Déluge infernal

The most this movie has going for it is the cheese-factor. Cheese can be fun, of course, but this verges on intolerable.

Of course a mall in a flood-plain would have a grand opening the day after the big flood. Of course a sport/adventure store would be the ONLY store setting up the night before (enter the assumed "hunky hero," until the twist). Of course a snotty singer would be rehearsing in an empty mall (enter "the bitch"). Of course there would only be one security guard in a multi-million dollar, brand new mall (enter "the bumbling idiot"). And of course a killer would just happen to escape at the same time (enter "the evil doer" turning out to be...). Never mind the crooked architect who has a big secret that will help with the big finale!

It's a brilliant formula for cheese. Not all the acting is horrible, and the movie is good for a laugh. There is no suspense as it is highly predictable. Flashes to the dam, a new mall, and a prison escape? We all know where all of this will end up. Just catch it on Lifetime and don't waste any money if you REALLY want to see this.

This film begins on an extremely stormy night with a homicidal maniac by the name of "Glen Savoy" (Rob Estes) breaking out of a maximum-security prison in Colorado and leaving three dead bodies in his wake. The scene then shifts to a law enforcement official named "Sheriff Chris Maratos" (Kai Wiesinger) being informed that, because of the heavy rains, the nearby dam may collapse and flood his entire town. Naturally, he immediately scrambles all available personnel to warn the local citizens but what he doesn't know is that Glen Savoy has already arrived in his town and has taken up residence in the new mall which is scheduled to be opened early in the morning. Not only that, but he has also taken several hostages--with one of them being Sheriff Maratos' wife "Dr. Sheri Maratos" (Shannon Sturges). Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather tame action film that suffered from its made-for-television format and the lack of any real suspense. Likewise, some of the scenes lacked the necessary realism as well. To be sure, Shannon Sturges performed adequately enough, but because of the two flaws I just mentioned, I honestly cannot rate this film any higher than I have. Slightly below average.

If this movie happens to be on tv on a boring night: WATCH IT, coz it's so incredibly ridiculous and fake that you'll have a laugh watching it.

If "Terror in the Mall" was one of the truly great masterpieces of cinema art produced by Hollywood in the last twenty-five years then the story would have been exciting, the acting wonderful, and the characters unique, all of which would have combined to make this movie a prime example of film art at its best. Everything about this movie would have suggested that it is a masterpiece, from the first scene in the prison to the last exciting scene when the antagonist is making his escape in the helicopter. Moreover, heroics would have abounded as the police and corrections officers join forces to apprehend a very dangerous escaped convict. And the special effects would have been like the icing on a very wonderful cake. This film would have been nominated for awards in every category, and the only reason why it would not have won is because the critics wouldn't have appreciated the true greatness of this movie. This movie would have been marvelously directed and offered dramatic performances that would have been Shakespearean in their quality and scope. We all would have applauded and said: "Bravo!" to the producers of this movie and "Hip-Hip-Hooray!" for taking the time to make such a wonderfully engaging piece of entertainment. But, alas, this is a mere fantasy, for this movie is truly bad. It's not worth the time enumerating all the things wrong with this movie, but suffice it to say that after watching this movie, one should turn on the news and watch what's going on in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and then decide for yourself whether a movie about shenanigans in flooded shopping mall is the kind of entertainment you want to watch.

Typical "made for Tv" movie and it shows. Plastic scenes, plastic acting and poor plot. One question - Would you build a large shopping mall right next to a big dam????