On Fire movie review

MOVIE TITLE: On Fire

This dramatic movie is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 20 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The film was inspired by true events and is certainly timely, as so many devastating fires have destroyed homes and cities around the globe.

On Fire was written, directed, and produced by Nick Lyon. Peter Facinelli stars in it and also directed and produced the film.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast does a good job and includes Peter Facinelli, Fiona Dourif, Asher Angel, Lance Henriksen, and Glenn Morshower.
Cinematographer Philip Roy does a great job capturing the beauty and danger of fire.
It’s too bad it takes an emergency before people think ahead to get prepared. You should always keep an emergency backpack in each of your cars and one at home for each member of your family. Inside the backpack should be food, water, medicine, diapers, a change of clothes, a list of phone numbers of your loved ones, flashlights with extra batteries, and other crucial items. If you Google “72-hour kit” or “emergency preparedness kit”, you’ll see tons of websites that offer helpful lists. I’ve done this for years and can tell you it definitely has given me peace of mind, knowing I had what my family needed in case of a sudden evacuation. Only time I needed to use it. I was driving with my baby about 40 minutes from my house in Georgia when a tornado warning suddenly hit. I was stranded and so grateful I had food and diapers in my backpack so I could take care of my baby until we were able to get home safely. Trees were downed and we escaped into a stranger’s basement for a couple of hours while the storm blew over.
In the film, we see the featured family make both good and bad decisions. If you see this movie with your family, talk about those things and make a plan for what you would do in an emergency.
The movie absolutely demonstrates how quickly a fire can spread and even change directions.
At the end of the film, we see words on the screen that tell us how millions of acres around the world are destroyed in wildfires, affecting the lives of humans, animals, and plant life. We also see words of gratitude for all of the firefighters who risk their lives trying to save others.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some of the CGI doesn’t look very real.
Other than just caring for the well-being of other human beings, we don’t learn much about the family to truly become endeared to them and care.
The movie is pretty simple and straightforward.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Young children will be frightened by the fire and dangerous situations.
People die.
Some profanity and 1 F-bomb

THEMES:

Climate change
Emergency Preparedness
Courage
Family
Thinking fast and clearly

FUNNY LINES:

None. The movie is very serious.

INTERESTING LINES:

“You don’t want to die.” – Clay Laughlin (Asher Angel) “Says who?” – Grandpa George Laughlin (Lance Henriksen)
“What do we do for now? We wait? – Dave Laughlin (Peter Facinelli) “We pray.” – Sarah Laughlin (Fiona Dourif)