Are they just random asteroids? Or are they something more? It's a 1990s twist on War of the Worlds, this time, reported through the lens of the TV camera. As the story unfolds, we come to realize these asteroids are more than just hunks of rock.
20 years later, it's surprising how well Without Warning holds up. The acting, and enacting, are convincing enough to lock you into the story, and the presentation is done so much like real network newscasting that you occasionally have to pinch yourself and remind yourself this isn't actual event coverage.
The story itself has plenty of plot twists and unexpected developments that keep things interesting. It was definitely entertaining, exciting, and pretty convincing as a docudrama, and I can see how somebody tuning in midway through could have been fooled by it for awhile. The movie's a good diversion for anybody who enjoys speculative fiction.
There, I'll stop, and allow those who haven't seen it yet to look away. Spoilers and a bit of nitpicking ahead:
The story unfolds interestingly, but there are places in this movie where I'm unclear where they're going... and I'm not so sure they are either. There are many clear references to Biblical prophesy, including speaking in tongues, Armageddon, and, clearly (in the scene where the entire inhabitants of "Faith, Wyoming" disappear off the face of the earth), "the rapture". But in this case, it's not God, but unseen aliens, who are performing the miracles. What are they suggesting? That God is going to fulfill Biblical prophesy by sending aliens to earth...in the form of asteroids?
Another puzzling assertion, first suggested by a scientist who broke away from NASA to speak the truth of the situation to reporters, and reinforced by Sander V in the final words of the movie, is that the aliens were ticked with the earthlings, and we brought destruction upon ourselves. Why? Because, after the aliens said "howdy" by dropping three big asteroid fragments on us, the military stepped in and blew up the next one before it could impact the north pole. The aliens' next move was to counter-attack against our three most-powerful cities, and when that failed, to obliterate the entire planet. That's like throwing a rock through somebody's window, and when the residents board up the window, blowing up their house. Cummon! :-)
20 years later, it's surprising how well Without Warning holds up. The acting, and enacting, are convincing enough to lock you into the story, and the presentation is done so much like real network newscasting that you occasionally have to pinch yourself and remind yourself this isn't actual event coverage.
The story itself has plenty of plot twists and unexpected developments that keep things interesting. It was definitely entertaining, exciting, and pretty convincing as a docudrama, and I can see how somebody tuning in midway through could have been fooled by it for awhile. The movie's a good diversion for anybody who enjoys speculative fiction.
There, I'll stop, and allow those who haven't seen it yet to look away. Spoilers and a bit of nitpicking ahead:
The story unfolds interestingly, but there are places in this movie where I'm unclear where they're going... and I'm not so sure they are either. There are many clear references to Biblical prophesy, including speaking in tongues, Armageddon, and, clearly (in the scene where the entire inhabitants of "Faith, Wyoming" disappear off the face of the earth), "the rapture". But in this case, it's not God, but unseen aliens, who are performing the miracles. What are they suggesting? That God is going to fulfill Biblical prophesy by sending aliens to earth...in the form of asteroids?
Another puzzling assertion, first suggested by a scientist who broke away from NASA to speak the truth of the situation to reporters, and reinforced by Sander V in the final words of the movie, is that the aliens were ticked with the earthlings, and we brought destruction upon ourselves. Why? Because, after the aliens said "howdy" by dropping three big asteroid fragments on us, the military stepped in and blew up the next one before it could impact the north pole. The aliens' next move was to counter-attack against our three most-powerful cities, and when that failed, to obliterate the entire planet. That's like throwing a rock through somebody's window, and when the residents board up the window, blowing up their house. Cummon! :-)