In the thrilling tradition of THE CORE and INDEPENDENCE DAY, SCORCHER stars Mark Dacascos (CRADLE 2 GRAVE, CHINA STRIKE FORCE), Rutger Hauer (CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND), and John Rhys-Davis (THE LORD OF THE RINGS tri... more »logy, INDIANA JONES trilogy) in an action-packed adventure where extraordinary heroes take on the ultimate fight to save the world! In the wake of a horrible nuclear accident, devastating natural disasters abound as the Earth's massive tectonic plates shift violently and unnaturally. To stop the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that are leading up to an inevitable doomsday catastrophe, scientists decide that a nuclear bomb must be detonated in Los Angeles! From there, the fate of the world and the safety of its inhabitants rest with Ryan Beckett (Dacascos) and his elite team, who must pull off this do-or-die race against time.« less
"The world is under threat from the greenhouse effect in Scorcher and the only way to avert total environmental disaster is to detonate an atomic bomb and so realign the tectonic plates along the Pacific rim .There is however one big problem -in order to do its job the bomb must be detonated in Los Angeles ,and the city be totally wiped out .The task is assigned to Ryan ,a maverick US army officer and his elite team .The city is evacuated -or substantially so -and the team go in ,with warring experts adding a complicating factor .These are a father/daughter team .
Further complicating matters are a deranged sniper and a crazed religious fundamentalist who captures Ryan's own daughter.
The low budget means that special effects are recycled from other movies -Dante's Peak in particular .The acting is pretty dire with John Rhys-Davies giving the only thing approximating toa competent performance ,and the casting of Rutger Hauer as the US President seems especially bizarre .
Its a no-brainer and recommended only to the uncritical ."
Deliciously Bad - I cried with laughter.
H. Mullan | New Rochelle, New York United States | 01/21/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I decided to watch Scorcher with some friends last night. Little did I know that I was in for a treat. There are some disaster flicks that are tongue-in-cheek, but they have a good story line so they are watchable. Scorcher should go down in the annals of history as the worst disaster movie made.
The acting is consistantly horrible, not because of the quality of the actors, but the script is like wading shoulder deep through molasses.
The storyline is bad on so many levels that a thesis could be written on it. Rutger Hauer as the president??? What were they thinking? And please, at least give him a jacket that fit. Their command center is an abandoned soundstage?? Where were all the extras to help fill out the movie? You see the same people over and over. Also could you develop at least one character? Ah never mind!
Scorcher should be made a requisite at all film schools as a good example of a bad example so others can learn what a good example is."
A Blast!!
Byron Watts | Fort Worth, TX | 06/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Reminded me of films they used to play on Saturday afternoons
on TV. Action, over the top story, and disaster galore.
Perfect popcorn movie if you're in the right mood.
Thumbs up!~!"
Above Average B-Movie Blast!
flikmaster | 05/31/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
Sure, this zero budget Armaggeddon wannabe isn't breaking the slightest bit of new ground, but they sure do make every buck count. Funny part is, it actually WORKS! in large part to the acting and directing. And thats ONLY if you forget the over the top disaster plot (the Earth's plates are moving and can only be stopped by setting off a nuke in LA) Still, there was an honest attempt at making us care for the people in this story by way of two father/daughter plotlines and the movie has some really exciting action sequences to boot. it was nice to see Mark Dacascos doing something other than kicking ass and actually getting to act. Rutger Hauer adds his usual presence and John Rhys Davies was fun to watch as the scientist with a plan. this is one of those movies where you either go with the plot or don't. Despite the obvious low budget, there were some great visuals and the pacing was well done. Music was also great
(very Hans Zimmer-like).
in all, you could do a lot worse from the action aisle of Blockbuster.
Recommend only for those who love B movies that truly aspire
to more.
"
Cool Movie
silvio_dante6 | New Zealand | 05/25/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
I really enjoyed Scorcher, I thought it was very entertaining for a B-movie. What first attracted me to this film was Rutger Hauer, I think he is a superb actor in any role, in this movie he plays a president which is cool, its good to see him in differant roles. Also great performances by John Rhys Davies, Mark Dacascos, and also G.W. Baily, a bit differant from his Police Academy Days.