Polar Storm

Polar Storm
Genre	Disaster Science fiction
Written by	Paul Ziller
Story by	Jason Bourque
Directed by	Paul Ziller
Starring	Jack Coleman Holly Elissa Dignard Tyler Johnston Terry David Mulligan Roger Cross David Lewis
Music by	Michael Richard Plowman
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Paul Hertzberg Lisa M. Hansen Kirk Shaw
Producers	Breanne Hartley Kirk Shaw
Cinematography	Mahlon Todd Williams
Editor	Gordon Williams
Running time	92 minutes
Production companies	CineTel Films Insight Film Studios
Original release
Network	Sci-Fi Channel
Release	March 28, 2009 (2009-03-28)

Polar Storm (also known as Pole Reversal) is a 2009 American-Canadian made-for-television science fiction-disaster-thriller film that was written and directed by Paul Ziller and was aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on March 28, 2009. The film focuses on a reversal of the Earth's polarity, caused by the impact of a comet's fragment in Northern Alaska that sets off a cataclysmic, electromagnetic polar reversal storm.

Plot

In Lindenville, Washington, local television host and news presenter Lou Vanetti, discusses the comet Copernicus' path with Doctor James Mayfield, an astrologist and astrophysicist from the Storm Hazards Department (SHD). A piece of Copernicus splits off on a collision course for Earth. James' colleague Pam tries to warn James and his colleague Peter in North Alaska that the fragment will land not far from them, but interference from its comet cuts her off.

The comet's fragment hits Northern Alaska, generating the shock wave blast bringing severe damage to Canada, Alaska, and the Russian Far East. Peter is among the quarter-million dead, while James Mayfield is the sole survivor. He returns home to Lindenville, which is rocked by a small, unknown tremor, while his television set suddenly displays static.

Suspecting that this may be effects of the comet, he attempts to log into SHD to review the data Peter uploaded during the comet's impact, only to find his access blocked, and its data classified by the administration following a gag order. He becomes more suspicious when the sun unexpectedly sets at Eagle Peak and decides to investigate, eventually concluding that the Earth's axis tilt and its magnetic poles were altered by the comet's impact.

James' son Shane meets Zoe and Kevin at the park, where Kevin challenges Shane in drag racing to settle a dispute over who repays the damage to a telescope they broke during a fight earlier that night. As they prepare for a drag race, an earthquake swallows Kevin and his car. Shane and Zoe escape from the park and survive; they notice an aurora forming above Washington.

James violates the gag order by explaining his findings to Vanetti in an interview, which catches the attention of the public, as well as the President of the United States, and his father, General Mayfield from the US Air Force, who orders James to be brought in for questioning. James tries to warn the President and Doctor Elman of the consequences of the Earth's axis shift, but they do not believe him.

A 40 Khz electromagnetic pulse tears through Lindenville and across the world, resulting in a worldwide blackout, knocking out communications and killing anyone inside buildings, cars, and while using electronics. The President declares martial law, and orders all civilians to evacuate to emergency shelters. James instructs his family to evacuate to Little Brook where they will be far away from the electromagnetic fields that will feed its electricity and will generate more electromagnetic shockwaves. However, against James' instructions, Cynthia and Shane take shelter in a parish in Lindenville.

Heading for the parish, the surface gives way as the tremor hits, nearly sending Cynthia into the depths before she is rescued by Shane. Arriving at the Lindenville Parish, Cynthia attempts to persuade the people inside to evacuate, but they refuse. Only Michael and Zoe leave for Little Brook before the electromagnetic shockwave fries everyone inside the parish. Along their way, Michael and the others are forced out of their car by a looter. The looter is subsequently electrocuted, while Michael dies of a heart attack after his pacemaker is disabled.

Despite the vehicle being fried, Shane manages to restart it. At the same time, James and General Mayfield, along with the Russian Navy Captain Yulenkov and his submarine crew, dive and head towards the Mariana Trench, in a plan devised by James to drop two nuclear warheads into the bottom of the trench to shock the Earth back to its normal tilt. However, the Russian Navy's diesel-powered submarine, the one necessary for the operation as it can remain functional even with the EMP shockwave, might not outrun the nuclear blast on time given its slow speed, making it a suicide mission.

After dropping the warheads, James uses the underwater volcanic geyser to propel the submarine up to the surface just as the warheads detonate, saving the crew. The combined efforts between Russia and the United States ultimately are a success, saving the Earth. James Mayfield returns home in Lindenville and introduces Shane to his grandfather.

Cast

• Jack Coleman as Dr. James Mayfield, a government astrophysicist working for the Storm Hazards Research Lab.
• Holly Elissa Dignard as Cynthia Mayfield, Shane's stepmother, and science teacher.
• Tyler Johnston as Shane Mayfield, James' son.
• Terry David Mulligan as General Mayfield, James' father and Shane's grandfather.
• Roger Cross as the President of the United States
• David Lewis as Lou Vanetti, local news presenter in Lindenville
• Rob Morton as Michael, Zoe's father
• Emma Lahana as Zoe, Kevin's girlfriend
• Nicholas Carrera as Peter, James' colleague from the Storm Hazards Department, who was killed by the blast from the comet's impact in Alaska.
• Marsha Regis as Pam, Storm Hazards Research Lab scientist.
• Jay Brazeau as Dr. Elman.
• Scott Lyster as Kevin, Shane's classmate who got into an altercation, and was killed at the park during an astronomically agitated earthquake.
• Dean Redman as Sergeant
• Kurt Max Runte as Captain Yulenkov, Russian Navy
• Brent Stait as Guard Captain
• Donovan Cerminara as a U.S. Army Soldier at a roadblock, who ordered Cynthia to turn back and take shelter in the church, despite Cynthia's pleas to flee Lindenville.
• Darren Moore as Looter, who tried to steal Michael's SUV before being fried by the EMP shockwave.

Critical reception

Radio Times gave it 1 out of 5 stars, and called it an "ineffectual, made-for-TV disaster movie".

Home media release

The film was released on DVD by First Look Home Entertainment on February 9, 2010.

See also

• List of disaster films

External links

• Polar Storm at IMDb
• Polar Storm at Rotten Tomatoes