degree.

Flash forward to a random storage unit in the middle of nowhere, the United States government’s sad and probably realistic solution to storing this fungus. Time has passed, and neglect and a lack of care have created an ideal breeding environment for this highly adaptable fungus. A perfect recipe for disaster unfolds as one too many factors align to let the fungus take its first steps towards world domination. The only people who may be able to stop it? The storage facility employees, Teacake (Joe Keery) and Naomi (Georgina Campbell).

Everyone playing their parts straight helps balance some of the more wild swings in Cold Storage.

One reason Cold Storage works is the actors’ commitment to the bit. Liam Neeson’s Robert Quinn is straightforward and to the point—the stalwart scientist unafraid to go up against the government to eradicate this thing from the face of the Earth. Matching his energy is Georgina Campbell’s Naomi, who has a great knowledge of biology despite her more humble occupation, and approaches the situation at hand with mostly calm reasoning. 

Balancing out the core group’s energy is Joe Keery’s Teacake. Keery leans into the ‘dumb guy‘ vibe, never really knowing what’s going on, and the character makes some questionable decisions (some of which explain how he ended up working at the storage facility in the first place). That confused energy facilitates the humor Campbell is looking for in his cast, especially when the craziness amplifies tenfold roughly halfway through Cold Storage, and only Teacake seems to be the one to really freak out.

Honestly, everyone does such a good job in Cold Storage that it is almost easy enough to gloss over how threadbare some of the characters are. You get just enough information to figure out where they align in the story, and then off we go. However, if you look just closely enough, you could easily replace everyone in the cast with someone else who fits the archetype, except maybe Liam Neeson, since the role is delivered in such Neeson-like fashion. There’s not much to set these characters apart on paper, making them unmemorable, and that’s a dang shame.

What is pretty memorable, though, is how the fungus takes over its host. Through a mix of practical and digital effects, it moves with swift precision, and the infection sequences in Cold Storage make for some of the grossest moments, lending themselves to the dark humor the film aims for at times. However, the digital rendering is sometimes overly distracting, and not so in an intentionally comedic way.

Rather than trying to blend in with the environment and missing the mark, had the CGI leaned into an intentionally so-bad-it’s-good rendering, it might have turned the more screwed-up moments into deeply comedic stuff. For a film that goes wild with the rules of how this fungus acts, there could have been more room to push the envelope into camp category when it came to the digital effects. 

At the end of the day, though, Cold Storage is a quick-paced, entertaining ride. It’s one of those films that you go in and shut your mind off, sit down, and let it take you where it wants you to go. A popcorn film written so you don’t have to think too hard about the little stuff, Cold Storage won’t leave you guessing, but may not leave quite the impression it wanted by the time its credits roll.

Cold Storage is in theaters now.