New York, the City That Never Sleeps, is trapped in a nightmare of horror and destruction when a massive earthquake rocks the unsuspecting city. Countless lives are lost, families are torn apart, and chaos runs rampant as... more » the Mayor (Charles S. Dutton) and former Fire Chief (Tom Skerritt) race to enact a city-wide emergency plan. The two men also face personal devastation and uncertainty as their own family members lie buried in the toppled infrastructure. Sharon Lawrence, Lisa Nicole Carson and Cicely Tyson also star in this incredible story of undying courage in the face of unimaginable human tragedy.« less
AFTERSHOCK - thoroughly enjoyed -- great surprise!
M. Hartmann | Milan, Michigan United States | 08/26/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I enjoyed the VHS version and was greatly surprised - and pleasantly so - when I discovered the DVD had a more complete version of the movie -- I really liked the interaction between Tom Skerritt and Charles Dutton's characters -- Action was nicely paced and the characters were great to follow in their individual story lines - a great blending of characters -- loved the ending -- really need to see it."
COMMENDABLE MOVIE
Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 02/18/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's ironic that in this 1999 film. the Twin Towers remain standing after the devastating earthquake that tumbles the powerful city to its feet. A t.v. movie originally aired on NVC, AFTERSHOCK is directed well by Mikail Solomon and has a fine cast. The script is typical vignettes of several people and how they deal with the quake, but it is well written and performed, and adds the requisite human touch to the film. The overall acting is very good: Tom Selleck as the disgruntled fire chief who is having an ongoing political battle with Mayor Charles S. Dutton; Jennifer Garner as a ballet wannabe who meets up with a Russian cabby; Sharon Lawrence is very good as a mother whose carelessness rendered her little boy an invalid; Lisa Nicole Carson as an up and coming lawyer who gets an alleged murderer off the hook only to doubt his innocence; Cicely Tyson as the feisty mayor's mother who turns a street kid into a young man; and many actors whose names I can't recall who did a fine job in the storyline.
The earthquake sequence is devastating and very convincing. The movie is one of those "feel good" movies, that works.
Not your average made for TV fare."
The Big Apple can have the big shake
R L Powell | Cardiff, United Kingdom | 01/09/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are in any doubt as to how good this film is, then ask yourself the question "why are people discussing the scientific fact behind the storyline?" The special effects are more than convincing and you really do get the feeling that you could be watching an earthquake in progress. If anyone out there questions the possibility of earthquakes in Manhattan, then maybe you should refer to the following ...I live in the United Kingdom, where earthquakes can not happen, tornados never happen and the possibility of hurricanes is "laughable" as one 1987 forecaster said. In 1987, we had a hurricane, in 1998 we had tornadoes and this year, we suffered a minor earthquake. Never say never."
Twin Towers Rock Before 9-11
James A. Van Nus | Hilton Head Island, SC United States | 02/21/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As an avid sci-fi/action genre maven who likes special effects, I was very surprised that a low budget movie did so well in cinematography. A well written and acted script,and very good special effects lends some credibility to having a powerful earthquake in a relatively low risk zone. It was eerie seeing the Trade Center again (as so many movies do), suffer damage other than terrorist driven. The main complaint about the DVD is that it is not widescreen. Being a TV movie, one would not expect widescreen, but the jewelcase description says "formatted to fit your TV", thus it leads one to believe that a widescreen exists. Still, I enjoyed the film and actually believe the special effects to be better than in "Earthquake"."
Entertaining and Realistic
Michael Butts | 05/02/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I thought this movie was well done. The movie first goes into people's lives and draws you in with good acting and likeable characters. There is a lot of action once the earthquake hits and it's very believable. I watch a lot of natural disaster movies and I rank this one with the best of them."