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Cast: Nicole de Boer, Sebastian Spence, Jerry Wasserman, Winston Rekert, Colby Johannson, Tegan Moss, Matthew Harrison, Paulo Ribeiro, Jennifer Copping, Patricia Isaac
Thanks to a convergence of bizarre weather patterns that stem from global warming, Manhattan is overrun with twisters, leaving the deputy mayor (Sebastian Spence) and his meteorologist wife (Nicole de Boer) to save the city from certain disaster. Complicating matters is the 24-hour deadline that's looming over their heads -- and the fact that their tumultuous relationship is as unpredictable as the weather.
This is a Sci-Fi Channel original film so if you are into big budget effects and "A" list acting I suggest you look elsewhere, it gets to be a little tiresome seeing people complain about these movies over and over again and the still continue watching them. Now that my rant is over lets move on to the movie, there is nothing really special or original here but I did find the film to be fast-paced and light enough entertainment to enjoy. The effects at times were pretty weak but at other times they looked pretty darn good considering the budget these made-for TV movies have. I'm no Scientist so I can't say for sure if what is happening in the film is even possible but knowing what I was getting into in the first place it really didn't matter. The story involves a school of electrical tornadoes caused by disturbances in the upper atmosphere that are emerging on New York City and it is up to Deputy Mayor James Lawrence and his meteorologist wife Cassie to solve the problem before it is too late. The film doesn't waste any time in getting to the disasters, they first start off as little mini-twisters and later lead to much bigger electrical storms as well as freezing temperatures. I thought the acting by the lead actors was very good, there were a few weak links as far as the acting goes in the film but for the most part I thought the cast did a fine job with the material at hand. The story is interesting right from the start but the more it moves along and the storms become bigger and much more deadlier I found the whole film over-all became much more enjoyable. I don't know if they plan on making a sequel to this but the ending certainly left that as an option. You have to look at every film differently and judge them accordingly by their production values so I am in no way saying this ranks up there with every big budget disaster film but for what it is I found it to be entertaining and that is all you can really ask for in any movie. So my rating reflects what I felt this made-for TV was like and I certainly was never bored by it and thought it had some very good things going for it. If you like disaster films I recommend picking this up and giving it a chance.
Released by Monarch Video
** 1/2 Out Of *****