Sometimes TV movies break the mould and become something quite entertaining and unique. Thrill Seekers for me, is one of those movies. Taking an interesting concept for disaster and playing generally within its budget constraints, there’s a lot to like.

The Premise

A company decides to use time travel to give people the experience of a life time to live as part of huge disasters such as Hindenburg or Titanic in safety. When someone cottons on and tries to stop the disasters, problems occur!

The Disasters Faced

Plane crashes, fires, bombs, missile guns, what looks like the early invention of an iPad (nooo) and some really jumped up baddies.

The Execution

Thrill Seekers is first and foremost a sci-fi /thriller movie but it’s weaved around disaster elements. It’s story is the key to its enjoyment. Casper Van Dien, whose acting is wooden here to say the least, uncovers a Thrill Seeker which is a person who time travels to witness first hand big disasters in history. A strange package holiday to say the least! When Casper works out his plane is the next destination, he stops the disaster taking place and then begins to work on stopping the rest of the brochure taking place too. The company running Thrill Seekers isn’t impressed and sends back two dubious baddies to catch Casper. The story genuinely kept me really interested and when it gets going in its full flow, it’s a really enjoyable romp. The pacing is well done and there’s not too many dodgy CGI scenes as everything is kept low-key until the final thirty minutes.

The Effects

The train crash looks to me like it’s had footage ripped from a film called Money Train (and isn’t the only film to have committed this crime) and the plane and bomb scenes are littered with poor CGI. There is one good explosion though and the iPad’s in waiting are quite fun to see how in 1999, they could be so close to what we get now.

Why It’s Worth Watching

The story is very entertaining and I like how it weaves lots of real life disasters around its own fictional ones. Catherine Bell makes a good reluctant heroine, Casper an awful lead and Theresa Saldana is hilarious as Cortez – the stilted acting bad ass whose in it for the money. It also gets my vote for a really high death count and isn’t afraid to kill most of the cast off at some point! The old drinks game can be used for whenever either baddie runs through the public holding a gun and no one remotely reacts, or when Casper / Theresa fail to act at all.

Best Death

I’ll go for Elizabeth (Catherine Bell) who dies in the best explosion when Cortez gets bad ass with her missile gun.

Favourite Character

It’s got to be Cortez – she kept me in stitches throughout and I’m not sure it was intentional. One thing I will say for the film, is all bar the lead have good characters and some development with them.

Weirdest Moment

It’s not weird, but Charlie Sheen is the big star in the movie yet he has about ten lines and say a minute of screen time. Elsewhere in an attempt for comic relief, our cop duo have some terrible dialogue that is groan worthy.

Conclusion

A disaster / sci fi / thriller hybrid and one of the most interesting and unique takes on the disaster genre. For once, a TV movie with an imdb rating above 5! At least I’m not alone in thinking Thrill Seekers is actually an enjoyable romp. I was entertained from start to end and that’s what any film goer wants.

By placing the word storm on the end of a TV disaster movie hopes generally aren’t high for what is to come. Strangely though, there is really no storm in sight and the film is actually quite competent! Shocks all round then.

The Premise

A close passing meteor sheds its bum which crashes into Earth and rips the electromagnetic properties of our planet to shreds. The poles of Earth decide to do a switcheroo and that’s when its time to end the world.

The Disasters Faced

Meteor’s, earthquakes, EMP’s, a dodgy pace maker and a child so is trying soooo hard to be like Justin Bieber it hurts me on the inside.

The Execution

Whilst Polar Storm is heavily reliant on some of the most dubious science found in a recent disaster flick, it goes with it and fully commits to it with gusto. Whilst the film is clearly done on a shoestring budget, the actors involved aren’t slouching and get on with it too and this elevates the dull script. The film has three distinct acts. The meteor coming to Earth, the EMP dramas and the solution to any b-movie ever made – some nuclear bombs to round-up. Sadly the third act is so reliant on CGI that just doesn’t cut it, the film ends damply but it is solid enough up until then to hold your attention.

The Effects

The meteor, its crash and the earthquake effects are passable. What is not is the awful submarine effects in the final half hour which completely shatter any illusion you’ve been trying to pretend you’re in. It’s like an early PlayStation 2 FMV sequence.

Why Its Worth Watching

Polar Storm is well paced and doesn’t use all its cards in the first twenty minutes. It’s full of clichés and disaster movie must haves like moody teenagers, the loveable old man, daddy issues and the government once again not acting on advice. Those of you looking for the drinking game, take a shot whenever teenage Shane tries to look innocent/sexy at the camera is a slightly awkward Bieber pose.

Best Death

I’ll go for Michael (Rob Morton) as the best death when his pace maker decides to give out on an EMP and he does the best death fall in the movie.

Favourite Character

Every few characters are really nice or given much in the way of character development but Marsha Regis’ Pam is always a good lady to declare the end of the world with. I’m sure everyone would have been a bit calmer if she was more involved.

Weirdest Moment

Aside from the science side of the whole film which is just silly, notice that the film seems to use the same two roads over and over for everyone to stop during an EMP pulse – in some cases in the exact same spot! It just made me laugh.

Conclusion

Not bad enough to be a classic, it is an interesting concept of EMP’s causing havoc that keeps things in motion. It may fall flat with awful CGI in the final third and have some improbable moments but hey – what other disaster movies aren’t taking liberties with reality these days! Passable TV affair.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Plain Disasters. The movies in which pretty much everyone is either guaranteed to survive or die depending on the outcome (Airplane 77 being one of the few exceptions). This film has a death count of one. Regardless, it’s quite slickly produced and does well with its low-budget roots.

The Premise

Someone forgets to shut the door on the plane. Oops!

The Disasters Faced

Decompressing planes, a serial killer on the loose and NO SCOTCH LEFT ONBOARD!!!

The Execution

Rough Air is a TV movie but aside from the typical TV movie score, it manages to conceal this by never extending itself too far in the technical department. Besides, a shaky camera and lots of flinging yourself about in these films goes a long way. The first 20 minutes introduces us to a motley crew of characters including the abrasive drunk, the ditzy stewardess, the “gnarly” students and convicted killer. Of course the leading duo of stewardess and shamed pilot have broken up. You know their love will be affirmed within the next ninety minutes. All in all, it’s a real classic era set up and its this that carries the film through as each of the stories unfold when the cargo door opens. From there it’s down to trying to land the plane with wonky controls, low fuel and a huge open cargo door. With competent acting, a relatively tight script and some heavily cliche characters, the film speeds through to its finale.

The Effects

Outside shots of the plane are used sparingly but the actual decompression of the plane is handled quite well albeit with nothing new added to the formula.

Why It’s Worth Watching

The characters are silly and one-dimensional apart from the unusual yet still predictable arc for the killer. Aside from that, the movie is a tight 84 minutes and with the script at its camp best, I was entertained throughout.

Best Death

There’s only one death and that’s the serial killer who ends up being the man to sacrifice himself to save the rest. How beautiful!

Favourite Character

There’s a few likeable characters but I’ll go for Roger Lee (Russell Yuen) for being an all round nice guy while his new wife spends the entire moving screaming randomly. Second up is Carlo Rota for a really miserable portrayal of Cal.

Weirdest Moment

Despite some logic lapses I think the best part is when the entire plane decides to scream when they see the runway approach. It’s just so overly camp, it’s great. That’s the followed by the end sequence where an absolutely stupid man stands and watches a plane slowly roll towards him and his office building gormless. It’s utterly stupid.

Conclusion

Camp? Check! Cliche characters? Check! Everyone clearly lapping up the hammy scenario? Check! That to me makes a solid disaster movie. While it doesn’t have big effects, it plays to its strengths of a decent cast and is just as enjoyable as Airplane.

Possibly one of the first disasters to be caught on TV feed, The Hindenburg is one of those moments that people will reflect back and note with historical importance. This 2011 adaptation was originally a three-hour TV adaptation but has been scaled down to just over half that to make a relatively pacey movie that despite some iffy accents, is relatively well put together and the actual disaster itself is surprisingly explosive.

The Premise

We follow the secret lives of various people aboard the Hindenburg before it fatefully bursts into flames.

The Disasters Faced

A bomb, a ton of hydrogen, static electricity, an affinity with men’s toilets and some dodgy guess the accent games.

The Execution

Due to the fact no one has ever been able to pinpoint the exact cause of the disaster, this film decides to take several of the theories and merge them all together. Most of the character driven plot and subtext drive the bomb theory and this throws most of the cast into the “whose got the bomb” story. What that does, by shrinking the story down by half, is drop a lot of the subplots and characters into a few small scenes. A Jewish family is introduced but half hour in with a suspiciously pervy magician but then suddenly are thrown into main characters for the explosion and then be dropped straight after. As a whole though, there doesn’t appear to be gaping holes missing in the story. However in the background an electrical storm is going on throughout and this is the other main theory for the crash. It’s fun to see the two ideas flirted with. As for the disaster itself, for what only lasted a minute in real life, it’s stretched to a couple on film in slow motion but is well done, even if it’s quickly over.

The Effects

The Hindenburg looks fantastic. Good sets, period cars and the ship itself looks great. The explosion itself and subsequent action is well shot and the flame effects are way above the standard TV fair. There’s some good burn make up too. Yum!

Why It’s Worth Watching

From a historical point of view, I’ve no idea how accurate it is but it does feel like you’re viewing a bit of history. The acting is generally fine but the accents do take a wander from German trying to sound English to American to just stilted in a strange manner. However, because it’s not just one actor, it’s everyone, after a while it feels quite normal to have everyone talk in a bizzaro hybrid of accents. If you enjoy a good drinking game, I suggest a shot for every time someone turns out to already know a bomb is onboard. You’ll be sozzled by half way. (I think I need to make a new sub heading for drinking game from now on)

Best Death

I want to say Mummy Dearest for burning in a very large fireball (yay) but I think Eckner may take it after being murdered and dumped in the men’s toilet’s urinal. What an insult to injury!

Favourite Character

Strangely, not many characters stand out for me in the movie because no one appears to be good or bad, it’s all a blurring line. I’ll go for the lead lady Lauren Lee Smith as she’s very Winslet-esque.

Weirdest Moment

There’s a magician and performer onboard and there’s a very random scene where he emerges with a cabin boy making slightly sexual strange remarks only to then tell our leading male he’s off to the male toilets as he hopes to have as much action in them as he has. Of course he’s referring to the murder beforehand but it just comes across in a sinister kidnapper manner – not helped by the fact many of his other scenes are with a young girl.

Conclusion

Competent mystery before an explosive finale that while is over too soon, is worth the wait, Hindenburg is a good disaster flick. It’s certainly not a great one because of the strange accents, the completely inappropriate modern rock soundtrack and the strange need it has to over score scenes. It is a quirky entry because of its unique subject matter and disaster movie buffs could do a lot worse. Just don’t expect to feel much for the characters.