HORROR DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS

A toy snow globe causes..uhh..Snowmageddon. Yeah, a toy snow globe.

The Miller family is a fairly normal family. Dad (Dave Cubitt) is the local sheriff, Mom (Laura Harris) is a helicopter pilot and the kids (Magda Apanowicz and Dylan Madzke) are annoying kids. They live in the quaint and cozy town of Normal, Alaska..where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, right?

This Syfy classic truly kicks into high gear when one of the kids gets a strange package delivered on his doorstep. Of course, inside is a snowglobe with a replica of their own little town inside. The kid shakes the globe and gets it rocking, the town is ravaged by "disasters" like earthquakes that bring jagged ice and rocks spewing forth from the ground and avalanches.

The disasters are pretty weak though because people seem to get away from them pretty miraculously, and only a few people get wiped out by them. Of course, the only way to stop the evil snowglobe is to toss it in the fires of Mordor (and by that I mean that they literally have to throw the cursed globe into a volcano).

That's about it, folks. There isn't really a "snowmageddon" to discuss here. It's a bunch of lame stuff like tornadoes and those spiky ground things. On top of that, we don't even have any idea who sent the snow globe, how it was created or why it causes such destruction. How cool would it have been to have an evil gnome wreaking havoc? It's not a stupid thought, given that the movie is about a haunted freaking snowglobe.

As usual, don't expect anything from the effects. They are of the "my friend totally knows how to do effects" variety, and range from passable to outright laughable.

The only thing I can give a little credit to is the acting. Most of the case is actually fairly decent, given the awful, farcical mess they have to deal with. Don't get me wrong, the dialogue is awful and the characters paper thin, but they do seem to be trying.

In conclusion, this is another Syfy movie. The effects, characters and premise are all awful. Unfortunately though, this one's even more shallow than most and there is no real reference to any true "snowmageddon". So, it's actually a little worse than your average Syfy movie.

Video comes in 1.78:1 widescreen and sports a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer that is actually decent. Colors are relatively vibrant when they're showcased, although the detail isn't as sharp is it could be.

Audio shows up in a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix and is relatively average, if not a bit unimpressive. Sound effects and music are not this film's strong suit though.

As difficult to spot as a white rabbit in a snowstorm.

(That means there are no extras)

This film once again comes with a strong warning- if you don't like bargain basement flicks that are absolutely laugh out loud funny in their brutality, avoid this. I can't imagine ever paying money for it, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have a laugh enjoying it as background noise with a few friends.