Ice Road: Vengeance (2025) Movie Review – Where to Watch Online
Four years after The Ice Road (2021) rolled onto Netflix with its B-tier thrills and snowy set pieces, Ice Road: Vengeance arrives—not with the same icy suspense, but with a wholly different terrain, tone, and temperature. Swapping Canada’s frozen wilderness for Nepal’s majestic Himalayas, the sequel feels both visually striking and strangely disconnected from the original film’s premise.
Directed and written once again by Jonathan Hensleigh, the film marks Liam Neeson’s return as Mike McCann, a grieving brother turned unlikely hero. But does the journey justify its existence, or does this sequel crash under the weight of its own ambition?
Plot Summary: From Ice Roads to Mountain Woes
Mike McCann travels to Nepal to scatter the ashes of his late brother Gurty atop Mt. Everest, fulfilling a promise left over from the first film. He joins a tour bus traversing the infamous “Road to the Sky,” a treacherous 12,000 ft path through the Himalayas.
But this quiet pilgrimage takes a violent turn when Mike and his local mountain guide, Dhani (played by Fan Bingbing), encounter mercenaries bent on seizing ancestral land to build a hydroelectric dam. The result? A chaotic blend of hand-to-hand combat, bus-based warfare, and a struggle to protect innocent villagers and fellow travelers alike.
Liam Neeson: Still Carrying the Weight (Literally)
There’s something melancholic about watching Liam Neeson, now in his early 70s, wield pistols and throw punches with the gravity of a much younger man. His physicality may have slowed, but the gravitas remains. As Mike, Neeson channels a profound sense of loss and emotional fatigue—particularly in scenes involving his brother’s urn—that lend the film a touch of sincerity it otherwise lacks.
However, the action sequences stretch believability to its limits. Watching a septuagenarian take on armed mercenaries and survive long, drawn-out shootouts often borders on parody.
Fan Bingbing Shines Amid the Chaos
The film’s most compelling new character is Dhani, Mike’s guide and eventual comrade-in-arms. Fan Bingbing offers a surprisingly grounded performance, balancing steely resolve with compassion. Her backstory—ex-military, local protector—adds necessary dimension, though the script gives her little room for emotional depth beyond action set-pieces.
Their chemistry never veers into romance, which is a relief. Instead, it becomes a quiet partnership forged in necessity and shared purpose. If anything, she should’ve been the lead.
Weak Plot, Strong Set-Pieces?
The plot is paper-thin and stretched well beyond its limits. What should be a taut 90-minute thriller becomes a nearly two-hour slog weighed down by filler dialogue, awkward flashbacks, and clunky exposition. It’s the kind of movie that peaks early and struggles to maintain tension.
That said, a few action sequences do deliver. One standout involves a tour bus hurtling down a mountain road, with passengers fighting mercenaries inside. It’s ludicrous, but staged well enough to momentarily distract from the underwhelming CGI and often lazy editing elsewhere.
Direction and Visual Effects: Ambition Without Budget
Hensleigh clearly envisioned a bigger sequel, but the execution never quite matches the scope. Filmed largely in Australia doubling for Nepal, the visuals alternate between breathtaking vistas and painfully obvious green screen backdrops.
The film’s $17 million budget is stretched thin, most noticeably during digital explosions and helicopter flyovers that look pulled from a late-2000s video game. Even worse, the ice road—supposedly the franchise’s core identity—is almost entirely absent until the film’s final act.
Themes: Loss, Legacy, and Land
Beneath its shaky narrative, Ice Road: Vengeance does attempt to say something about legacy—both familial and environmental. Mike’s mission is driven by grief, while the villagers’ plight underscores the real-world tension between progress and preservation.
But these themes are underdeveloped. The dam project is never fully explored, and its corporate villains are one-dimensional. The result feels more like a setup for shootouts than a serious moral quandary.
Streaming Availability: Where to Watch Ice Road: Vengeance Online
If you’re curious enough to give this one a try, Ice Road: Vengeance is now available for rent or purchase on major digital platforms in the U.S.:
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Amazon Prime Video – HD and UHD rental/purchase available
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Apple TV – Available via Apple TV Store
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Vudu – Digital rental and purchase
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Plex – Streaming available (region-dependent)
Note: The film is not currently streaming on Netflix, despite the first film’s debut there. A surprising decision, considering this sequel builds directly from Mike McCann’s previous arc.
Final Verdict: Should You Watch Ice Road: Vengeance?
“Ice Road: Vengeance” is the kind of sequel that raises more questions than it answers—chief among them, “Why was this made?”
While Liam Neeson remains an endearing presence and Fan Bingbing gives the film moments of dignity, everything else—from the story to the effects—feels like a downgrade. The emotional resonance of the first film is replaced by empty spectacle, and the grounded trucker-on-a-mission vibe is replaced by over-the-top action that never quite hits its mark.
Watch it if you’re a die-hard Neeson fan or just in the mood for some mindless action. Skip it if you’re expecting anything close to the tension and charm of The Ice Road (2021).
Conclusion: Nostalgic Farewell or Franchise Fizzle?
There’s a strange charm in watching Liam Neeson continue to play aging action heroes with such commitment. But even his stoic performance can’t elevate Ice Road: Vengeance into more than a middling curiosity—a movie that feels like a road to nowhere.
Still, if you’re just here for the punches, explosions, and the idea of a funeral-turned-firefight on a Himalayan bus, this film may scratch a certain itch.
Stream or Skip? The Road is Yours
If you’re ready to watch Ice Road: Vengeance and decide for yourself, check it out on: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu & Plex
Have you seen the film already? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—did Ice Road: Vengeance deliver or disappoint?
