Meltdown (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

John Murlowski

Writer:

Rick Drew (writer)

Release Date:

2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The earth is burning!

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Meteor | Police | Family Relationships | Heat | Sun

Cast

Casper Van Dien	...	Tom
Vincent Gale	...	Nathan
Stefanie von Pfetten	...	Carly
Venus Terzo	...	Bonnie
Amanda Crew	...	Kimberly
Ryan McDonell	...	C.J.
Greg Anderson	...	Mick
Bill Dow	...	Olsen
Patricia Drake	...	ER Nurse
Philip Granger	...	Frank
David Quinlan	...	Gary
Dee Jay Jackson	...	Fire Chief
Donovan Cerminara	...	Goon Leader
Bruno Verdoni	...	Garner
Derek Hamilton	...	Rat Leader

Also Known As:

Meltdown: Days of Destruction (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Front Street Pictures

Trivia:

A story making the rounds says that this film was originally written by John Carpenter in the late '70s, and the script lay in limbo until the early '90s, when it was set to star Dolph Lundgren. Eight days before filming, legal issues between distribution companies supposedly caused it to shut down. However, according to writer/director Rick Drew, he developed the story from scratch and had never heard of the alleged Carpenter script when he wrote it, and in fact received sole credit from the WGA for the script.

Movie Connections:

References Clueless (1995)

Ridiculous But Fun

"Meltdown" is a disaster (tele)movie about really hot weather starring Casper Van Dien. That one sentence is probably enough to make most people run for cover but as a disaster movie devotee and long suffering fan of Mr Van Dien, I found "Meltdown" pretty irresistible.

You could drive a semi-trailer through the holes in the film's plot. In short, scientists fire a nuclear weapon into a meteor with the intention of developing a meteor defence program. However, instead of fragmenting, a large chunk of the rock heads towards earth only to be deflected. Unfortunately, the near miss manages to push the earth out of orbit, dragging it towards the sun and resulting in really hot weather.

Casper plays Tom, a police officer, who attempts to save his family and new girlfriend from the heatwave and protect them from the looters who have taken over the city. This synopsis actually makes the film sound more interesting than it is. In reality, most of the film involves sweaty people walking around looking for water. Strangely, it never enters anyone's head to turn on a tap or purchase a beverage from a vending machine. Things get a bit more exciting towards the end of the film when rogue policemen capture the brother of Tom's new girlfriend. This at least gives Casper the opportunity to wrap a shirt around his head and shoot a gun.

The extent to which you will enjoy "Meltdown" surely depends on your view of Van Dien. Personally, I find something deeply hypnotic about Casper's cheesy, square jawed persona and his determination to appear in trashy, straight-to-TV action thrillers. He reminds me of Zoolander with guns. Despite my appreciation for Casper's body of telemovie work, I would still like to see him make the occasional film that actually gains a cinematic release.

In addition to Casper's stunning acting performance, further "Meltdown" highlights include a couple of exploding cars, a bad CGI meteor and some hilariously improbable science. The other actors in the film are all competent, with Venus Terzo a standout as Tom's first love, Bonnie. Amanda Crew also makes an impression as Tom's daughter.