Puzzle of the Polar Riddle

Critic Reviews

Hold onto your snow hats and prepare to sleigh—'Puzzle of the Polar Riddle' is precisely what happens when Frosty the Snowman eats a jigsaw puzzle and regurgitates comedy. Directed by Sidney Lumoose, a name so close to sounding like a cartoon reindeer that I'm convinced it's a nom de plume, the film galumphs through the blizzard-blasted terrain of 'The Fantasy Era'—a time period so vague, historians are shaking in their boots. Maple Nor-munch, played with an eccentricity cranked up to iceberg-level by an actor who must have lost a bet, throws down a gauntlet that is less Infinity Gauntlet and more, 'Oops, I dropped my mittens.' Nicola Peltzest, in a role that screams 'I didn't get The Matrix reboot', hacks and quacks her way to being an endearing protagonist. With baits of slapstick hiding in the snow and more puns than a penguin convention, the flick sparkles brighter than a fresh icicle under the bored gaze of the winter sun. It's charming, it's disarming, and by golly, it's warmer than a polar bear's hug—though not quite as suffocating. If laughter is indeed best served cold, this movie is the equivalent of tickling a snowman while stuffing your face with frozen dessert. Not profound enough to freeze your soul, nor blistering enough to burn a hole through the cinema seat, 'Puzzle of the Polar Riddle' is, therefore, snowball-fight entertaining. I deem it an Avalanche of Chuckles Rating of 6.8—you won't be buried by its depth, but you might emerge with a smile and frosty cheeks.