Customer Reviews

Falling Fire [VHS]

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I first read about this one in Cinefantastique magazine two years ago. They did an unusual rave about this low-cost sci-fi film directed by Daniel Dor (he's a guy always tied up with Roger Corman or G. Phillip Jackson in the credits of many half-decent low-budget sci-fi's). In any event, they were justified.

This picture is another one of the "Earth will be hit by an asteroid" genere but it was made before "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon". Guess what? The script is way better than Armageddon, and in some ways better than Deep Impact", but here's the stunner. The $2,000,000 picture also has great special effects. The story intercuts between major outer space action and major Earth action. This is the first story in which it's humanity's fault the asteroid might hit. The idea is an asteroid is being brought into Earth orbit for mining purposes from peep space. We learn that the Earths environment is really going down the toilet by 2050 when this takes place and an eco-terrorists sets off enough nuclear charges to cause the asteroids orbit to fail and risk hitting earth. We learn that if it hits the catastrophy will destroy humanity on earth. That's the terrorists way of giving mother nature a second chance -kill all people! The whole thing plays lile a sort of ecological allegory. But if its just action and FX you want there's enough of that.

Michael Pare is good in a role that turns out to be more complex than we would have expected, and there's a nice Agatha Christie who-dunnit quality of mystery as murders unfold aboard the ship accompanying the asteroid towards Earth from deap space. This will in the long run be dentined to become some kind of classic.

YES INDEED IT DOES. The trailer shows the earth being bombarded by pieces of the asteroid, totaling buildings, causing tidal waves, etc., BUT there isn't a scene like that at all in this movie! Oh, I hate liars!
Now, as far as the actual product, it's okay. Michael Pare makes a very convincing lead, although the rest of the actors range from fair to middling. For a low budgey film, the effex are acceptable. And the nice murder mystery on board helps move the plot. What goes on down on earth is ho hum, with Tina Louise lookaliek von Palleske barely managing to emote. Maybe she's Tina's sister or cousin?
Roger Corman is still cranking them out...but nothing like his Poe films!

What a waste of time and money this movie is... and I'm talking about mine. I rented it and wish I hadn't. I watched about an hour of it and wished I hadn't. Words can't quite describe how horrible everything about this is. Special effects - they look like something Ed Wood might have thrown together. Script - what script? Acting - I've seen better in grade school Xmas plays. This is a definite DO NOT BUY.