Missed opportunities

The overall tone of the movie was very taut and suspenseful. However, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be nervous about.

Almost zero exposition about the gold heist. It's the main plot line and they devote almost no time to it. Were they carrying the gold bricks with them? That must have been brutal, but nobody seemed to struggle with the weight of a dozen gold bricks in their backpack.

The ravenous mountain lion or cougar or whatever. It's the perfect "logical explanation" if mutilated bodies started popping up here or there. But they don't do anything with it.

Too little monster, too late. It felt like we were a solid two-thirds into the movie before the creature saw any real screen time. And even then, half the shots were gauzy double exposures followed by about four feet of leg/tentacle grazing an actor from off-screen. No local legends about a cave monster, nothing.

I loved the concept of the group being trapped in an isolated cabin during a blizzard and with a monster on the loose. The scenes with them focused on the radio and the news reports trickling in were well-done.

But the love triangle was clunky and Gypsy's desire to ditch the gang and take up with Gil seemed disingenuous.

I'd watch it again, if only to pick up on stuff I might have missed the first time around.