User Reviews

The overall concept of the movie is simple - a mining company wanting to profit from military contracts after discovering a vein of a special isotope of Lithium (known for its violent reaction with water) causes the vein to be exposed to the atmosphere. This leads to a nonsensical plot of "smart" lithium that chases water (as that is what lithium reacts to) that can come out of the ground, through pipes, etc.

The insanity continues as these "smart lithium" things begin chasing and burning people to death nearly instantly. First, the concept that a mineral can actively seek out something else - while calling for a leap of faith - is novel. You get a point for creativity. The problem with the concept is that in chasing "water" to react with, the "smart lithium flames" (which resemble a fireball attached to an octopus leg, with an inferno for a body) chase people through foliage (wet plant matter) and even across an open lake. If you have something that "seeks water" actively - why doesn't it ground itself into the lake? Why does it chase the boat (and skier) and blow them up - only to dissipate and vanish immediately after? Why not go after the wake, spray from the boat, or the lake itself? While a reasonable expectation to suspend belief is reasonable, anyone past 3rd grade science can see how ridiculous it is to have "water seeking" flames ignore bodies of water in order to chase the emotionally charged humans.

The scenes underground get incredibly repetitive - and while there isn't much you can do with a rock, it seems like the same 50ft of cave is used over and over throughout the movie. The emotional sub-plots are muted by the ridiculous effects and low-quality acting (mostly from non-lead parts - the worst line in the movie being near the end, "Sir, the fire's going out. The dam's holding" It was so bad, I felt compelled to register on this site simply to comment on it. Everything about that line is terrible - from the obvious green-screen background, camera angle, and the head-bob at the end of the line.)

While it can pass the time, there are a million better things to be doing with your life - and millions of better movies that you could be watching. The lead actors do a decent job, the action keeps things going, but the movie is ruined by some lousy acting and special effects that literally look like unfinished computer animations (particularly the smoke from the explosions under water). The worst part of the movie is the inconsistency with the action of the lithium - not heading towards bodies of water, but chasing people instead.

Okay, I will admit that the SciFi Channel (I refuse to call it SyFy) has become a veritable cheese factory of bad movies. I will further agree that "Fire From Below" is a classic specimen of scifi cheese, what with its bad CGI effects and logistical plot holes. But it's all in good fun and I found it a pleasant way to waste a couple of hours on a Sunday night.

What really saves the movie is its two stars: Kevin Sorbo and Glenn Morshower. I'm a fan of Mr. Morshower's from years of watching "24" and here he plays his usual authoritative military character in his usual way. He's fun to watch as always. Kevin Sorbo is not looking as Herculean as he used to, but he comes across well on screen as a nice-guy character thrown into a disaster situation. The scene in which he and his girlfriend discover that the town has been totally wiped out is atmospheric and pretty effective. Also, the military personnel are portrayed as brave and competent instead of as fascist clods - a welcome change. Basically this is an update of a 1950's disaster flick. Think "Them!" with lithium instead of ants. If you're in the mood for a slice of scifi cheese, you could do worse than this movie.

"Fire From Below" gives new meaning to the term 'potboiler.' This predictable 84-minute disaster feature about a mining company that exposes a vein of pure base Lithium qualifies as a below-average made-for-television feature. In this case, it was produced for the SyFy Channel. Co-directors Andrew Stevens and Jim Wynorski have concocted nothing but pure claptrap. Apparently the Lithium loves to breathe and seek out water so it takes the form of a flaming finger of swirling fire that chases people over water or in the mine cavern and burns them up. We're talking flaming cheese. No, nobody gets burned on screen so that they turn into screaming French fries. One scene shows the fire trailing after a recreational speedboat on Lost Lake hauling a woman on skis. Indeed, the fire torches her and then the boat and its occupants. As it turns out, our hero and heroine, seismologist Jake Denning (Kevin Sorbo of TV's "Hercules") and his fiancée Dr. Karen Watkins (Maeghan Albach of "Rockabilly Baby"), are vacationing in rural Lost Lake when they discover a corpse floating in a lake. Karen leans on a wooden railing that collapses. She falls into the water and a dead man rises to the surface. Meantime, the Lithium has killed everybody in the mine and is slowly killing everybody in Lost Lake, most prominently Sheriff Griffith (James Hampton of "The Longest Yard") and garage owner Bubba (Burton Gilliam of TV's "Evening Shade"). Naturally, the military shows up and a crisis meeting is organized at the Pentagon where our hero shows how combustible a Lithium battery is when torched in the water. The Army evacuates citizens in the surrounding area while our heroes plunge into the fire to confront the out-of-control science project. Suspense is virtually lacking and the fires are all generated by computer graphics. Nothing in "Fire From Below" is remotely believable. Again, this is a paycheck movie for the actors and actresses involved and nobody gives what could be called a genuine performance. They utter throwaway lines from a shallow script based on William Langlois' story and written by the two directors. I hate to start watching a movie and stop it at the half-way point, but I should have made an exception with "Fire From Below." Nobody gets naked. Nobody is turned into a flaming pizza. Nothing!

The Drake Mining Company is set to make a fortune with discovery of isotope L6 while deep cavern mining. The problem with L6 is that it is explosive with water and seeks out wet items such as people, even people on top of a lake of water...just saying. Only Keven Sorbo, now a seismologist, can save Nevada...or wherever.

This is a formula disaster film, one of the lesser quality and lesser known films of prolific writer Jim Wynorski. It barely keeps you engaged.

First off, this is not a good movie. Period. It is not a good movie at all. A lot of the acting is sub-par, and some, if not most of the logic is pretty flawed (I'm no scientist, so don't quote me on that...) though the idea of almost-intelligent flames is somewhat neat, and seeing Jamal's fate was actually fairly funny to tell the truth. The very best part of the movie is Mr. Sorbo, (Literally my reaction upon recognizing who it was was to shout "IT'S HERCULES!") and honestly his acting was quite good, but even that isn't enough to bring this movie up beyond a 4. But, still, I have to say that it's not a ~terrible~ movie, but it most definitely is quite bad.

Wow, haven't seen that kind of trash awhile. For the usual TV-consumers it might be better than TV-spots, but it is so simply build that I can't resist to see it to its own end. Intelligent Lithium - why not? In the world of movies it happens so often that ridiculous incidents happen all the time but that is = huuuh. Just stupid. A Bathroom in the middle of nowhere. In a City some wears soldiers gas masks and the actors who are next to the dangers wear none? A plot that it might come from a drunken geologist dream. But my best laugh was two minutes before end: The dam officer reports now flame bursts and is answered by....haha "a good job". He done NOTHING!!! It is thats the way Americans are motivated...? Just silly at all. Mr. Sorbo - Next time please read see script first. Then put your money in it. Even me could do this better. Really.

A vein of highly unstable and volatile pure Lithium gets unearthed by a team of miners and wreaks all kinds of destructive havoc on the small town of Lost Lake. It's up to nice guy seismologist Jake Denning (a likeable performance by Kevin Sorbo) to save the day.

Directors Jim Wynorski and Andrew Stevens keep the enjoyable story moving along at a snappy pace, generate a good deal of tension, maintain a generally serious tone with a few amusing touches of humor (one poor guy gets blown up while taking a leak!), and stage the exciting action set pieces with considerable panache. The sincere acting by the sturdy cast helps a lot: Maeghen Albach as the perky Dr. Karen Watkins, GiGi Erneta as the spunky Toni Nelson, Matthew Tompkins as greedy and unscrupulous industrialist Taylor Drake, Alex Meneses as Drake's fed-up partner Reign Palmer, Glenn Morshower as the no-nonsense General Cook, and Alex Cord as the rugged General Mark "Stonewall" Jackson. Popping up in nifty bits are James Hampton as folksy sheriff Griffith, Burton Gilliam as sleazy gas station attendant Bubba, and Stevens as newscaster Todd Moiyer. The robust score by David and Eric Wurst hits the rousing spot. Ken Blakey's slick cinematography provides an impressive polished look. The CGI effects are acceptable. An entertaining flick.

As an Environmentalist, I appreciate the story,the lesson and the warning about man's continued meddling with Mother Nature, when we'd be better off leaving things alone.

Neat concept, good special effects, and let's just hope something like this is never possible.

I wnated to like this movie. It has a really good premise, and Kevin Sorbo. The topic is really relevant today, as lithium is the prime ingredient needed for modern electric vehicle batteries. And there were some really tense and even a few frightening moments in the film. Plus Kevin Sorbo, who almost alone is a believable character who seems to have more than one dimension.

Alas, sometimes the whole is NOT the sum of its parts. The burning lithium is the worst actor of the whole movie, with flames spreading impossibly long distances and seeking out people to fry. It does so in a way that seems more comic than frightening and the one boat chase scene goes on interminably. I finally started to yell at the flame to just eat the poor people. (IT did) Characterizations are generally vapid and one dimensional and follow a lot of comfortable stereotypes and are thus not very believable or involving.

The burning lithium puffs out flames from a lake and unbelievably a soldier radios the general that a dam is going to give way because its too damn hot. Come on dude, water BOILS at 212 degrees and there is NO boiling or even steam. Are we expected to believe the concrete and steel gateways are going to melt as he said? And it goes on.... What should have been, and could have been a good movie is undermined by aspects that really should have been thought about for more than one beer.

They can't all be Citizen Kane, but with a little more effort this could have been a really decent movie. Missed it by "That" much as Maxwell Smart used to say.