▁as ▁Jenn ifer ▁Thor ne , ▁Ben ▁Brow der ▁as ▁R ac er , ▁Brad ley ▁Whit ford ▁as ▁John ▁Morgan ▁and ▁directed ▁by ▁Dan ▁L erner . ▁ ▁Syn opsis ▁ ▁A ▁hole ▁in ▁the ▁o zone ▁layer ▁has ▁appeared ▁over ▁Los ▁Angeles , ▁causing ▁all ▁sorts ▁of ▁e colog ical ▁dis aster s . ▁Bird s , ▁wh ales , ▁insect s ▁and ▁people ▁all ▁succ umb ▁to ▁the ▁effects . ▁Dr . ▁E van ▁Thor ne , ▁who ▁has ▁been ▁trying ▁to ▁alert ▁the ▁authorities ▁to ▁the ▁lo oming ▁dis aster , ▁finds ▁it ▁falls ▁to ▁him ▁and ▁his ▁friends ▁to ▁save ▁this ▁small ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁planet ▁from ▁an ▁environmental ▁ap ocal yp se . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁Jack ▁Nich oll s ▁wrote ▁in ▁The ▁Encyclopedia ▁of ▁Science ▁F iction , ▁" A ▁pain fully ▁low - bud get ▁dis aster ▁movie , ▁Count down : ▁The ▁Sky ' s ▁on ▁Fire ▁has ▁little ▁to ▁distinguish ▁it ▁except ▁its ▁l ur id ▁title . ▁A ▁hole ▁in ▁the ▁o zone ▁layer ▁above ▁the ▁Pacific ▁threat ens ▁to ▁burn ▁to ▁death ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁the ▁western ▁United ▁States . ▁When ▁this ▁is ▁discovered , ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁scient ists , ▁polit icians , ▁soldiers ▁and ▁journal ists ▁sit ▁around ▁and ▁talk ▁about ▁fixing ▁it ▁while ▁their ▁women folk ▁are ▁threatened ▁by ▁insect ▁sw ar ms ▁driven ▁ins ane ▁by ▁the ▁Sun ' s ▁radiation . ▁As ▁the ▁threat ▁to ▁human ity ▁is ▁invisible , ▁and ▁there ▁was ▁little ▁money