Shockwaves (2022) User Reviews

One rating is still to many!

[octoberwitch · 1/10 · 7 September 2022]

Awful.

Don't even bother watching. The acting was horrible and like the "actors" couldn't even be bothered to half ass attempt to care about this movie.

The special effects were done badly and the earthquake was equal to people just shaking in their place.

Even if those two aspects were bad but the story line was good you maybe could excuse it, but the story was awful and boring. This wasn't even a movie you know will be bad but you watch it to laugh at.

Even if the budget for this movie was $100 dollars they spent $99 to many for what they got!

Save yourself the trouble and stare at a blank wall for more entertainment.

All the thrill and charisma of warm, curdled milk

[philos34002 · 2/10 · 13 September 2022]

Were the actors asleep during the entire filming? F/X were apparently done by someone's 3 year old on an ancient PC running Windows 3. There was a splash of blood at one point that I was sure was someone's ketchup packet accidentally spilled on the film and they just left it in because it was the only semi-realistic effect throughout the entire atrocity. Editing and continuity were afterthoughts, if even present at all. If you insist on watching this drivel, do it for the scenery. That was the only part they couldn't screw up. Do yourself a favor, don't watch this. Look, I'm sorry for the harsh words, and you can blame it on being American, and a steady diet of over-the-top summer blasters, but this seriously needed a major input of caffeine for everyone involved.

Do not waste your time

[rocknrobin-94922 · 1/10 · 6 September 2022]

Horrible acting. Do not waste your time.

I have watched a lot of bad movies but this is actually the worst yet. The acting was not good at all. This cast was so bad that I didn't even bother trying to.find.other movies.or tv shows they have been in.

The fake rocks in some scenes looked like bowling balls.

In events like an earthquake the re should have been more emotion...there was absolutely none.

I have seen elementary and high school plays that had better actibg.

It was just a horrible badly done movie...In my opinion.

I am only writing more because you are required to have six hundred characters in a review.

You NEED to read this...even with SPOILERS!!

[DeeLoLats · 1/10 · 11 January 2023]

How very à propos to see that rating and still....it's much too high for this movie.

This is going to have spoilers...there is no other way to save you from watching this.

Firstly, the scientist who predicts the earthquake has one remark to say when he makes his discovery. "Oh no!", then he shuffles a bunch of papers, tells his colleagues he's going to get his family because the biggest earthquake in recorded history is going to hit today. Very calm, no doubts from anyone about his prediction and off he goes.

Then there is his rush to get to his family who happen to be at the predicted epicenter. He drives casually and eventually puts in a call to 911 to report the impending earthquake. The operator doesn't make any sense and hangs up on him but then again, the scientist never identified himself so how could he be taken seriously? There also was no panic or sense of urgency in his voice...he was monotone, quiet, slow to respond...almost like he was just mumbling in his sleep.

His benefactor tells him he can bring his family to her bunker, that she's been working on for years for such "end of world" eventuality.

The trip to his family is filled with scenes of what looks like uniform sized bowling balls rolling down hills. When cracks form on the road, he uses his toes to test if the ground is firm enough to keep going. He gets carjacked in the middle of the country side by two masked thieves....not a soul in sight but these guys figured they'd find someone to carjack out there. I couldn't help laughing.

The bunker ended up being an old factory or warehouse, in dilapidated condition. It has long tunnels and hallways that had equipment stacked neatly to the sides. Everything remains intact after the shaking of the tables, which was the only earthquake scene you will see if you have 90 minutes of your time to waste. The room they end up in is not at all a bunker, but some room with boarded up windows.

They get out again perhaps 10 minutes after they walked in. They act like OMG! If it looks this bad in the hallways and tunnels, we can't imagine how bad it must be outside, yet, everything is still as it was...neatly stacked to the sides of the hallways. There is no clutter on the floors and when they do step out, the parking lot is untouched, the cars all in pristine condition, as if nothing ever happened.

The end.

Exciting movie huh? Please....don't waste your time. I just did that for you. :)

Worst movie on record!

[wendyschraml-01015 · 18 June 2023]

Honestly, this is by far the absolute worst movie u have seen in my life!!! I can't believe a film company actually out their name in it. Its laughable.

I know 4th graders who do better in creative writing than whoever wrote this script! I mean, oh there is going to be "an earthquake today, in the next 5 or 6 hrs. It's going to be the biggest earthquake in history" this was so pathetically unreal. I think science would love if they could be so precise!

If these people are bonefde actors then they need to go back to acting school. Slow, monotone, lacking any energy or enthusiasm, completely unbelievable! Dr. Watson has the energy of a corpse!

Then of course there is the special effects .... nothing special about them. I mean my God, the special effects in the 70s King King and Godzilla outshine this movie!

Did they even try?

[80sflixchick · 1/10 · 7 August 2023]

I love a good B rated movie, but this one was rock bottom. The acting was limp and there was nothing that built up that family storyline. And the voice sound was barely there while the music and sound effects blasted your speakers. Oh let's not forget about the pending eaekthwuake. The ground shaking special effects was literally actors standing and holding onto a table. Even the scenes didn't always matchup with the timeline od the earthquakes. SMH seriously this was a waste of time. Jsut who gives a car over to a stranger waiting for seat to come that appears they are just in their 50s but I guess we're supposed to be in their 80s? Then run her down later?! That's the most pathetic part in my opinion. And coming from me who loves a low budget movie...this movie is just really bad. I forgot what the storyline was supposed to be! I'd say have a good laugh when a ransom boulder comes out of no where and flattens a random stranger. Lol but laughing even about that is nearly impossible as the movie just was flat.

Disaster of a Disaster Movie

[stuart-wise · 1/10 · 19 March 2023]

When it comes to disaster movies, I have a low standard. If it is entertaining, I can forgive bad acting, bad effects and bad story. But as far as Shockwaves, all is not forgiven. In fact, none of it is forgiven. Considering how many movies have been made involving earthquakes, the writers and producers apparently have no clue what's out there, otherwise they would not have up with this disaster of a disaster film. OK, there is no real exposition regarding the quake itself, which apparently its main character believes will be the worst in recorded history. The plot involves trying to save his three unlikeable daughters and wife who is serving him with divorce papers. It doesn't take long for the warning tremors to begin with landslides with perfectly round rocks that look like bowling balls. Along with the way there a few creepy characters like the woman who sacrifices her life by giving him her car, his office mates and a crazy nun shouting doom. There is no real suspense as he manages to find his daughters safely and the easily resolution to save his wife trapped during her caving outing. The woman who is his benefactor is bland and she apparently has been preparing for a worldwide disaster but the bunker doesn't look like it is outfitted with anything. Now I am no seismologist but it seems after an earthquake there are always aftershocks but this guy was certain would be none. How can he be sure. The movie saves on special effect by some apparent TV video of destruction. But lo an behold once they exit the bunker it appears surrounding area was no at all affected. People on YouTube seemed to like this but I cannot fathom why.

Why Just Why

[greenlanterngreen · 1/10 · 1 March 2023]

The fact that this movie found distribution and was picked by Amazon's Freezee is astonishing. Somebody knows someone at the top. The scenery photography was amazing and beautiful. Whoever did that camera work did well. The acting well I'm trying to think of something nice to say. Acting classes are vital for anyone wanting to be an actor. There were moments of good acting and there were moments I'd rather not have to watch again. Did I mention the amazing scenery. Id like to smack whoever did the sound editing. Thank god I can read lips because at times the music was so loud that I couldn't hear the actors. And the sound would go in and out. Very strange. The scenery was amazing though. CGI was horrific. There were glimpses of good effects but most were not good, in fact probably one of the worst movies when it comes to bad CGI. The scenery was amazing though. I think this movie would make an excellent drinking game. Any time there were bad CGI, bad acting, terrible sound quality, then you drink. Take small sips though or you won't make it more than 15.minutes. Whoever agreed to distribute this movie didn't actually watch this movie. Amazon definitely didn't preview this movie or they bought a library and this little nugget snuck in. I definitely encourage everyone involved to continue learning and growing. You have potential. This was a good practice movie but should never have been shown to the public. This is a movie all those involved watch so they can learn from their mistakes. Some characters could have been left out..The nun and Sloth from The Goonies squished by the rock didn't add to the story. A movie should also have a plot. I think there might have been one but it got lost behind all the bad CGI and sound issues.

Amazing, jaw-droppingly bad

[quiltsbypam · 1/10 · 16 April 2024]

I love B movies, more than the yearly "blockbusters" which tend to be reheated leftovers. But B movies? That's my jam. However, this? This was even too bad for me. I don't like to rag on actors, since they're doing what the director wants. But these folks were just amazingly bad. Therefore the director must have been, too. The script and delivery were horrid and, as others have mentioned, the "special" effects were something a bright first-grader could conjure. I don't want to add spoilers for the brave souls who will still want to watch this dog's dinner, but do yourself a favor - paint a wall and watch it dry. Much more scintillating.

Wish could leave 0 stars

[brendablank-99049 · 1/10 · 26 September 2022]

Worst movie ever, instead of boulders rolling over the house it was black marbles lol, for the tremors the people shaking were ridiculous. Seriously the worst movie I've ever seen and I watch a lot of b movies, this one would be more life a z, lol total waste of an hour or so of my life I'll never get back lol. Don't bother to watch this lowest budget, horrendous acting movie. Plot was the worst lol the husband was a horrible person hit the lady who helps him then leaves her to die, wtf, blow up the boulders at the mine but strangely there were none at all left, guess they disintegrated completely 😆 🤣 😂

Do not watch

[sharonmillsy · 1/10 · 6 May 2024]

Very little in the way off a story line, effects look like they were done by a 3 Yr old, actors not even bothered to act, also some sort off weird delay when they speak like they are following an auto cue, cars with blurred out number plates, floating rocks, blood that appears and disappears, most off the film has very little talking, or is just the same things repeated several times.

It's basically just people running about silent. No sicence involved. The daughters look older than the mother, honeslty a baby could do better. Only thing going for the film is the scenery. Parts off the sound are completely missing.

if this is a high school project then 5 stars

[mdcollinsbarracuda · 6/10 · 21 November 2022]

Oh my goodness, this film is so amateur that you wouldn't even expect to find it on YouTube. There was no editing on the low vocalization in many shots, the dad acted like he was sleeping, and the special effects were reused a number of times, if you can call them that. And one seen the girls get squashed by a huge tree and then the next scene they're running like nothing happened. One girl gets killed by a rock slide and then the next scene they're all asking each other are you OK and everyone says yes, and this is after they're nearly feet from the cave opening but she used to shelter under part of the cave instead of just running out. There was zero acting and zero editing on his thing, and to simulate the earthquake everybody just pretended that they were losing their balance lol. So just for the fun of it I decided to give it five stars in case it was a high school project that accidentally got put on Tubi. I did not finish watching this but managed to get halfway through it.

Plan 9 from Outer Space was better!

[tomdelorey · 1/10 · 30 June 2023]

My God! If Ed Wood were reincarnated as a gorilla with a space helmet for a head he could not make a movie as bad as this! Basically a snuff film on meth pretending to be a disaster movie. Multiple characters wander on screen just so they can get killed off in sometimes repetitive ways, while the main characters look for dumb things they can do before doing even dumber things. The sound quality is, literally, an oxymoron. The cinematography is good, where it isn't spoiled by the presence of the cast. Might have made a good 15 minute travelogue of wherever the hell this was filmed (the Scottish Highlands? The Transylvanian Alps? Mordor?) and I might have saved an hour of my life that I will never get back!

A disastrous disaster movie!

[retroregan · 1/10 · 17 April 2024]

Well it has to be said, I've seen better acting at the local primary school. And as for special effects, someone emptying a bag of Maltesers for every rock fall was just astounding. I'm guessing the budget for this film was spent on the youth hostel where cast and crew stayed for the weekend during filming. The scenery was the best thing about this film, when it wasn't being covered in Maltesers. The giant Malteser squashing the guy on the hill was reminiscent of Monty Python. And how the heck did the phones work in such remote areas? I lose signal at the bottom of the garden. The woman who so readily gave up her car as she had had a good life (all 40 years of it) only to still be standing in the same spot hours later. And to be mown down by a car travelling at 20mph, driven by the lead characters wife. She screamed a good few seconds before the car was seen and made no attempt to move when it was. I think she'd given up the will to live after seeing how dire this film was. And after knocking her down they discuss wether or not to get out and help her. NO WE ONLY HAVE 50 MINUTES BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE! So at this point you'd hightail it out of there with wheels screaming right? Not this bunch. They let the mum drive and she's thinking she's on the school run. In fact my granny drives faster after church on Sunday. They finally reach the bunker and the woman who's bunker it is can't praise the husband enough. To which his wife replies "I will". Made no sense at all, maybe she was rehearsing for another role. The bunker that was to be the safe place looked like a derelict factory. It was totally empty apart from a table and a huge TV screen on the wall. When the earthquake struck, all of 20 seconds the actors stood shuffling their feet and thrusting their hips was just comical. And when it was over two of the actors first reactions were to adjust their hair. When at the end, the bunker explodes, I'm guessing that was someone blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. The tiny flame licking around the doorframe gave it away. There was no sense of urgency at any time throughout the film. Not one character showed any emotion. Even when told of a death by boulder. And the two carjackers wearing ski masks, leaving a doll in the middle of the road. Where did they get the doll from? Where did they get the masks from? And why were they wearing them in the middle of nowhere? And why did he lock his car when he got out to see what was in the road? This film left more questions than answers. Mostly why did I waste my day off watching this when I could have watched my socks dry on the radiator.

Lazy

[profpwainwright · 2/10 · 11 April 2024]

I gave this 2 stars because of its potential.

There is a big problem though. That problem is laziness. There is a phrase where something is greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, the failure is greater than the sum of the smaller fails. But the whole film is riddled with laziness. That I find hard to accept.

The story has the potential to be riveting, it could be a slow burn kind of riveting, but it could have been great. However there were corners cut for no apparent reason. This has nothing to do with budget.

When the woman gives up her car to save the family, there could have been a moment of human understanding, there could have been pathos, there could have been emotion... and it would have only require the existing lines to have been more thought out, and the emotions explored in only a few lines more.

When the casting was carried out, it would have not taken much work to ensure that the daughters actually looked younger than their mother.

The director could have worked with the cast to explore the emotions their characters were feeling.

The effects were obviously done on a budget, but that has not stopped other films becoming a cult classic. But that was because of the work put into the other areas of the respective films. In this example that extra work was not done.

The big shame is that this film could have been so much better, but failed to meet that potential because of laziness. This is the visual equivalent of the student who has a full term to complete their thesis, but has spent all their time and student loan on parties and social events, then tries to scrape a pass with several litres of coffee and a couple of late nights.

Then there are the stupid errors. The cave leader who did not take notice of the environmental issues. This is the kind of mistake that an amateur caving team makes before hitting the news as 'cavers killed in flooded cave' or, if they are lucky, 'cavers rescued from flooded cave'. (as someone who used to enjoy caving, when I was a lot slimmer, this seems to be an accurate analogy). Or when Peter reaches for the central console to hang up a call in his Merc.... I drive that model of Merc, and know that the phone controls are on the steering wheel!!! Why the stupid mistakes?

As mentioned earlier, the failure of this film is greater than the sum of the individual failures throughout. Therefore the only word that describes this is lazy. The biggest issue I have is that despite the poor casting and despite the limited budget, it could have been a brilliant film. That is the biggest fault.

To think they even made a sequel!

[jscadden · 1/10 · 28 April 2024]

From the outset, the acting was poor and didn't get any better as the film progressed. For a landscape that was supposed to be subjected earth tremors, it was remarkably peaceful. The storyline where he gets carjacked was a waste of time as a few frames later, a woman sacrifices her chance of saving herself, which he then abandons a couple of hundred yards later! There's worse road round my way due to Council neglect and we're expected to drive on them.

The "soecial effects were amateur to say the least. Taking shelter from a rockfall, all the rocks magically went past with no debris left behind. Rocks were neatly stacked in the cave mouth which miraculously disappeared when he blew them up with dynamite!

Bad acting, bad script, bad cinematography! I've seen worse but try not to! Why they made a sequel, nobody knows!