The Yeti sounds like a straightforward creature feature. The 2026 film is about an expedition to the Alaska Territory in 1947. Merriel Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen, 1883) organizes an expedition team to find his oil tycoon father (Corbin Bernsen, The Punisher). Instead, the search party finds a prehistoric creature. And it’s mad.
The popularity of cryptids has fallen in recent years, so it is nice to see a movie that is about one of the classics. The Asian cousin to Bigfoot, it is probably more commonly known as the Abominable Snowman. Despite its popularity (there have been books, comic books, and a bunch of parodies with “Abominable” in the title), it has been a while since there has been a genre film about it.
The Yeti gets off to a strong start. The cold open introduces the setting. It is cold, lonely and dangerous. Tension is a part of the location. The audience knows what direction things are headed in. The final moments of a body being ripped in half are attention grabbing. The title card is old school perfection.
These early moments also give a hint of what is to come. The plot is going to progress at a methodical pace. This gives The Yeti a disjointed feel. At first, it seems like it is going to be similar to a Charles Band gore fest. It then pivots to a pulpy Indian Jones type of story. This would be a fun, if odd, mish-mash. But things go off the rails when it becomes something more serious.
The Yeti spends a lot of time talking and never fully commits to the more exciting elements that are baked into the folklore. Instead, it becomes a more exposition filled story that is surprisingly serious. This includes an ending that seems to be trying to convey a message about legacy. It is filled with fun moments, but the tonal changes are jarring.
The Yeti plays in AMC theaters April 4 and April 8 and on Digital April 10.
