Miami Magma

Miami Magma, or whichever of the apparently numerous titles this film goes by, isn't a particularly bad movie in itself however it has flaws that simply can't be overlooked.

OK so it's a somewhat generic low budget disaster movie but that should really only be an excuse for few or ineffectual special effects. In contrast it certainly doesn't mean you can automatically get away with poor scripts and acting, both of which are in abundant supply here.

The movie starts with the loss of an Oil Rig off the Florida coast. Now in reality this would cause great consternation to all involved and a major and long running intervention by local, state and government departments (and probably a good deal of international attention too)? Apparently not though and apart from a few questions at a press conference it is quickly excused and forgotten. This isn't twisting reality for the sake of the movie, rather its ignoring it completely as it would just slow things down and complicate the writing task.

So all is clear for the Evil Corporation to bulldoze their plans through and hit trouble - and disaster. No problem in theory, however the bad guys are simply wooden and ridiculous, and Imo this is down to both poor writing and bad acting. I point much of the blame on Cleavant 'Sliders' Derricks who is simply awful, and Wallace Merck, and...well all the baddies!!! In contrast the good guys are a fairly decent overall, although I am getting somewhat tired of the lead roles being both Intelligent & Supermodel material...but maybe that's just what Hollywoodesque scientists are nowadays. But putting this one gripe aside they are at least far from cringe worthy, and maybe even fair to say above average for the SyFy movie universe. However one cannot balance the other entirely and so overall its a thumbs down on the casting account too.

The story as a whole follows a somewhat predictable routine once you've gotten past the shoddy beginning. There a definite lack of the big Volcano effects one would usually expect, and for some odd reason even the low tech, low budget magma and lava is kept to an absolute minimum. For a disaster movie it sure does seem to minimise the actual disasters!

So how do I rate the movie??? I initially wanted to add a few points because or the decent good guys, however immediately these and more were knocked off by the terrible baddies who ruined any scene they were in. And the SFX...well there really weren't many to speak of so that doesn't help either. What finally made the difference as to which aside of average the score would fall was the apparent apathy of the authorities from beginning to end (The Major and a few National Guard is all they could muster!?!). If they don't care why should I?

4/10...lazy writing, lazy (bad guy) acting

Ps. If you want a similar film bit done not only with bigger budget but also better writing, standards and definitely better all round acting then stick to Volcano or Dantes Peak, neither of which are classics but still offer a better experience without the bad-bad guys making you throwing your popcorn at the screen!

This was a very fun movie to watch, full of action. Dumb science, but not bad. Certainly it's not awful science, more like "implausible." Even if one supposed there might be a volcano in Miami, the special effects were not in accordance with what one might expect a true volcano to do. Also, I found the final scene of the movie startling. If it's what I think it was, then it was the final, most implausible special effect of all. On the other hand, if it were plausible, then it wouldn't be much of a movie, more like a docudrama perhaps.

The characters were what made the movie interesting, though even there, it seemed that people were acting in contradiction. One minute, a character is acting moral and wants to do the right thing, the next, they are willing to throw everything they said out the window for a cut of the proceeds. Another character has a history of being dishonest, then suddenly they have a conscience. A young woman is flaunting herself, then suddenly she becomes mature. I guess it was the inconsistencies that amused me more than anything.

Just one last comment: This movie played under the name "Swamp Volcano" on the SyFy Channel but it is the same movie.

I seem to be dredging the bottom of the barrel with these SyFy Channel TV disaster movies. I thought things couldn't get any worse than the horrible JET STREAM, and now I've watched Miami MAGMA (aka SWAMP VOLCANO) and I discover that yes, it's just as poor and almost entirely without merit. It says something when the best thing about a movie is its title.

First off, for viewers hoping to see Florida getting destroyed by an erupting volcano, you'll be disappointed: the disaster stuff is kept off-screen for the most part here. There are a few scenes of smoke clouds and flowing lava, but when I say few I mean it: they're few and far between and skipped over in favour of the usual, cheap, big-company-conspiracy plot as some oil drillers chase after a whistleblower threatening to reveal the truth about their dark dealings.

The characters are one-dimensional and the acting not much better; the only familiar face they could get on board here was Brad Dourif, playing a suited bigwig who has a handful of scenes. Add in the usual bad dialogue and poor effects and you have a complete waste of time.

I doubt there are many movies with such poor scripting and acting as this little beauty. Hunter is terribly wooden, but looks magnificent and everytime you hear that antipodean accent your crying out for more - well I am anyway. Pretty standard bulk B movie fodder plot with some pseudo science chucked in to give the appearance of intelligence, but don't let that fool you as the brain cells have left the building. Just watch it for super heroine Rachel and a brilliant cheesy turn by Cleavant Derricks as an evil oil driller.

"World on Fire" as the DVD is titled when purchased from Amazon, or "Miami Magma" as titled here on IMDb is definitely one of the more boring and uneventful of natural disaster movies that I have seen. It even makes "Dante's Peak" seem like a masterpiece.

The story is about an underground volcano that threaten Miami, and it is up to two scientists to save the city and avert a catastrophe.

Of course it is, every single disaster movie follows this exact same script and mold down to the core - no pun intended. However, "World on Fire" just never made it out of the trench to so speak. The plot and storyline was as predictable as they come, and even for a natural disaster movie it was painstakingly predictable to the point where even a blind man would see it coming.

Throughout the entire movie there is but a handful of oddly placed localized incidents involving magma or superheated steam. There was surprisingly little magma in the movie, which really was a disappointing lack of things for the movie, and it worked as an anchor around the movie, dragging it down severely in its enjoyment. And also throughout the entire movie there is not a single moment where you feel that the entire city of Miami was in any danger at all. And then it just ended - with the scientists saving the day of course.

As for the acting in the movie, well it wasn't Oscar nominated material, let me just put it like that. I was mildly thrilled to see Brad Dourif's name on the cast list, but it was a short lived thrill and not even he could muster to lift up this movie.

And don't get suckered in by the fancy DVD cover the way that I did. It promises a massive volcano erupting over a metropolis on fire, and for some reason there are celestial bodies on the sky also erupting with fire. But nothing, and I cannot stretch the word nothing enough here, even remotely like the DVD cover is to be found anywhere in the entire movie. It was just false advertising and luring with hopes of a massive natural disaster movie, that just turned out to be a fluke and nothing more than a fizzling lit match.

If you enjoy natural disaster movies, then know that there are far, far better movies available on the market, and "World on Fire" is hardly worth the effort of spending 97 minutes on. "World on Fire"? Nah, more like "Nothing on Fire".