A Few Thoughts On The 10.5 Disaster Movie

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A Few Thoughts On The 10.5 Disaster Movie

Disaster movies are a staple of the industry. I can recall "The Towering Inferno," "Posieden Adventure" and others of that ilk. All of these movies puport to show how well we behave when death is hot on our path. And all of them suffer from the same flaws, 10.5 more than most.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 5 as average, the movie works out as follows:

The special effects were pretty good as they resisted adding most of the phony fire explosions. This is the best part of the movie - I'll give it an 8.
The writing was was not bad, but nothing stood out. This was not a surprise as the disaster category reserves all its money for lead actors and special effects. I'll give it a 5.
Acting covered a wide range, from an 8 for the lead pair of geologists, a 7 for the father & daughter team to a 3 for the president and his friend. The pair of doctors rate a 7 as well.

The Bad News

What about the plot? There was a plot you ask? Well, not much of one. Rating the plot takes us into negative numbers. The plot was around a minus five on my scale.

Once again, the creative brains in Hollowood open the cliche closet and haul out all the standards. The misunderstood scientists, the divorced couple, the father - daughter combo, the fighting doctors, and the president and widowed friend. There's your recipie for a disaster.

You can't fault the actors because they weren't given much of a story to work with. Most of them did pretty well under the circumstances. As is true of the movies but not of reality, nobody important ever dies. The bickering scientists wind up together, the doctors reconnect, the father - daughter get reunited, the FEMA head sacrifices his life. The president could have been replaced by a statue. Phooey!

This is the reason why people go to these type of movies - predictability. The entertainment is the disaster, the story and actors are all in a supporting role. Most important to the producers, none of the audience has to think. Heaven forbid that a new idea might be presented.

That lack of anything new or original is the chief failure of disaster movies in general, and 10.5 specifically. Hollywood continues to milk the bottom of that barrel, but the result is entirely sour. Imagination, reality and a good plot are sacrificed to churn out Yet Another Disaster Movie. We deserve better. Don't expect it from Hollywood, their rut is too deep to climb out of.

And Some Good News

Instead, I see good work coming out from the independents. The most recent example of independent work is "What The Bleep Do we Know?" This is something new - integrating graphics and actors in a film that explores quantum uncertainty, how emotions work, and how we know what we know. This is a stunning film that makes a complex subject both clear and entertaining.

Many people have seen it multiple times and it is winning awards at film festivals. Most importantly, when theaters reluctantly set it up for a weekend showing, they wind up extending it repeatedly for up to eleven weeks because of popular demand. That is great filmmaking!

Take a look at what the film presents, the actors, and the producers of this movie. This is the first of a new genre of films that really inform and entertain. Visit their web site at WhatTheBleep.com to see what all the fuss is about.

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