At the start of this sequel, some of the final scenes of "10.5" are repeated. The sight of the ocean rushing into what was Los Angeles turned out to be more impressive than I remembered.
But it's not over! More geological events, even worse than the ones on the coast, threaten to literally tear the country in half. The action starts in Idaho, and once again Dr. Samantha Hill and Dr. Jordan Fisher are called into action. Sometimes they actually fly to where the destruction is happening. Sometimes one of them stays behind to do actual work on forecasting what happens next--not an easy job since, for example, extinct volcanoes blow their tops with very little warning these days.
Meanwhile, rescue crews must travel to the numerous sites of mayhem. Included are brothers Brad and Will Malloy, as well as Natalie Warner (Garcelle Beauvais), whose mother Stacy Warner is monitoring the situation from headquarters. Natalie tries to act like she in charge but gets upstaged--until the second half, she does not seem to know what she is doing, though it has been a while since the incident that kept her out of the field for several years. Later, she seems quite confident. Laura Malloy, a nurse, is in a different location from her husband Will, but cell phones always seem to work no matter what--until she is trapped in a Las Vegas casino.
The first half of this miniseries does not start particularly well. It looks like the writers and editors were checking things off a list, without any real anticipation or preparation. The tsunami hitting Hawaii does look pretty impressive on a 13-inch TV, though the extreme low tide does look fake. Amazingly, Hawaii is hardly mentioned after that.
Then things start to improve. At least we are getting to know characters, but there doesn't seem to be much point. The characters seem to exist primarily in order to provide pointless conflict that takes away from the real story. That's not to say there aren't worthwhile moments.
The President's daughter Amy (Tamara Hope) is a Red Cross volunteer who is pressed into service helping Dr. Miguel Garcia (Carlos Bernard). These scenes are pretty good. And Beau Bridges does a better job this time (in some scenes) as the President--mainly when he is on the phone to Amy or Dr. Hill or Stacy Warner. And once during the second half he cries quite effectively. Barbara Eve Harris does a good job as the elder Warner. She really does look frightened in one scene.
Brad and Will attempt a dangerous rescue which is exciting but has negative consequences for anyone hoping for quality here.
The rescue scenes are some of the best, but they don't reflect the real scope of the disaster. They are very personal and individual. However, I recall one scene in "Pearl Harbor" that should more accurately reflect what would be seen if such a disaster was possible. Not everyone could be saved, and people had to just admit it. We don't really see that here.
The visual effects, though, are the real star of the show, when they work. The destruction of Hoover Dam is an amazing sight, one which a witness compares to Niagara Falls. I would agree. The so-called "rift fault" that races across the country also looks good. Later, George Washington's face falls off Mount Rushmore in another small victory for the visual effects crew.
Dr. Hill calls on her father Earl, who is gambling in Las Vegas years after quitting his job. The elder Dr. Hill developed a theory that the separation of the continents that began 300 million years ago will reach a peak and then go into reverse. This is what is happening now, the younger scientist believes, and she asks her father for help. Dana Delany's best scenes (really, her only good scenes) have her explaining basic geology to the President and to us.
Frank Langella delivers a fine performance as the elder scientist, who realizes something is happening in Las Vegas and decides to investigate. Then he must lead the escape effort when the ground swallows the 45-story casino he is in, helped by Jackson the bartender. It is a monumental effort and quite exciting, reminding me of the "Poseidon Adventure" movie NBC aired recently (but better). Laura is part of his group. Outside, the FEMA team has the Malloy brothers, led by Natalie and several other capable officials.
After the incident at Mount Rushmore, the destruction starts heading south. The President orders the evacuation of every state in the path of the evil "rift fault"--if it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, we will have a new waterway dividing the country. And as if that isn't enough, a new complication: Dr. Garcia is worried about his elderly parents in Houston. His mother (portrayed by another capable actor) refuses to move his sick father.
Wait, wait, we're not done! Just in case you didn't think things were bad enough, two of the country's largest nuclear reactors are outside Houston. Don't worry, though. Earl Hill to the rescue! If they can get to him and he can find some miracle solution.
One additional detail: Monument Valley in Utah looked beautiful, at least before the Native American's horse started acting up because it knew something was happening.
I would like to hear from geologists about whether there really is such fantastic software that uses massive amounts of data to make forecasts and produce colorful displays. Where do they get all these measurements, anyway? Oh, well, we're suppose to believe the world is literally falling apart, too.
Didn't I see this a few weeks ago on CBS? Except the threat was coming from above instead of below. But we don't have Randy Quaid in this one. We do have Frank Langella, though. It's not a complete disaster.
But it's not over! More geological events, even worse than the ones on the coast, threaten to literally tear the country in half. The action starts in Idaho, and once again Dr. Samantha Hill and Dr. Jordan Fisher are called into action. Sometimes they actually fly to where the destruction is happening. Sometimes one of them stays behind to do actual work on forecasting what happens next--not an easy job since, for example, extinct volcanoes blow their tops with very little warning these days.
Meanwhile, rescue crews must travel to the numerous sites of mayhem. Included are brothers Brad and Will Malloy, as well as Natalie Warner (Garcelle Beauvais), whose mother Stacy Warner is monitoring the situation from headquarters. Natalie tries to act like she in charge but gets upstaged--until the second half, she does not seem to know what she is doing, though it has been a while since the incident that kept her out of the field for several years. Later, she seems quite confident. Laura Malloy, a nurse, is in a different location from her husband Will, but cell phones always seem to work no matter what--until she is trapped in a Las Vegas casino.
The first half of this miniseries does not start particularly well. It looks like the writers and editors were checking things off a list, without any real anticipation or preparation. The tsunami hitting Hawaii does look pretty impressive on a 13-inch TV, though the extreme low tide does look fake. Amazingly, Hawaii is hardly mentioned after that.
Then things start to improve. At least we are getting to know characters, but there doesn't seem to be much point. The characters seem to exist primarily in order to provide pointless conflict that takes away from the real story. That's not to say there aren't worthwhile moments.
The President's daughter Amy (Tamara Hope) is a Red Cross volunteer who is pressed into service helping Dr. Miguel Garcia (Carlos Bernard). These scenes are pretty good. And Beau Bridges does a better job this time (in some scenes) as the President--mainly when he is on the phone to Amy or Dr. Hill or Stacy Warner. And once during the second half he cries quite effectively. Barbara Eve Harris does a good job as the elder Warner. She really does look frightened in one scene.
Brad and Will attempt a dangerous rescue which is exciting but has negative consequences for anyone hoping for quality here.
The rescue scenes are some of the best, but they don't reflect the real scope of the disaster. They are very personal and individual. However, I recall one scene in "Pearl Harbor" that should more accurately reflect what would be seen if such a disaster was possible. Not everyone could be saved, and people had to just admit it. We don't really see that here.
The visual effects, though, are the real star of the show, when they work. The destruction of Hoover Dam is an amazing sight, one which a witness compares to Niagara Falls. I would agree. The so-called "rift fault" that races across the country also looks good. Later, George Washington's face falls off Mount Rushmore in another small victory for the visual effects crew.
Dr. Hill calls on her father Earl, who is gambling in Las Vegas years after quitting his job. The elder Dr. Hill developed a theory that the separation of the continents that began 300 million years ago will reach a peak and then go into reverse. This is what is happening now, the younger scientist believes, and she asks her father for help. Dana Delany's best scenes (really, her only good scenes) have her explaining basic geology to the President and to us.
Frank Langella delivers a fine performance as the elder scientist, who realizes something is happening in Las Vegas and decides to investigate. Then he must lead the escape effort when the ground swallows the 45-story casino he is in, helped by Jackson the bartender. It is a monumental effort and quite exciting, reminding me of the "Poseidon Adventure" movie NBC aired recently (but better). Laura is part of his group. Outside, the FEMA team has the Malloy brothers, led by Natalie and several other capable officials.
After the incident at Mount Rushmore, the destruction starts heading south. The President orders the evacuation of every state in the path of the evil "rift fault"--if it reaches the Gulf of Mexico, we will have a new waterway dividing the country. And as if that isn't enough, a new complication: Dr. Garcia is worried about his elderly parents in Houston. His mother (portrayed by another capable actor) refuses to move his sick father.
Wait, wait, we're not done! Just in case you didn't think things were bad enough, two of the country's largest nuclear reactors are outside Houston. Don't worry, though. Earl Hill to the rescue! If they can get to him and he can find some miracle solution.
One additional detail: Monument Valley in Utah looked beautiful, at least before the Native American's horse started acting up because it knew something was happening.
I would like to hear from geologists about whether there really is such fantastic software that uses massive amounts of data to make forecasts and produce colorful displays. Where do they get all these measurements, anyway? Oh, well, we're suppose to believe the world is literally falling apart, too.
Didn't I see this a few weeks ago on CBS? Except the threat was coming from above instead of below. But we don't have Randy Quaid in this one. We do have Frank Langella, though. It's not a complete disaster.