THE STORY:  End of the world movies are interesting, ain't they? I rented this flick because I was bored. I was fully aware of the hints that Greywizard once gave me about made for TV movies, but I didn't bother checking the box on this once. I'm not upset that I rented it, but it was too painfully obvious that it was made for TV.

This movie is about a huge fireball that's headed for earth. The heat and magnetic disturbance that it causes knocks out communications and raises the temperature to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Naturally, this is gonna make problems. Massive lost of life, incredible damage to man made and natural structures, anarchy, climate changes, etc. Our concern here today revolves around several different characters in LA and how they deal with the dilemma. Lets have a role call, shall we?

Desmond- A teacher who has a conflict with the run of the mill black student who's a gang banger and wanna be thug, Louis. Desmond is a National Guard soldier and when martial law is declared he's called to duty. How much do ya wanna bet that he runs into Louis and some kind of resolution occurs between them?

Lt. Simpson- Insane platoon leader. He basically goes nuts. Oh, and Desmond is in his unit. How much do you wanna bet that Desmond has some kind of confrontation with him?

General Maxwell- Army commander, in charge of the city when martial law is declared. Actually, Maxwell isn't that interesting.....his only moment is when he finds that his wife and son were on a plane that crashed. (hint: the son lives.)

Eddie- A creepy tow truck driver, who is stalking his ex-girlfriend Erica. He teams up with a butch-ass chick to rob a bank during the catastrophe.

Coleman West- Former doctor. Naturally, being a good guy, West has a back story of why he's a former doctor; one that makes him a good guy despite losing his licensee.

Erica- A lifeguard. She meets west when he saves a boy's life on the beach. How much you wanna bet that she and West get together after he has to save her from Eddie?

Yes, my droogs that's the big problem with these made for TV movies. You can tell what's going to happen to most characters as soon as they're established. But that's no big deal if you're just shutting the brain down for the night and watching it for fun. Hey, extreme heat is a nightmare of mine. When I was very young I remember seeing an episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, where a little boy could see the future. They used him on newscasts to predict the next days news. One day he unloads a cock and bull story of how how tomorrow there will be world peace, etc. etc. Later he discloses he said that because tomorrow the sun will go nova and earth will be cooked to a crispy crunch.  That scared the [unwrite] out of me as a child. A big [unwrite]ing heatwave from which there is no escape? I like summer as much as the next man, I just don't want to be baked like a fish stick for it.

Well, the sun doesn't go nova in the movie at hand...it nearly spews a big solar loogie at us.And being a TV movie all is well at the end. James Remar, who I'll always think of as Ajax from The Warriors was Coleman West. General Maxwell was one of those guys you see in a lot of movies but never really know who he is. Everyone else? Who [unwrite]in' knows?

Best Lines: "We've been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin' contest."- Harry, a mechanic, to Eddie, before the disaster.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?:

1.) Lets have a chat about heat....in this movie the temperature hits around 140 F. in the daytime, maybe a little hotter. Do you know how freaking hot that is? At the end of the Gulf War I was working at the docks loading equipment to be shipped back to the US. It was July. In Saudi Arabia. It hit around 100 by 10 AM. The afternoons it was around 110 somedays. I saw guys passing out left and right. Hell, we only worked around ten minutes for every hour. (military folks will know this as CAT 4 conditions.) We had to drink around a liter of water per man every hour. Imagine 140 degrees! That's why I wonder how some of our heroes can even manage to walk around in daylight. The soldiers we see are in full uniform with combat gear. Man, those are some tough dudes. Carrying all that weight around and running...in 140+ weather? Hey, I got news for enemy armies...if you ever face me in combat in 140+ weather and you can efficiently function...YOU WIN!* Because that's Hell hot. I'm not quite ready for Hell yet, thank you very much. (I'll stick to this Inferno...it shows movies.)

2.) General Maxwell was told at a briefing that the magnetic forces involved in the solar flare would disable electrical equipment. (EMP) Yet he puts his wife and son on a plane to LA during the disaster? Is anyone suprised that the plane crashed? HE KNEW AN EMP was coming! Moron. (Then again, maybe Maxwell thought "INSURANCE!" and he has a mistress...hmmmm)

3.) I have a slight problem with Lt. Simpson. He was clearly over the edge, yet no one in his unit except for Desmond, a corporal, knows it? Where's the platoon sergeant? Simpson was ordered to protect the fireman from gunfire yet he leads the unit on a search and destroy mission. A real platoon sergeant would have mentioned the fact that their mission was not to do that and they'd be effectively abandoning their post by doing otherwise. Also, clearly unlawful orders do not have to be obeyed. (like 'kill the civilians'.) By following Lt. Simpson the soldiers place themselves in front of a court martial offense. For a butterbar 2nd lieutenant? I don't think so. Any NCO will tell ya...a private is usually smarter than a 2nd Looey. Officers don't usually make sense until they hit 1st Lt. rank. I think in real life most members of Simpson's unit would object to hunting down and killing civilian gangbangers for the hell of it.

4.) The government tries to keep it secret, the info about a huge fireball heading to the earth. In the first parts of the movie no one seems to know why the temperature is rising until the president makes a speech. No way. Too many astronomers and amateur astronomers out thee. Are you telling me that no one else but the gub' mint saw a giant ass flame fart from the sun heading to earth at several million miles per hour?

NUDITY AND SEX:  None, really, but the butch chick gets nearly naked. It kinda turned me on, too.

HUH?:  When the heat is really on a lot of characters wince when touching metal surfaces. Rightly so. Earlier, before the heat was super-intense, Leopold fried an egg on the hood of a car. Now with the temp at 140+ metal surfaces are too hot to handle. Yet West picks up a tire iron in broad daylight during the hottest time of the emergency with no problem.

Hmmmm....Desmond is much man. He carries Louis to the MASH unit in the super-heat. Then he gives blood to try and save Louis. Then he goes to confront Simpson and ends up in a fist fight...and wins! I gave blood once in 90 degree weather when I was around 17. Then I foolishly tried to walk home (my mom offered me a ride, but I thought I was much man.) I passed out halfway there. A buddy (Jim Jones) saw me and had to carry me home. I say again, Desmond is much man.

There are uniform problems I could point out, but I'll satisfy myself with this simple point...Gen. Maxwell and his staff are seen wearing long sleeve shirts and ties...but the army does have a summer variation of that...short sleeves and no tie. Why ain't they wearing that? They KNEW it was going to be hot.

THE FINAL JUDGEMENT: For a time waster and just in general a something-to-watch movie this flick isn't to bad. I didn't hate it and it seemed to mollify the Inferno's demons into a stupor. Just don't rent it if you expect something intense. Made for TV movies lack the grittiness that makes a person want to watch for too long. Probably because most made for TV movies have a happy tacked on ending and the heroes never really have any faults. Still, it may entertain those of us that don't want too much blood and guts in their flicks.

*I'm only having a bit of fun. I would never surrender myself or my men...excuse me, soldiers... while we still had the means to resist.