Reviewed By: Flickman
I was pretty excited to check out Cold Storage because I’m always up for a good comedy/sci-fi/horror mix. On top of that, the movie stars Liam Neeson and Joe Keery, so I figured it would be hard to go wrong. That said, I did end up enjoying the film for what it was, but I also walked away thinking it could have been quite a bit better. Why? I’ll get into that in a moment.
First, here’s a quick rundown of the story. A dangerous fungus escapes from an abandoned government research facility that just happens to be hidden beneath a storage unit complex. Two employees working at the storage facility, Teacake and Naomi, start hearing strange noises coming from behind a wall. While investigating the sounds underground, they accidentally uncover the hidden lab—and in the process, the fungus gets loose and begins infecting living creatures.
Instead of calling the police, they dial the number listed for the research facility hoping someone can help. Since the program was run by the government, the call eventually brings retired bioterrorism agent Robert Quinn (Neeson) back into the picture. Quinn originally worked on the project years earlier, so he’s pulled out of retirement to deal with the outbreak before things spiral out of control.
To avoid spoilers, I won’t go too deep into what happens next. I will say the movie is a decent watch overall, though there were definitely a few aspects that didn’t quite work for me. For one, I was really hoping for a bit more action. A lot of the film feels slower than expected, with long stretches of the characters wandering around the storage facility and diving into the backstories of Teacake and Naomi. Character background can be important, but it felt like those moments dragged on longer than they needed to. I think the movie would have benefited from trimming that down and leaning harder into the sci-fi horror elements.
When the movie does pick up, though, it can be pretty entertaining. Some of the fungus-related chaos is actually a lot of fun—especially when things start exploding because of it. The infection gives off a bit of a zombie vibe, since once someone is infected the fungus takes over their body. Eventually it causes them to explode or violently spew spores everywhere, which spreads the infection even further.
Performance-wise, Joe Keery as Teacake and Georgina Campbell as Naomi both do solid work. If you’ve seen Keery in Stranger Things, you’ll have a good idea of what kind of performance to expect here – it’s not wildly different, but it works. One amusing difference, though, is seeing him with bleached blonde hair instead of the big brown hairstyle he’s usually known for.
As for Liam Neeson, he does fine in the role, but I’m not entirely convinced it was the best fit. Personally, I think the part might have worked better with a different actor, especially since the movie is supposed to lean into comedy. Neeson just isn’t someone I naturally think of as funny, so some of the comedic beats involving his character didn’t quite land for me.
Speaking of comedy, the movie isn’t exactly laugh-out-loud funny. There are a few amusing moments here and there, but don’t expect the same comedic energy you’d get from something like Shaun of the Dead or Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Watching people explode in bizarre ways or seeing Neeson stumble around might get a chuckle, but nothing really had me cracking up.
Overall, I’d say Cold Storage is just an okay movie. It has a decent premise and plenty of potential, but it feels like it’s missing something that could have made it truly great. The pacing is slow in places, and a few more intense fungus-driven moments probably would have helped a lot.
Would I watch it again? Maybe – but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to do so unless someone else wanted to watch it or it happened to be on TV while I was flipping channels.
If you’re a fan of this genre, it’s worth checking out at least once—just keep your expectations in check. As a casual Friday night popcorn movie, it’s not a bad option if you stumble across it while browsing your streaming library. I’ll probably call this one a hung jury. Some viewers will likely enjoy it quite a bit, while others may not connect with it at all. And if the idea of people exploding in a slightly goofy way doesn’t sound appealing, you might want to skip this one.
Overall Verdict: It's worth a watch once, just don't expect to feel "wowed" when you finish it. If you enjoy a good mix of sci-fi, comedy, and horror, this might be right up your alley.
Releasing: April 17, 2026
Releasing: May 1, 2026
Releasing: May 1, 2026