Pandemic
(2006 telefilm)
Picture:
C Sound: B- Extras: D Film: D
Despite
the presence of Vincent Spano and Faye Dunaway, Pandemic is a silly, awful disaster TV movie and when you consider
the big budget theatrical versions have been as lame; you can imagine how bad
this one is. Tiffani Thiessen and French
Stewart have to save the human race from a new outbreak that could land up
killing thousands and they do not know how to stop it. Of course, with the two of them doing the
work, we may all die! I actually like
Stewart, but he cannot seem to divorce himself from his more humorous persona
and the result is a really bad 170 minutes (!!!) that runs on and on and on.
Some
money was sunk into this turkey, including other name cast like Eric Roberts
and Bruce Boxleitner, the Bruce Zabel/Jackie Zabel teleplay is a mess and
Armand Mastroianni’s directing is very conventional. In the 1970s, TV movies did this kind of
thing much better in 90 minutes or less, like Michael Crichton’s 1972 telefilm Pursuit, also on DVD. Get that one instead. It was the model for 24!
The anamorphically
enhance 1.78 X 1 image was shot in some kind of digital video, maybe HD, but color,
definition and detail are awful with aliasing all over the place, a very phony
video look and a sense of sloppy production all around. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is lively and the
only saving grace of this mess, though it is competent at best. Extras include a behind the scenes featurettes,
trailer of some kind and cast interviews.
- Nicholas Sheffo
