Terror in the Mall (1998)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Thousands of gallons of water were wasted in this preposterous movie which succeeded in leaving me as damp and dreary as the actors themselves Of course the aforementioned reference to wasted water is not true at all as most scenes were blown-up versions of miniature scale models whereby a couple of gallons probably were amply sufficient.There is a feeble attempt at creating some kind of tension at the very beginning of the movie but this soon ends when we quickly learn who the real villain is. From that moment on it's: wet, wet, wet. Not one of the actors was convincing (how could they have been with a non-existing script) and the only character I really admired was David Jason:he only got his shoes and socks wet and his early departure undoubtedly saved him from a near-death experience had he stayed on till the bitter end.

The most this movie has going for it is the cheese-factor. Cheese can be fun, of course, but this verges on intolerable.Of course a mall in a flood-plain would have a grand opening the day after the big flood. Of course a sport/adventure store would be the ONLY store setting up the night before (enter the assumed "hunky hero," until the twist). Of course a snotty singer would be rehearsing in an empty mall (enter "the bitch"). Of course there would only be one security guard in a multi-million dollar, brand new mall (enter "the bumbling idiot"). And of course a killer would just happen to escape at the same time (enter "the evil doer" turning out to be...). Never mind the crooked architect who has a big secret that will help with the big finale! It's a brilliant formula for cheese. Not all the acting is horrible, and the movie is good for a laugh. There is no suspense as it is highly predictable. Flashes to the dam, a new mall, and a prison escape? We all know where all of this will end up. Just catch it on Lifetime and don't waste any money if you REALLY want to see this.

At first before I see this movie I was really excited about it but when I saw it all my hopes were washed away by the flood *stupid dam*. Anyway, the reporter at the beginning of the movie made me laugh because she cannot act! It so obvious that she's reading something or trying to memorize something. The special effects are horrible! It is so obvious when the dam breaks that the little houses are just toys. When the mall blew up and the people jumped off the roof, the roof glass didn't even break into pieces. Thank goodness it was just a movie for television. If they released this on theatres, that's a big laugh. This is like Scary Movie that's meant to be funny. I like the twist part when they made this guy look like the killer whom you thought pretending to be the architect of the mall but really is the architect of the mall. That one got me. The acting is so great...BAD!!! but the killer guy (I'll give him credit for it, he's okay) For the rest of the cast...don't quit your day job.

The movie opens at an unbelievably false-looking cardboard model of a new mall. I could almost make out the tiny model figures next to the match-stick crane - just like they might have made on Blue Peter (you have to be a Brit to get that comment).From there it was downhill - a burst dam, an escaped convict, a new mall, an overexcited singer, and the local sheriff's wife (who for some unknown reason was in the mall the day before it opened. Good job she turned out to be a doctor too though...), a large toxic methane leak from underneath the mall which somehow managed to be strongest right by the generator... good job that everyone had managed to escape by the time it all blew up, eh?Towards the end of the film, it stopped raining. I assume this was a coincidence as it didn't have any relevance to the plot. Just happened to not be raining the day they filmed that scene.Even given the amusement factor of the poor acting, diabolical effects and pathetic script - I still can't give it higher than 1/10.