Wildfire - Tempesta di fuoco

While not the worst film I've ever sat through this film is certainly not one that I can see as a winner. The only actor I've ever seen before is Dean Stockwell and I have no doubt that he was as confused as his character was supposed to be wondering why he signed the contract to do this film.

The plot is pretty flimsy, the acting is ordinary at best, the script is poor and the special effects are laughable when compared to the modern standards. I cannot help but comparing this to Dantes Peak which this film seems to be a bit of a rip off of without being nearly as good.

My only other theory as to how this film came about is that Dean Stockwell runs an acting school and this film is a practical development of that course. At best, this film is unlikely to offend anyone.

I think I'd rather burn in an inferno than sit through this film again. I can deal with the horrendous script, the appalling acting, the incompetent directing and the sinful waste of an excellent actor like Jeff Fahey, but what I can not excuse is the fact that "Inferno" is overwhelmingly dull and boring.

The first half of Inferno is as riveting as watching paint dry. Poor Janet Gunn looks completely at sea with the ridiculous role of Darcy, a single mother/fire jumper. When Darcy isn't jumping from planes to watch other people put out fires, she's busy fighting with her daughter, Kylie. The girl who plays Kylie is truly one of the least talented actresses I have ever seen. To describe her acting as wooden would be an insult to wood. And yet, Kylie is not the most poorly acted role in the film. That title undoubtedly belongs to the girl who portrays Mary, surely the worst child actor since Curly Sue.

I'm not sure what is actually more offensive, the acting or the pathetic special effects. In the director's commentary of Ladder 49, Jay Russell says that fire is about the only thing that CGI can not adequately create. After watching this film, I have to agree. The fires look like they have been drawn on the screen with a child's crayon.

I can really only think of two uses for "Inferno" - as landfill or as a handbook on how not to make a movie. Only for die-hard fans of Jeff Fahey, Dean Stockwell or Janet Gunn.

This movie was NOT as the description described "The Earth's air is polluted by solar activity, causing much of the planet to burst into flames. Dallas Cowboy cheerleader Janet Gunn stars as heroine Darcy Hamilton. Also starring Jeff Fahey and Dean Stockwell," The actors and actresses were as described(they did leave out boring) It was about an arsonist fire chief setting a fire trying to be a hero and they blew up a dam to keep the city from burning and of course blowing that up didn't endanger the city at all. Do the people who write the descriptions even watch these movies? IMDb needs a rating that allows one to post a minus rating

I often watch movies which are poorly rated and severely criticized, and feel many viewers were missing some significant points; satire, fantasy, surrealism, etc., which reviewers mistake as serious elements of the film. Inferno was roundly criticized for a large number of faults, with which I find myself in complete agreement. And I could add a number of others. I'm interested in forest fires, which is why I went ahead and rented it. In another incarnation I was foreman of a U.S. Forest Service tank truck and fire crew. In fact I grew up in the USFS and around fires. From the technical aspect of the film it is utter, complete and unmitigated B.S. I think Janet Gunn reached her professional peak as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and is sliding down from there. I hope the rest of the cast and crew have other day jobs. This one really, really stinks, and is totally without redeeming merit.

Well, best thing about the film was the contra dance band at the end, the Hillillies from Mars, of which I am a member. Actors were competent I thought, though working with very poor material. I will say that lunch was pretty good. Though the extras didn't get the same grub as the stars. My buddy Ray, unfamiliar with the movie class system, managed to wander through the first class lunch line and get actual meat instead of the spaghetti we lowly serfs were served. Cast and crew seemed like nice folks. Strange business this second line Hollywood stuff. I think the director must have gotten tired when editing, and the writer gave up after awhile as well. Wonder what it would have been like had everyone mimed their parts?