Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It's Christmas Eve in the quaint little town of Normal, Alaska – but don't start decking the halls. A mysterious man leaves a gift on the doorstep of the apparently wealthy "Miller" family. There is no name or address on the present. The curious family opens it to reveal a snow globe – featuring a replica of their beautiful town inside. The anonymous gift looks nice, but the old advice "beware of strangers bearing gifts" applies. Whenever the snow globe is activated, a disaster strikes the town. Preteen son Dylan Matzke (as Rudy) gets to stay home through most of the disasters, and play with the snow globe. He's very smart – and a sharp dresser. The family has to deal with earthquakes, fires and very bad snowstorms. Oddly, it snows only in the mountains – never in the center of town...The family is led by father David Cubitt (as John Miller) and pilot mother Laura Harris (as Beth). Pretty daughter Magda Apanowicz (as Jennifer) appears to be playing a young teenager, with a crush on champion snowboarder Jeffrey Ballard (as Derrick Reed). This story, written by Rudy Thauberger and directed by Sheldon Wilson, isn't too bad. It is reminiscent of an old "Twilight Zone" TV episode. But, the cheap "disaster movie" focus does not excite. The effects may be okay considering the cost, but they distract rather than help tell the story. For example, we see a crash victim sitting in a burnt-out shell of her helicopter, unharmed except for some scratches and struggling to unfasten her seat belt. Especially during the second half, it seems like parts of the original story are missing.*** Snowmageddon (12/10/11) Sheldon Wilson ~ David Cubitt, Laura Harris, Magda Apanowicz, Jeff C. Ballard

Not too hard to follow; but your imagination is called upon to figure out story line. It is an odd Christmas Eve in a quaint Alaskan community and not a snow flake has fallen in awhile. A mysterious gift is left on a doorstep and when opened things get crazy. A snow globe like no other is admired at first, because inside is a small replica of the town. Soon things in the globe begin happening in real life. Earthquakes cause fiery splits in the ground; a weird storm causes strange projectiles to pelt and harm anyone in their way; unusual spikes shoot up along winding roads as a dormant volcano starts gurgling. One hell-of-a-holiday, huh? No question, the special effects are better than any attempts at acting. Cast members: David Cubitt, Laura Harris, Magda Apanowicz, Dylan Matzke and Lorne Cardinal.

There are movies that are so bad they're good, and movies that are just bad. This one is in between. As quirky Christmas movies go, this is kind of fun, but it truly needs to be seen to be believed. A family discovers that the snow globe they've received as a gift is causing big troubles in their peaceful town. It takes a while for the main characters to believe in an evil snow globe (heck, I"m still having trouble believing it) but once they get on board they have to figure out a way to return the gift and stop the SNOWMAGEDDON!And then it's time for eggnog!!

One awful disaster movie, with no explanations poor acting and clearly not worth the two hours it takes to watch it on TV. No connection is ever made to explain the connection between the snow globe and the disasters in the town, no explanation of why it was ever created or who might have brought these on the towns folk.The viewer is clearly in danger of losing whatever intelligence they may have by watch this movie so run, don't walk away from it! Mysterious cracks show up all around the town with fire and yet there is no offer of how or why. Mysteriously trees pop out of the ground in random places that skewer folks and cars. The most frustrating thing about this plot is the total lack of the presence of the creator of this mysterious snow globe and any reasonable explanation why it has appeared who its creator is and why all of these disasters are happening to this tiny town of Normal Alaska. It left me pulling out my hair in frustration.