Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Lack of good storyline.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I thought the guy on the bike was funny. But I don't believe the poor dude survived, as it looked like the rubble from the space needle falling actually got him. The story itself is like something after the rapture of the church, and I told my ten year old son that's the only way I could describe it - tribulation period...I imagine it's going to be ten fold to this, but this was pretty dang good...The nuclear weapon theory was a bit over the top, and of course I could see the guy going down with the last one from a mile away - not much surprise there...I was excited to see Bo Duke (John Schneider) in this movie. I'd never picture him being married to a governor though :-) And Beau Bridges as the President of the United States...Hmmmmm.....The final scene was great. I didn't actually think that was going to happen, but it was interesting to see what an earthquake could do in people's imaginations...There's always those big fears that "the big one" in California will change the geography forever...

The usual disaster movie with its host of characters with their inter-personal relationships being shown as they prepare to battle a disaster. Three earthquakes in one day in the western part of the country may be too much to take, but this is what makes for an interesting story.The governor of California is a woman who is divorced and is in night clothes as her ex-husband and daughter go off for a camping trip.Beau Bridges shows emotion as our nervous president. The FEMA guy is not at all like Michael Brown of the Bush Administration. Once he realizes what's going on, he literally throws himself into the solution which will cost him his life.The problem with the film is that the characters are terribly cliché- the doctor and FEMA director, estranged as well as a surgeon and his wife. It seems that disasters always brings out the best in people. People come together as a cohesive unit to fight off the evil elements. We've just seen so much of this before.

That was all that biker at the opening of this film had to do--that and get off the bike and run for his life. Staying on a less balanced object on a continuously shifting terrain just didn't make a heap of sense to me.This movie made the movie "Earthquake" in the 70's appear a classic. The primary aspect that made that earlier film so gripping by comparison is it didn't throw science into its scenario ergo it's credibility is higher. The characters were also more well-rounded; there was at least one or two I actually cared for in that. It also didn't end happily and/or contain the unbelievable strokes of luck or deplorably by the numbers characters that have been littering many of Sci-Fi channels so called "orignal films". This includes but not limited to: The Hill character with the husband that wants a family, how many times that's been in their original films as well as the Mayor's ex trying to redeem himself with the brat daughter who I wanted to slap and everything comes out hokey-dorry after some trials and tribulations?Now the Earthquake 70's film aside, it was bad on it's own merit being more predictable than usual. Nukes to end a problem came out my mouth the same time the 1st time it was said. When the quake in the near the last half hour of the film, it pops in my head, "Not the last one." And sure enough--Dang, that's the only area where I wasn't disappointed.I honestly think NBC worked in association with the Sci-Fi Channel to create this joke.

Recap: Suddenly disaster strikes Seattle. A huge earthquake devastates the entire city. Soon thereafter an even bigger earthquake strikes northern California (chasing and devouring a train for instance). The president assembles a team of the top experts in the field to find out what is going on. Dr Samantha Hill is on that team and has a theory. She believes a deep (really deep - I think she stated 700 km deep which is astounding considering that the Earths crust is at most 100 km thick (I'm not sure about the last figure, but 100 km is larger than all I could find)) hidden fault is responsible and that the earthquakes are separate but connected. And that is not enough. She predicts that next quake will strike San Francisco. But she has problems convincing anyone that her theory is correct. Until she is proved right that is.Comments: This is one of the biggest clichés ever. I doubt that the writers had any ideas of their own at all. Each and every step of the plot is predictable and typical of this kind of movie (and often stolen from another movie, for example Armageddon). All characters have troubles in their relationships at the beginning, but of course all reconcile (quickly and easily) during the movie. Each and every character is also deeply stereotypical. Thin like paper and not developing anything. Motives are blunt and typical clichés.I still wonder why in way too many bad movies the final solution is nukes. Here the nature is behaving badly, and of course the solution is to bomb it back in line. I'm not kidding. They are actually going to detonate nuclear warheads to force nature back in line, and to stop more earthquakes.I am also amazed that this production got nominated to an Emmy for best special effects. My friend and me frequently commented how horrible they looked. It is never any doubt that models and toys were used for most of the action-shots. Especially when the quake are chasing the train (Yes, it actually is. I kid you not) it is so bluntly clear we are watching a toy train-set in a set it is funny. The same goes for many cars and trucks and whenever water floods anywhere. The plot outline speaks of tsunamis too, but I never saw one though.In spite of all this, and in spite that it is really long (165 min) it never becomes too dull. Sure, you know how it will end right after the introductions are made and every event is predictable and typical of the movie, but something happens all the time. And you can sit there and be amazed how stupid they are all the time. But I never got really bored, I got to give it that at least.Finally I can't believe that it got a sequel...4/10