Just weeks after a 'Category 6' storm nearly destroyed much of Chicago, Paris is struck by what one witness calls an even worse storm. It is so bad the Eiffel Tower falls over and a giant clown's head slams into the building the witness is watching from.
Only one meteorologist predicted these storms and where they would hit, but even he didn't know how bad they would be. Dr. Ross Duffy doesn't want to work for the government any more, but he is persuaded by Melody, who works for new FEMA director Judith Carr, to work 'under the radar'.
George Washington and the Sphinx both lose their heads in new storms. The Mall of America gets shut down by the Mount Rushmore storm (reused footage of the Chicago mall?). A monster storm in Egypt causes predictions of the end of the world, especially after poisoned frogs get loose in a Washington museum (what is this, 'Vampire Bats'?) and a plague of flies attacks the Capitol.
Forecasters see signs of a new storm in Michigan--even though the weather is calm. For once, they know in advance where a storm is going to form.
Buffalo is the next target, if the storm continues course, and New York City could follow. Meanwhile, if that's not bad enough, Edouard, a Category 5 hurricane, is headed for Miami.
The Miami hurricane is headed north, and Washington is a possible target. Flooding is a definite risk, but the country is assured the government will continue operating. Terrorists take over a bus evacuating residents (did we REALLY need that?).
What happens in New York City is far worse than anyone expected, and of course the Statue of Liberty loses her torch.
And that's not all. The storm takes an unexpected sharp turn to the south--right toward the hurricane--which is also targeting Washington.
Tommy looked like a mummy with a classic street light for a head, lying in his hospital bed. But he was rarin' to go once again. Randy Quaid gave us yet another great performance, and by the time he and Faith reached Michigan with their monitoring equipment, he was like new.
Tommy must have been healed by the campy TV evangelists Donny and Penny Hall! Swoozie Kurtz gave another outstanding performance as the female half of the pair of greedy but faithful Christian leaders. James Brolin was quite good too. Hearing of the destruction in Egypt, they warned their followers to get ready. And they may have known a little more than others about those Biblical plagues.
Tom Skerritt also showed talent as Col. Mike Davis, a very courageous pilot who was willing to fly into any storm, no matter how bad.
The visual effects were okay. The best display came not in any of the big cities but in a Michigan trailer park. Very realistic, very scary. The ocean pushing its way into the streets of New York also looked quite realistic. But the Eiffel Tower destruction could have been more exciting. And the demolition of the 5000-year-old Great Pyramid didn't really satisfy. We were told that it happened but didn't really see it.
And now for part two:
The terrorists kidnap some of the people on the bus, including the relative of one of the federal officials involved with disaster preparation. This was a distraction for us and would have proved to be one for someone who didn't need it.
Ross figured out in the first half what caused the storms to be so severe. In the second half, with the help of observations from the fearless Col. Davis and from the equipment he carried, he comes up with an idea to lessen the storms' intensity. The big problem: getting people to listen to him!
Tommy and Faith arrive at a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania just before it will likely be demolished. (This storyline never materialized.) Then they press onward to D. C., where the President intends to stay put.
The destruction of the White House proved more satisfying than a similar scene in 'Independence Day' because it happened so gradually here. Still, we were mostly told what happened; it was kind of a letdown not to see it. Amazingly, the promised flooding never took place; all the destruction came from wind. And it must have been from tornadoes produced by Edouard, because the New York storm wasn't even there yet!
The ending proved to be disappointing and satisfying at the same time. Even though these storms defied logic, one would think the movie could have a climax which was consistent with the rules established earlier.
Good news: the visual effects in the clouds seen from Col. Davis' plane were among the best in the movie.
Randy Quaid continued to impress as Tommy, partly because he showed normal behavior. Shannen Doherty also did a good job as Tommy's partner Faith.
David Alpay (Billy) and Andrea Lui (Melody) had their best moments as the storm hit. Billy stayed behind at the Extreme Weather Lab, where he designed much of the equipment, and Melody helped. Not only were the characters strong in the face of adversity, but they had a sense of humor. Lindy Booth as agnostic reporter Brigid and Nicholas Lea as a follower of the Halls had their good scenes. And Gina Gershon finally showed some real ability as the FEMA director. Suki Kaiser also did a capable job as Dr. Duffy's wife Gayle, who had an important role in carrying out his plan.
There was a touching scene as Col. Davis said what might have been his final goodbye to his family. Tom Skerritt continued to impress in that scene and when he was flying. I didn't catch his name, but the actor playing Davis' partner also performed admirably.
It wasn't a total disaster by any means. Mostly it was fun to watch.
Only one meteorologist predicted these storms and where they would hit, but even he didn't know how bad they would be. Dr. Ross Duffy doesn't want to work for the government any more, but he is persuaded by Melody, who works for new FEMA director Judith Carr, to work 'under the radar'.
George Washington and the Sphinx both lose their heads in new storms. The Mall of America gets shut down by the Mount Rushmore storm (reused footage of the Chicago mall?). A monster storm in Egypt causes predictions of the end of the world, especially after poisoned frogs get loose in a Washington museum (what is this, 'Vampire Bats'?) and a plague of flies attacks the Capitol.
Forecasters see signs of a new storm in Michigan--even though the weather is calm. For once, they know in advance where a storm is going to form.
Buffalo is the next target, if the storm continues course, and New York City could follow. Meanwhile, if that's not bad enough, Edouard, a Category 5 hurricane, is headed for Miami.
The Miami hurricane is headed north, and Washington is a possible target. Flooding is a definite risk, but the country is assured the government will continue operating. Terrorists take over a bus evacuating residents (did we REALLY need that?).
What happens in New York City is far worse than anyone expected, and of course the Statue of Liberty loses her torch.
And that's not all. The storm takes an unexpected sharp turn to the south--right toward the hurricane--which is also targeting Washington.
Tommy looked like a mummy with a classic street light for a head, lying in his hospital bed. But he was rarin' to go once again. Randy Quaid gave us yet another great performance, and by the time he and Faith reached Michigan with their monitoring equipment, he was like new.
Tommy must have been healed by the campy TV evangelists Donny and Penny Hall! Swoozie Kurtz gave another outstanding performance as the female half of the pair of greedy but faithful Christian leaders. James Brolin was quite good too. Hearing of the destruction in Egypt, they warned their followers to get ready. And they may have known a little more than others about those Biblical plagues.
Tom Skerritt also showed talent as Col. Mike Davis, a very courageous pilot who was willing to fly into any storm, no matter how bad.
The visual effects were okay. The best display came not in any of the big cities but in a Michigan trailer park. Very realistic, very scary. The ocean pushing its way into the streets of New York also looked quite realistic. But the Eiffel Tower destruction could have been more exciting. And the demolition of the 5000-year-old Great Pyramid didn't really satisfy. We were told that it happened but didn't really see it.
And now for part two:
The terrorists kidnap some of the people on the bus, including the relative of one of the federal officials involved with disaster preparation. This was a distraction for us and would have proved to be one for someone who didn't need it.
Ross figured out in the first half what caused the storms to be so severe. In the second half, with the help of observations from the fearless Col. Davis and from the equipment he carried, he comes up with an idea to lessen the storms' intensity. The big problem: getting people to listen to him!
Tommy and Faith arrive at a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania just before it will likely be demolished. (This storyline never materialized.) Then they press onward to D. C., where the President intends to stay put.
The destruction of the White House proved more satisfying than a similar scene in 'Independence Day' because it happened so gradually here. Still, we were mostly told what happened; it was kind of a letdown not to see it. Amazingly, the promised flooding never took place; all the destruction came from wind. And it must have been from tornadoes produced by Edouard, because the New York storm wasn't even there yet!
The ending proved to be disappointing and satisfying at the same time. Even though these storms defied logic, one would think the movie could have a climax which was consistent with the rules established earlier.
Good news: the visual effects in the clouds seen from Col. Davis' plane were among the best in the movie.
Randy Quaid continued to impress as Tommy, partly because he showed normal behavior. Shannen Doherty also did a good job as Tommy's partner Faith.
David Alpay (Billy) and Andrea Lui (Melody) had their best moments as the storm hit. Billy stayed behind at the Extreme Weather Lab, where he designed much of the equipment, and Melody helped. Not only were the characters strong in the face of adversity, but they had a sense of humor. Lindy Booth as agnostic reporter Brigid and Nicholas Lea as a follower of the Halls had their good scenes. And Gina Gershon finally showed some real ability as the FEMA director. Suki Kaiser also did a capable job as Dr. Duffy's wife Gayle, who had an important role in carrying out his plan.
There was a touching scene as Col. Davis said what might have been his final goodbye to his family. Tom Skerritt continued to impress in that scene and when he was flying. I didn't catch his name, but the actor playing Davis' partner also performed admirably.
It wasn't a total disaster by any means. Mostly it was fun to watch.