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You don’t expect much in terms of accuracy when it comes to the scientific basis of disaster film plots. And fair enough it’s all about entertainment, after all, and as long as the screenwriter presents whatever fanciful crisis/solution he or she has dreamed up within the film context, that’s fine. When the science is so obviously made up that it virtually leaps out of the movie to literally poke you in the eye, then you have a problem. But you know what, that kind of nonsense sometimes adds a level of unintended hilarity to the story which actually increases the fun. Polar Storm is such a film. In most respects, it’s a run-of-the-mill SyFy disaster cheapie, but the absurdities of the script makes it surprisingly entertaining.
Dr. James Mayfield, a brilliant astrophysicist played by Jack Coleman, maybe best known as Claire’s dad/HRG in Heroes, is tracking a large comet passing earth. The comet, however, breaks apart and hits Alaska. While his assistant dies in the blast, Dr. James miraculously escapes unhurt and returns to his new wife and morose teenage son.
Soon enough, James begins to notice that something unusual is happening. The sun sets in the wrong spot, auroras show up where they shouldn’t and the western United States starts shaking due to earthquakes. James seems to be the only one who understands the obvious conclusion: the impact has tilted the Earth’s axis and we are heading towards a catastrophic pole reversal which will feature terrible seismic upheavals. The appearance of “mini poles” alongside massive electromagnetic pulses mark the complete disintegration of Earth’s magnetic field which protects us from the harmful solar radiation. Dr. James might be talking about one thing while the actual plot goes down a different road, however, there are chances that he missed one of the explanations. Well, I’ve heard that ambiguity is a good thing in art, anyway.
As Jack attempts to reconnect with his father, an army general serving as counsel with the president, he leaves with the responsibility of saving the world. His wife and son seek safety, but experience many dangers throughout the mission. At the same time, everyone on the plane is electrocuted, allowing us a few good laughs while EMPs fry every piece of technology altering the terrain and destroying communication. These EMPs also trigger earthquakes, one of which opens a crack in the ground that Jack’s wife gets devoured by.
The answer to ‘what’s the cure to magnetic destruction’ lies in the teachings of disaster movies. All they need is a few nukes to eliminate the problem at hand. Luckily, Polar Storm is no different. Jack has the wild idea of the polar shift being provoked by 100 megaton bombs dropped to the opposite hemisphere. It first needs to be attempted at an airborne state, and, unfortunately, nuke EMPs kill all electronic devices, including airplanes. So, much to the audience’s surprise, we’re not shocked when an attempt to bomb the sky ends in the aircraft meeting the ground.
The storyline has Jack deciding out of nowhere to utilize the trenches for his attacks. The garage Russian diesel submarine that is brought in, along with the crew that is ordered by someone who vaguely resembles Vladimir Putin, assists in accomplishing this. Since the United States is out of submarines, this old piece of junk is put into play. Once again, it descends rapidly to the point of the earth’s deepest trench while no noticeable sound is shared by the hull. This is completely different from the brand new submarine movies featuring about wars and spies and submarines. In those, a few first thousand meters leads to leaky submarines. To paint an alternative astonishing- the climax carries the submarine attempt to escape the blast while being outrun by the nuclear strike. If this concept appears familiar, there is a possibility you are acquainted with deep core, and have a rough sense of the idea behind the movie.
While living in the world of deep core, I was shocked when I stumbled upon polar storm. The movie is equally entertaining and engaging but with a boring script. The storms pace on the other hand opens and seals the action along with copper clouds.
One of my favorite deaths in this film is when the teenage boy is about to solve a problem with a classmate in a drag race competition: the two start-up their cars and when an earthquake occurs, the floor opens up and swallows the antagonist along with his vehicle.
Regardless, it is clear that this is a low budget attempt especially with respect to some of the action sequences. The backdrops are of a standard television film sort, but with the use of creative camera angles it is possible to conceal the main issue which is that there is very little movement. A lot of the story, particularly the parts about the wife and son, occur out in the middle of nowhere which minimizes the cost of sets or extras or any such items. A very disappointing scene where a church (used as a crisis shelter) filled with people is shown to be struck by an EMP is filmed from outside a window with the sound of screams added to the background.
The ensemble cast is for the most part a very nice group. I found some to be a little stiff, but for instance, Roger Cross, who plays Another Black Disaster Film President, has installment value and Jack Coleman and Holly Dignard are both not so unbearably bad.
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