Legacy Peak

**_Family adventure starts decent, but goes off the rails in the second half_** A man (Lucas Black) takes his fiancé’s teen daughter and kid boy on a plane ride to win their favor before the marriage, but they end up having to take a long cold hike to the family cabin. "Legacy Peak" (2022) has great locations and good intentions, but takes a wrong turn at the midway point with the scene involving a ranger station and, unfortunately, never recovers. I don’t blame the actors. The flick needed more time on the script level; and then the actors needed more time working together to make their dialogues & actions feel organic. Worst of all, the thrill-sequences come off unconvincing and klutzy. With 25-30 minutes to go, I just wanted it to end. That’s too bad because, underneath the amateurishness, there’s a meaty story about a good man overcoming his difficult past and rising to the challenge of righteous fatherhood on the family path. With a little more money and time, this could’ve been a worthwhile production. For balance, my wife was able to roll with the flick's flaws and somewhat appreciate it; at least enough so that she didn't feel like she wasted her time. It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Loveland and Estes Park, Colorado, both of which are an hour’s drive north of Denver, the latter in the mountains and 20 minutes further. GRADE: C-/D+