Flood (2007)   

Review: written 2008

More damp squib than torrents of drama

While it is thrilling to see the UK film industry take on Hollywood in producing big budget (well, by UK standards) disaster movies, and to make them relevant to these eco-sensitive times, this attempt does not quite hit the mark.

It's very nearly a watchable film - the cast list is impressive - Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), Joanne Whalley, even Tom Courtenay (from Dr Zhivago - the original!!). The concept handed to the cast is a good one - global warming issues and high drama rolled up into one event when a large storm coincides with a high tide to create a surge which engulfs London... even the effects are passable enough to allow some suspension of belief. However, what sinks this ship is the awful, awful script... characters are linked by tortuous family links and lines of exposition are shoehorned in whenever possible to avoid the possibility that any acting might evoke some feeling for the characters. It's not that the acting is bad - they just have nothing to act with.

And worst of all, if this is an eco-drama, none of the reasons for the origins of this disaster are explained - we are given plenty of cartoons explaining how London is flooded, but nothing more of note.

It has some decent set pieces, and enough of a concept to get you to switch on, but at the end of the day I would label this as a wasted opportunity.