Normal programming is interrupted by news flashes indicating that three different geographical areas have been struck by some kind of catastrophe. Gradually it becomes clear that Earth has been hit by three fragments of an asteroid. News coverage continues, with ever more journalists, correspondents, witnesses and experts trying to make sense of the events...
"Without warning" describes the unfolding of fictional events, as witnessed through the filter of intensive news coverage. Inspired by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 incident of July 1994, the movie takes an alarming premise - what if a similar thing happened to Earth ? - and runs with it, successfully. The sense of realism is maintained by a variety of artifices, such as a cameo by author Arthur C. Clarke, as himself.
Cleverly devised, the movie becomes more suspenseful as it goes along. It also becomes more frightening, proposing a variety of alternative takes on ever more bewildering facts. Eventually it will turn out that Humanity is not very good at taking split-second decisions while surrounded by cacophonous confusion...
So "Without warning" is still capable of scaring the viewer's socks off, even anno Domini 2023. However, I can't say that I fully agreed with the moral conclusion implied in the ending. Why blame people for misunderstanding a message, if that message was profoundly unclear to them ? I leave it to you, dear reader, to form your own opinion.
"Without warning" describes the unfolding of fictional events, as witnessed through the filter of intensive news coverage. Inspired by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 incident of July 1994, the movie takes an alarming premise - what if a similar thing happened to Earth ? - and runs with it, successfully. The sense of realism is maintained by a variety of artifices, such as a cameo by author Arthur C. Clarke, as himself.
Cleverly devised, the movie becomes more suspenseful as it goes along. It also becomes more frightening, proposing a variety of alternative takes on ever more bewildering facts. Eventually it will turn out that Humanity is not very good at taking split-second decisions while surrounded by cacophonous confusion...
So "Without warning" is still capable of scaring the viewer's socks off, even anno Domini 2023. However, I can't say that I fully agreed with the moral conclusion implied in the ending. Why blame people for misunderstanding a message, if that message was profoundly unclear to them ? I leave it to you, dear reader, to form your own opinion.