horsegoggles They covered everything... Badly. From special effects to facts. I kept watching because it was so bad. There's something to be said for bad, but not enough to make me want to watch part 2. I probably will though, just to see if it is as bad. Everybody was over the top. Actors that I usually like count on for good performances were terrible in this. Had any of the writers ever actually observe a real relationship between real people? I had a little trouble understanding how people in a city that was totally blacked out were able to watch news updates. Big business is bad. Government is good. The only people you can count on for honesty is the media. Throw everything you can think of at a camera and you've got yourself a movie. I think that must have been the philosophy behind this one.

Amy Adler Mitch (Thomas Gibson) is an executive with a power company serving the Chicago area. Although he has a loving wife and two wonderful kids, he is having an extra-curricular affair with a public relations officer at his company named Rebecca (Chandra West). How unfortunate this is for everyone, naturally, especially since one of the children, teenage Lindsey, is also dealing with boyfriend issues. Meanwhile, television news reporter Amy (Nancy McKeon) is determined to find out why the city is experiencing a number of blackouts but Mitch and Rebecca are not being very forthcoming. Also, a top climate scientist (Brian Dennehy) is getting many bizarre readings at this Windy City office, making him equally anxious about the coming week of weather. Indications are that a strong northern cold front and the present hot temperatures are about to bring on massive storms. His staff is working overtime but no one knows what to expect. Also, Amy's pregnant sister is close to delivery and her pilot husband may be away from home, making Amy's presence valuable. Not far away, in Kansas, Tornado Tommy (Randy Quaid) takes tourists on storm chases but he, too, is fairly worried about current conditions in the region. So is the United States Department of Energy Secretary (Dianne Wiest) If a bad storm, stronger than any known tornado, does hit, what will happen to these fine denizens of Second City? For fans of disaster films, this one works quite well. The large cast is very capable and the special effects are done well. One scene, in particular, involving Quaid and his run-in with "the big one" is quite intriguing. Since much of the film is devoted to the problem of global warming, too, science fiction lovers and ecology-minded individuals will also be interested in a viewing. Therefore, if you fall into any of these categories or just want to see something "different" tonight, look for this interesting movie.

docscholl Sort of like a train wreck, I had to watch this and part seven. Very goofy, but had some interesting yet predictable plot lines.The whole message of this series (at least the two parts I watched) seemed to be that we humans are bad, bad creatures. According to what I gleaned from these two parts: We and we alone caused global warming, should recycle more, should stop driving and should stop using so much energy. And of course, all energy companies are evil.A very preachy series! Oy!Some of the plots were predicable. Like Chandra West and Thomas Gibson in their obvious extra-marital affair, crisis with family, resolve issues during weather disaster.Randy Quaid was a hoot as he more or less did a reprise of his "Independence Day" role as a whacked-out misfit.A lot of the special effects were repeated in both 6 & 7 (like a skyline view of Chicago then a skyline of Washington, D.C., with the same carnage in the foreground - or a repeat shot of a power plant, one in Chicago, one in D.C.).I had to suspend disbelief as the time-line of many of these events and scenes defied logic. Overall – poorly written storyline with average acting and quirky special effects.

marina_rox95 I think "category 6: day of destruction" was very unrealistic. The digital effects where like a children's cartoon. The actors didn't act realistically, for example, when the girl was shot she acted like she got tomato sauce splatted on her. The movie was boring but I watched it because it was on. The only interesting character was Tornado Tommy, he was funny!Please keep the special effects real.I liked the comment: "What did we do to p.i.s.s-off Mother Nature?"I don't know what else to write to fill up the 10 lines. What else can I say the movie is so boring, I think my comment will be equally boring.