This is not a perfect movie, but I think it is better than many reviewers -- either professionals or our amateur colleagues here -- give it credit for.

Let's start with the cast. Demi Moore has had a career that has been somewhat up and down, and maybe a little more down than up. But in a few films I thought she did quite well, and this is one of them. I was not impressed at all with Michael Biehn as Moore's husband. I'm not familiar enough with him as an actor to make an overall judgement, but this was not a very convincing job. Jürgen Prochnow does alright here as three different characters, but not well enough that I want to see him in other films. I feel the same was about Peter Friedman, here in a double role. I thought Manny Jacobs did rather well in a small, but key role, but I don't see where he has remained very active as an actor. So let's summarize the cast -- it's "okay". Nothing stand out good or stand out bad.

Special effects. There are some, and none are impressive...well, the earthquake scenes are handled fairly well...but everything else is marginal. For example, snow in the desert...looked really fake. The hail storm...obviously ice from an ice machine.

The story line. I think it's a fairly decent version of the old apocalypse tale -- the end is near -- and here, only Demi Moore can stave it off. What I do think is clever is the way they tie the apocalypse in with a death sentence for a retarded man; that was pretty clever.

Should you watch it. Well, as I said, it's better than it's given credit for, but at best an average film. I can take it or leave it. I've given it a weak "7".