Meteor Apocalypse

Can't defend the script or the dialog, but much of the acting in this sci-fi disaster flick is first- rate, especially if you watch the special features and realize they shot this thing in only 12 days. Joe Lando and Cooper Harris, in particular, do exceptional work under what must have been trying conditions. Lando brings a real sense of desperation and urgency and Harris is compelling as a lost soul along for the ride. They even manage to make some of the horrendous dialog sound human and real. It's a shame they didn't have a better script to work with, but they and one or two others in the cast are well worth watching.

Avoid this film at all costs. It is unbelievably awful. I rented it thinking it would just be some mediocre sci-fi flick to watch late one night when I was bored, but I was very wrong. It's not just bad. It's horrendously awful. I never finished it and probably won't. An unwatchable bore with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Bad writing, bad acting, bad directing, bad, bad, bad. Did I leave anything out? I get the feeling that there is some sort of religious theme lying in wait, but I did not actually wait to find out. I only took the time to review it here to save any unsuspecting viewers from wasting their time or money on it. Guess I'm an altruist of sorts.

From looking at the DVD box, I decided not to watch Meteor Apocalypse as a film, but as a simple story about a man trying to find his family in difficult times. I put the cheap special effects, bad acting and script aside, and just waited to see what would happen next.

It reminded me a lot of the recent BBC series Survivors, except every 20 minutes there are meteors raining down on everyone.

The main character of David is played to good effect by Joe Lando, giving us a surprisingly good portrayal as the courageous man does his best to find his family and help people along the way. I was pleasantly surprised to see Claudia Christian appear as David's wife and mother to their child. I had not seen her in anything since the end of the Babylon 5 series.

Some things don't quite make sense, but when we are regularly shown conflict within the disaster management center, it may explain why some things occurred.

Not to be taken too seriously, but as a light contribution to the disaster science fiction genre.

Streaking through space at immense speed, extra-terrestrial rocks seem to have it in for famous landmarks. First they head to Nevada to attack Vegas and nearby Lake Mead. Other famous sites all over the world soon get smashed as well. In between, meteorites zero in on cars and zap them just for fun.

The cast were fine; it's just that this disaster movie's writer seems to think that meteors target objects on the ground like birds of prey would do. Visually interesting, but about as likely as four poker players all being dealt royal flushes on the same hand in an honest game. The meteors shower down after (insert routine plot device here), and it makes the water icky, so carry lots of bottles water. It makes you get sick, especially when you're running around in the desert. Oh, what in blazes was up with the dune buggy chase? It looked like one of those old go-cart racetrack joints you go to when you're 12 years old. Also, it made no sense at all.

Not to be taken seriously, but entertaining in its silly exaggerations. Be advised to remove your cranium and store it in bottled water while watching.

I have seen worse movies of this genre aired on the SyFy channel. In all honesty though, that's saying very little. Meteor Apocalypse was really quite a messy movie. If there was a redeeming quality, it was the surprisingly good and believable performance of Joe Lando. Sadly for this movie, the redeeming values end there. The rest of the acting ranges from bad to poor even from those who visibly try, and they are not helped by clichéd characters, dreadful writing and a contrived story full of scenes that don't ring true, and also naff special effects, scrappy photography and plodding direction and pacing. So all in all, one good asset isn't enough to salvage a bunch of well-below average ones. 2/10 Bethany Cox