Terror in the Mall

The most this movie has going for it is the cheese-factor. Cheese can be fun, of course, but this verges on intolerable.

Of course a mall in a flood-plain would have a grand opening the day after the big flood. Of course a sport/adventure store would be the ONLY store setting up the night before (enter the assumed "hunky hero," until the twist). Of course a snotty singer would be rehearsing in an empty mall (enter "the bitch"). Of course there would only be one security guard in a multi-million dollar, brand new mall (enter "the bumbling idiot"). And of course a killer would just happen to escape at the same time (enter "the evil doer" turning out to be...). Never mind the crooked architect who has a big secret that will help with the big finale!

It's a brilliant formula for cheese. Not all the acting is horrible, and the movie is good for a laugh. There is no suspense as it is highly predictable. Flashes to the dam, a new mall, and a prison escape? We all know where all of this will end up. Just catch it on Lifetime and don't waste any money if you REALLY want to see this.

The movie opens at an unbelievably false-looking cardboard model of a new mall. I could almost make out the tiny model figures next to the match-stick crane - just like they might have made on Blue Peter (you have to be a Brit to get that comment).

From there it was downhill - a burst dam, an escaped convict, a new mall, an overexcited singer, and the local sheriff's wife (who for some unknown reason was in the mall the day before it opened. Good job she turned out to be a doctor too though...), a large toxic methane leak from underneath the mall which somehow managed to be strongest right by the generator... good job that everyone had managed to escape by the time it all blew up, eh?

Towards the end of the film, it stopped raining. I assume this was a coincidence as it didn't have any relevance to the plot. Just happened to not be raining the day they filmed that scene.

Even given the amusement factor of the poor acting, diabolical effects and pathetic script - I still can't give it higher than 1/10.

Rob Estes manages to rise above this ridiculous made for TV disaster movie. He is great as a psychopath, though he's even better in the TV movie "Close to Danger". The concept of this movie is pretty good and interesting. However, the delivery is just pathetic. There were a lot of goofs in the movie. Except for Rob Estes, the acting is not impressive at all. Especially from Shannon Sturges. I was laughing when she delivered some of her lines. The other actors basically do their job but they all could have done better. The special effects were pretty bad. The ending is predictable and the direction is formulaic. Still, Rob Estes is such a great actor. He manages to save this sinking ship and make it worth watching.

Typical "made for Tv" movie and it shows. Plastic scenes, plastic acting and poor plot. One question - Would you build a large shopping mall right next to a big dam????

At first before I see this movie I was really excited about it but when I saw it all my hopes were washed away by the flood *stupid dam*. Anyway, the reporter at the beginning of the movie made me laugh because she cannot act! It so obvious that she's reading something or trying to memorize something. The special effects are horrible! It is so obvious when the dam breaks that the little houses are just toys. When the mall blew up and the people jumped off the roof, the roof glass didn't even break into pieces. Thank goodness it was just a movie for television. If they released this on theatres, that's a big laugh. This is like Scary Movie that's meant to be funny. I like the twist part when they made this guy look like the killer whom you thought pretending to be the architect of the mall but really is the architect of the mall. That one got me. The acting is so great...BAD!!! but the killer guy (I'll give him credit for it, he's okay) For the rest of the cast...don't quit your day job.