Supernova (2005) (TV)

Director:

John Harrison

Writers:

Steven H. Berman (writer)
Don Keith Opper (writer)

Release Date:

5 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The day the world catches fire.

Plot:

A scientific possibility becomes a terrifying reality when the most powerful force in the universe threatens to hurtle home.

Plot Keywords:

Supernova | Fire | Australia | Sydney Australia

Cast

Luke Perry	...	Dr. Chris Richardson
Tia Carrere	...	Lisa Delgado
Peter Fonda	...	Dr. Austin Shepard
Clemency Burton-Hill	...	Ginny McKillip
Emma Samms	...	Laurie Stephenson
Jessica Brooks	...	Brooke Richardson
Eliza Bennett	...	Haley Richardson
Marcus Jean Pirae	...	Dr. Marshall Peters
Philip Lenkowsky	...	Grant Cole
Ronald Pickup	...	Dr. Malcolm Handey
Lance Henriksen	...	Colonel Harlan Williams
Patrick Walton Jr.	...	Agent Means (as Patrick Walton)
Nkuli Kgositsile	...	Linda Darlington
Chris April	...	Dr. Duka Ibrahim
Mehboob Bawa	...	Dr. Rani Vahpayee

Runtime:

Brazil:180 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:12 (DVD)

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

Larry Levinson Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: Not only do the "scientists" repeatedly misread the formulas, but the most famous one makes a 22-orders-of-magnitude error in a calculation. Who ever heard of a scientist who wouldn't notice that and fix it immediately? That's like expecting an answer in the angstroms range and getting an answer in the light-years range!

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Two Thirds of a Good Disaster Movie

The Hallmark Network has chosen to create a series of movies to supplement their "Hall of Fame" product. They are off to a decidedly mixed start with "Supernova." Certainly, their timing could not have been worse, given events in New Orleans. Too bad they couldn't have scheduled another film for this time.

"Supernova" would a made a pretty good two hour disaster movie. Cut out the "dime store" space special effects and the trite "serial killer" subplot and you'd have something pretty memorable. Unfortunately, the "solar flare" effects look about as realistic as Disney 2D animation. While not particularly surprising, given the limited effects budget for TV fare, the bad "space effects' contrast jarringly with the pretty good "earth effects" on display.

Peter Fonda plays, flatly, a world famous astronomer who predicts the sun will go supernova (enlarge, then explode) within a month (or, was it a week). Luke Perry plays an astrophysicist(!), also flatly, and is the principal protagonist. Lance Henriksen plays his stock baddie. The women come off much better in the acting department, most notable are Tia Carrere (as a government agent), Emma Samms (as a crusading TV news commentator), Clemency Burton-Hill (as a scientist) and an unnamed actress who plays Fonda's bartender-squeeze.

Jettison an hour and "Supernova" would be good enough for a "7". As presented, however, it barely squeaks by as a "5".