Polar Storm
Polar Storm (also known as Pole Reversal) is a 2009 American-Canadian made-for-television science fiction-disaster-thriller film that is directed by Paul Ziller and was aired on Sci-Fi Channel on March 28, 2009. The film focuses on the Earth suffering a reversal of polarity, caused by the impact of the comet's fragment in Northern Alaska that sets off its cataclysmic, electromagnetic polar reversal storm.
| Polar Storm | |
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| Genre | |
| Written by | Paul Ziller |
| Story by | Jason Bourque |
| Directed by | Paul Ziller |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Richard Plowman |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Mahlon Todd Williams |
| Editor | Gordon Williams |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Sci-Fi Channel |
| Original release |
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Plot
The television film opens in a darkened television news studio, in which KJRX news anchor, Lou Vanetti broadcasts his final words while smoking on camera, during the final hours of Earth, that the planet's magnetic field is dropping to near-zero levels. Two people, Cynthia (Holly Elissa Dignard) and Shane (Tyler Johnston) explores through a deserted town of Lindenville, Washington during the electromagnetic storm, only for the former to be "swallowed" into the ground due to an earthquake. The film transitions back to one week earlier, when the same news anchor from before; Lou Vanetti, informs the public of worldwide flight grounding during the passing of the electromagnetic-emitting comet above the Earth's atmosphere. Doctor James Mayfield (Jack Coleman), an astrologist and astrophysicist from the Storm Hazards Department (SHD), and his colleague Peter (Nicolas Carella), was sent there in the Arctic Alaska region to track and monitor the comet's status, trajectory, and the computer readings above the atmosphere.
The comet suddenly began to fragment, causing a smaller comet; 300 m (984 ft) in diameter, travelling over 30 km/s (19 mi/s), to detour about 45 degrees, and is on a direct collision course for Earth. SHD colleague, Pam, notices this and tries to warn James and Peter, but due to the electromagnetic interference caused by the comet, they failed to hear her, until they began to make a desperate attempt to escape once they spotted the comet blasting above them.
The comet's fragment impacts Northern Alaska, generating the shock wave blast that wrought severe damage to Canada, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. James' colleague; Peter, is among the quarter-million of fatalities, with James Mayfield the sole survivor of the impact as he took cover in an avalanche bunker. He returns home in Lindenville, and was displeased by the president's speech (Roger Cross), because of his near-death experience. While at home, their television set suddenly emits static squealing-noises, followed by an unknown Earth tremor.
Recognizing the earth's tremor preceded by the EM disturbance, he tries to log in SHD to review the data Peter uploaded during the comet's impact, but his access was blocked and its data was classified by the administration, following the gag order of the whole department. Despite this, he continued his investigation as he became more suspicious when the sun unexpectedly sets at Eagle Peak.
James' son, Shane meets Zoe and Kevin at the park, who the latter challenges Shane in drag racing to settle a dispute over who's to repay the damage for a telescope that they broke during a fight earlier that night. As they prepare for a drag race, an electromagnetic interference suddenly occurs, preceded by an earthquake that swallows Kevin and his car. Shane and Zoe makes a run from the park. At the same time, James explains in an interview by Vanetti about the misalignment of the Earth's axis due to a sudden axis tilt, following the cataclysmic events in Alaska. James' findings have received huge attention, and as a result of violating the gag order and U.S. government-imposed censorship, he was being called by his father, General Mayfield (Terry David Mulligan), to report to the Gilboy Air Base, where James began explaining about the consequences of the earth's axis shift to the General, the President, and Doctor Elman.
Later, a 40 Khz electromagnetic pulse tears through Lindenville, and around the world, resulting in a worldwide power blackout and knocking out communications and killing anyone inside the buildings, inside their cars, and while using electronics. The President declares martial law throughout the United States, and orders all civilians to evacuate to emergency shelters, while James instructs his family to leave Lindenville to refuge safety in a town of Little Brook, 40 miles away. While on the road, Shane and Cynthia are forced by members of the U.S. Army to turn back and take shelter in a parish; against James' instructions.
Returning to Lindenville, as they find their road blocked on the way, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) shock wave and an earthquake forces Shane and Cynthia to bail and run on foot, and they narrowly survived the tremor after Cynthia nearly "swallowed" into the crevice, before they made their way to the Lindenville Parish. There, she tries to persuade the people inside and the General in-charge to evacuate to Little Brook, but they didn't believe her. Only Michael and Zoe are able to leave the Lindenville Parish with Cynthia and Shane before the electromagnetic shockwave fried everyone inside.
While heading for Little Brook, Michael dies of heart attack after when the EMP wave disabled his pacemaker, and after the death of a looter by electrocution by the EMP shockwave as he tried to steal Michael's SUV. Despite the vehicle being fried, Shane was able to turn the vehicle back on by using the EMP wave to ignite the spark plugs and start the engine. At the same time, James & General Mayfield, along with the Russian Navy Captain Yulenkov and his submarine crew, dives and head towards the Mariana Trench, in an attempt to bring the planet back into normal axis tilt, by dropping two nuclear warheads into a large crack in the bottom of the trench.
Despite encountering several anomalies on the journey, their combined efforts of cooperation between Russia and the United States became a success as the warheads detonate at the bottom of the trench, and Earth was saved.
Cast
- Jack Coleman as Dr. James Mayfield, a government astrologist & astrophysicist working for the Storm Hazards Research Lab.
- Holly Elissa Dignard as Cynthia Mayfield, Shane and Jame's stepmother, and science teacher.
- Tyler Johnson as Shane Mayfield, James' son.
- Terry David Mulligan as General Mayfield, James' father, who works at the Gilboy Air Base.
- Roger Cross as the President of the United States
- David Lewis as Lou Vanetti, KJRX News Anchor in Lindenville
- Rob Morton as Michael
- Emma Lahana as Zoe, Kevin's girlfriend
- Nicholas Carrera as Peter, Jame's colleague from the Storm Hazards Department, who was killed by the blast from the comet's impact in Alaska.
- Marsha Regis as Pam, working in the Storm Hazards Research Lab.
- Scott Lyster as Kevin, Shane's classmate who got into an altercation and was killed at the park during an astronomically-agitated earthquake.
- Jay Brazeau as Doctor Elman.
- Donovan Cerminara as a U.S. Army Soldier at a roadblock, who ordered Cynthia to turn back and take shelter in the church, despite Cynthia's pleas to flee Lindenville.
- Brent Stait as Guard Captain
- Kurt Max Runte as Captain Yulenkov, Russian Navy Guard Captain.
- Darren Moore as a Looter, who tried to steal Michael's SUV before being fried by the EMP shockwave.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, it has no reviews listed (as of August 2020).[1]
Home media release
The film was released on DVD by First Look Home Entertainment on February 9, 2010.[2]
See also
References
- "Polar Storm (2009)". Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- "Polar Storm". Amazon.com. Retrieved November 6, 2020.