MovieChat Forums > Meteor (2009) Discussion > Is there NO other way to write this?

Is there NO other way to write this?

posted 15 years ago by Simon-120
18 replies | jump to latest

Amateur astronomer finds it, frantically phones it in, military rushes around, needing stuff "NOW!" or "yesterday!" The president doesn't want to panic the people. Small catastrophes ensue, to people we're supposed to be rooting for because they show us the drama in their life. A mission is planned, montage of training, they go up, things go wrong, people sacrifice themselves, planetary disaster averted at last second. Much rejoicing.

Just once, I'd like to see them (us) have no chance, and actual extinction occurs. But that's not a Hollywood happy ending.

[–] xaznxsneakx 15 years ago

Disaster movies are like Starbucks beverages. There's thousands of ways to order them, but they're all the same damn thing. Occasionally, someone would come up with something new and unique, but it ends up being replicated and gets boring fast.

[–] Asteri-Atypical 15 years ago

No, this is more like ordering McDonalds. Starbucks at least implies SOME quality.

With disaster films, you don't HAVE to write them with such crap quality. Yet that's the way things are written today; POORLY, pandering to the lowest common demoninator (of IQ)

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The American CEO is analogous to the Appendix...

[–] htowninsomniac 15 years ago

This isn't even McDonald's cafe. It's more like the coffee you can get at your auto repair shop.

[–] Asteri-Atypical 15 years ago

This isn't even McDonald's cafe. It's more like the coffee you can get at your auto repair shop.

Good analogy!

I would never compare it to McD's "Cafe" though. Their coffee is actually the best thing they have going.

But the auto repair shop... and sometimes those greasy hot dogs that some gas stations have which look like they's been on the spit for a couple days; that's the kind of fare to which this movie might be compared!

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The American CEO is analogous to the Appendix...

[–] gayspiritwarrior 15 years ago

Yeah, something's up. The pan of the movie on the first page was posted on Friday, two nights before Part I was even broadcast.

"The value of an idea has nothing to do with the honesty of the man expressing it."--Oscar Wilde

[–] exeal 15 years ago

I watched it on YouTube a few days before it was shown on NBC. Each video is about 10 minutes but once I got a rhythm going it wasn't too bad.

To be honest, the movie is more funny (Unintentionally funny) than suspenseful.

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[–] khons 15 years ago

I'm rooting for the meteor. This has to be the worst written disaster movie I've ever seen. Considering all TV disaster movies are terribly written, that is an accomplishment.

OTOH, Marla, the young scientist looks amazing.

The characters are complete and utter morons. Last week it was running out of gas, then running out of gas again. This time the dad leaves an ex-cop mass murderer in the backseat with a pocket full of tools to break free, while driving around with his daughter. Shoot him in the head and drive off... like anyone would care.

[–] modred-1 15 years ago

"Just once, I'd like to see them (us) have no chance, and actual extinction occurs. But that's not a Hollywood happy ending."

Terminator 3 ended with them not averting the nuclear holocaust at all. People sorta hated that ending (though I loved it), so I guess viewers don't like downer endings either.

When you're in the moneymaking business, you cater to your customers, so...

[–] town_plagiarist 15 years ago

It depends on the downer ending.

This show is to drama what Norbit was to comedy.

[–] therealshapeshifter 15 years ago

Why didn't the bad guy just get tired of being evil? The other bad guys (the ones that didn't get killed) did. He was just so tiresomely evil. I mean, given the meteor chaos, he had a chance to head for the border and live his life. And when he appeared again with the pulled fuse I was sure they had added a zombie element to the plot. I mean, why not? It had everything else.
And what was up with the end? Did they cut away a few seconds early? Maybe thought they'd spare us.

[–] Asteri-Atypical 15 years ago

Why didn't the bad guy just get tired of being evil? The other bad guys (the ones that didn't get killed) did. He was just so tiresomely evil

Well, the characters in this whole show were so painfully two-dimensional and contrived that it would be laughable if only there was enough comedic value in this show to make it a complete comedy!

Some characters just "gave up being evil" when it suited the plot. Others were simply evil. Not because there were any belivable ephiphanies but because it was decided "let's have this character become good now and make people feel that anyone can change if he wants to".

Right.

It's like a child's view of the world. Only even fairy tales aren't even so contrived.

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The American CEO is analogous to the Appendix...

[–] eledoux7582 12 years ago

Melancholia(2011) comes close to what you desire in a disaster movie. But the movie is really about depression.

[–] greyson-forkturner 11 years ago

Seeking a friend for the End of the World is worth a look

[–] laura-827 9 years ago

I think Melancholia is a good example, even though the exploration of depression is primary, not the SF disaster plotline. The depiction of different reactions to total annihilation was poignant.

Testament (1983 TV movie) realistically depicts the lives of survivors slowly unraveling in the aftermath of a nuclear war. It was far, far more frightening, and as you can imagine, quite bleak. I only saw it once, but I still recall many disturbingly impactful scenes. It's an entirely different way to write a disaster film.

IMO, this film (Meteor) is utterly forgettable.

[–] sealybooth 11 years ago

Quantum Apocalypse is a film which ends in planet Earth's extinction.