The Fire Next Time

Let's see...Droughts in the Midwest...check. Higher temps in the South..check. Multiple Category 3 or better storms, check. Unaffordable insurance rates...check. Although I know this stuff goes in cycles, this movie seems to have hit quite a few nails on the head, although I hope that it got a few wrong. Although the acting is somewhat stilted and could use help, it is a made-for-TV film from early in most of these actors' careers. If you have never lived in the sauna known as the South, they did get this part right. This seems to be very prophetic, especially since it was written in one of the lull periods in hurricanes. At the writing of this comment, we only had 3 names left for the year, which has not happened in a very long time. This is a nice way to spend a few hours.

This movie about disasters is itself a disaster. Do not waste your time watching it. If you do, prepare to laugh out loud at some of the script and "special effects". My husband and I started watching it and have only continued to see if it could get any worse. I will say there is one highlight. When the lady sings the old Gospel song on the barge, it is worth hearing. There are some things in this movie that are very big brotherish as one person already wrote and that these "predictions" have happened was the scary part. As it concerns global warming? BAH! It's another fad, just as the global cooling predictions of the 60's. The big difference this time is that there are people like Al Gore who stand to make millions on this scam.

I can't say this more strongly, stay away from this movie, very far away!

Taking place is the not too distant future of 2017, when climate change has devastated our natural waters and wildlife, causing massive global droughts and food shortages while temperatures continue to increase. We follow Drew Morgan (Craig T. Nelson) as he flees his now flooded home in Louisiana north along the Mississippi, with hopes of making it to the families ancestral home of Nova Scotia. This two part, made-for-tv event was clearly ahead of its time, although look at contemporary reviews it seems to not have landed quite like they'd hoped. Quite accurate to the climate disaster realities we've seen, they don't go overboard with death and destruction, instead hinting at the slow but inevitable collapse of society as poverty and starvation spread through the masses. There are definitely some eye-roll parts, it does feel like a 90s made-for-tv movie, but its message is quite poignant given modern times. And at one point Paul Rudd even shows up for a small part in what I can discern must be his first significant role in anything. At an over three hour run time, its not the most exhilarating of experiences being quite slow through much of its run, but its a decent watch if you like dramas.

When this was first televised as a two part mini-series I watched the first night and opted out for the 2nd. Now, after renting it from Portland's finest (and the country's finest, if truth be told) video store MOVIE MADNESS and watching the entire four hours I can safely say that buried inside the 240 minute mammoth of overcooked plotting and sweaty melodramatics is a fine 90 minute movie.

Craig T Nelson is a hell of a good actor and that's the trouble: he plays a completely unlikable character to irritatingly well effect. There is no one to root for: Nelson's character is a selfish pig from the get-go and he never gets much smarter or nicer. I realize that its not his fault--the script makes everyone a symbol and he has to stand for The Guilty Short-Sighted Consumer of All The World's Goodies....other actors are saddled with equally heavy burdens to carry.

Which leads me to another major drawback : the uneven tone of the script.We get semi-interesting first night scenes between the extremely underrated Charles Haid and Craig T. Nelson alongside some real second night howlers like the absurd scene with Lousie Fletcher-- who chirps to Bonnie Bedelia ( who I must say looks wonderful with her ample bosom on sweaty display) "In the morning you will be issued your regulation camouflage army fatigues; its our way of keeping our message of hope alive." I am not kidding, she actually says that--and she is supposed to be the representative of the Evil Pro-Earth whatever the hell you want to call them. Ludicrous. As is most of the rest of this thing. But there are some interesting notions. Not ALL worthless but you have to wade thru a lot of dumb stuff.

It's September 2006, and I'm sitting here watching this film with chill bumps. The Santa Anas are blowing outside spreading the "Day Fire" which has been raging for nearly three weeks, just as the scene on the movie shows fires in the LA area that have gone on and on, burning more than 50,000 acres. Creeped out by the similarities, I continued to watch the film. As a hurricane is headed towards the bayou area where the core family lives, the townspeople are in a meeting to find out what the government is going to do to help them. "Why are you waiting 24 hours before this hits to do anything?" one lady shouts at the officials. Then scenes of people trying to evacuate at the last minute, and the tragedy that ensues, brings up memories of last year's Katrina disaster. I'm sure when this film came out, it was seen as cheesy apocalyptic sci-fi. But turn on the news, folks, and take another look. I think this film did an excellent job of saying "what if?"