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.

"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!

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.

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.