Okay so this film was pretty cheesy but let's be honest there have been worse that have been screened and have even won Oscars, so lets not be judgemental okay?
Rob Lowe does a pretty passable job as the jaded Train Crash expert John Seager trying to hold his family together, rebellious teenage daughter Grace, shy and gentle step-son Chance plus a sassy young wife with a chip-on-his-shoulder Cop for an ex-husband.
The plot is fairly simple and perhaps a little long winded.  Nuclear Bomb ends up on a train conveniently sitting next to some highly inflammable chemicals; train has a REALLY bad leaky break problem.  Enter Rob Lowe, a bunch of army guys, a gung-ho General who wants to blow the train off the mountain (this actor plays General Hammond in Stargate by the way!) a rather goofy good hearted President of the USA and an assortment of heroes, heroines, goodies and baddies all putting in their 10 cents worth..
The train ends up behind derailed and the bomb explodes, and the disaster movie becomes a disaster movie twice over.
The special effects are not bad, the acting ditto, a bit hammy but like I've said, there's worse out there in cellular city.  The movie does however lack any real suspense, and of course you have the cheesy family reunions , rescues, tears and tantrums, plus the obligatory resentful step-daughter embracing her step-mother near the end of the film.
You also get some terribly embarrassing speeches from the President but hey why on earth not?  You've got everything else in this kitchen sink of a film, why not some heart-felt speeches to give it a little patriotic zip?
All in all though, its not a bad little film to wile away a really boring evening, I've seen worse and at least with this film, I won't loose my way in the plot, so I can nip out and make a cup of tea and still know where I am when I get back!
Okay so this film was pretty cheesy but let's be honest there have been worse that have been screened and have even won Oscars, so lets not be judgemental okay? Rob Lowe does a pretty passable job as the jaded Train Crash expert John Seager trying to hold his family together, rebellious teenage daughter Grace, shy and gentle step-son Chance plus a sassy young wife with a chip-on-his-shoulder Cop for an ex-husband. The plot is fairly simple and perhaps a little long winded. Nuclear Bomb ends up on a train conveniently sitting next to some highly inflammable chemicals; train has a REALLY bad leaky break problem. Enter Rob Lowe, a bunch of army guys, a gung-ho General who wants to blow the train off the mountain (this actor plays General Hammond in Stargate by the way! ) a rather goofy good hearted President of the USA and an assortment of heroes, heroines, goodies and baddies all putting in their 10 cents worth.. The train ends up behind derailed and the bomb explodes, and the disaster movie becomes a disaster movie twice over. The special effects are not bad, the acting ditto, a bit hammy but like I've said, there's worse out there in cellular city. The movie does however lack any real suspense, and of course you have the cheesy family reunions , rescues, tears and tantrums, plus the obligatory resentful step-daughter embracing her step-mother near the end of the film. You also get some terribly embarrassing speeches from the President but hey why on earth not? You've got everything else in this kitchen sink of a film, why not some heart-felt speeches to give it a little patriotic zip? All in all though, its not a bad little film to wile away a really boring evening, I've seen worse and at least with this film, I won't loose my way in the plot, so I can nip out and make a cup of tea and still know where I am when I get back!