This is my first review for IMDb even though I've been a lurker for years but felt compelled to write one for this movie because it has gotten a bad rap on this site. I've been looking for a good movie on netflix that I haven't watched and stumbled onto this one. I love Elizabeth Shue and the lead guy from Sex and the City. The opening scene was a bit weird but makes sense once the movie gets going. I love that the film was tense from the beginning and showed how because of societal norms and niceties, we tend not to confront others when they offend us. However the niceties quickly go out the window once the power goes out. I don't think this is much of a stretch because I've seen people go crazy in the grocery store when it's hurricane season. The movie forces you to confront stereotypes and prejudices. The characters judge each other on face value because of the situation they are in. Overall the acting was good and so was the movie's pacing. I even enjoyed the ending even though some said it seemed slapped on. I just wish we could have gone deeper into the lead characters' marital woes. Overall, Good Friday night flick.

A nervous film of a descent into the decay of self-preservation. The opening scene at the Mall and in the movie theater is appropriately apprehensive. From then on nobody on screen displays any helpful signs that this is going to be a comfortable, let's pull back into our safe seats and see what happens movie, because it is tense and uneasy...until the end.An abrupt about face in the latter third keeps this from succeeding at all levels. At best it is a watchable thriller that never really rises above average, and at worst it is a disappointing dive into the psychological that is so clichéd that some may call this a calamity of cinema commonness. So there is enough here to be a curious peek into a very real modern situation, but just don't expect anything really new or impressive to give insight into the next catastrophe. Because as sure as God made little green apples and the power-grid, we will be forced to face it and to endure.

What would you do if there was no kind of power, electricity in your city and you needed to do stuff, solve problems away? How people, society in general would react in such chaotic situation where nothing works? "The Trigger Effect" unique power is in touching such thoughtful matter that should be deeply thought in several possibilities. Too bad director/writer David Koepp ("Jurassic Park", "Secret Window") only dwindles in a soft "Twilight Zone" scheme pretending to be serious enough to make us fully interested. It works on a minor level of entertainment, due to the lack of brainy ideas. For the most part, it's a little depressing, somewhat ridiculous and strangely annoying.It begins in a dull presentation of characters where three main characters, a couple (Kyle MacLachlan and Elisabeth Shue) and a guy (Richard T. Jones) are introduced in all sorts of confusion while gathered in a movie theater. Only in the 1990's we can think of small misunderstandings happening with people accidentally stumbling on other people causing such disturbance and heated little arguments that seems to lead towards aggression. We in the 21st Century are somewhat more aware of people, that we never know who they might be and we avoid conflict in the best possible way unless if inevitable. One small push and those characters need to curse, start a fight over pointless matters. But, they were together when the power went down in the room, then returned and by the end of the day, it will fail again, this time for a long stressful time, no answers given.The couple's problem is finding medicine for their baby who's having some health issues. Breaking point for the father is to steal the medicine of a drugstore amidst the chaos and after fighting with the pharmacist simply because the guy "didn't like him" after (again!) small discussions. Their only assistance comes from a friend (Dermot Mulroney) who makes sure they're safe due to the violence threats, riots and robbery happening in the small town after the energy disaster. No news, no information, nothing is said about the incident and the situation gets worse by the hour. Another breaking point comes when a robber gets killed after trying to steal things from the couple's house, starting some deep ethical questions in our heads.The movie's major weakness is in having a weak character as the figure we're supposed to root for. It's not a case of bad acting since Kyle is quite good in it; the problem is that it was too annoying, and far exaggerated all the time he had to take some different action than he used to take. Doesn't convince. Also, all the trouble presented by Koepp that society would rise into pandemonium simply because they're stuck without power was far too one-sided, simplistic. He only touched the surface of the problem and that's it. And when he creates the problem it isn't all that interesting to see, in fact it's too damn unbelievable. The whole road situation and how they deal with Michael Rooker character were ridiculous, almost killed the movie. And his character should've been presented earlier in the movie and we should have the right to know his motivations for doing all what he does, menacing people. But no, he's just there to surprise us with what can be surprising since he always plays the same role of menacing tough guy.If we don't get stuck with the negative aspects of "The Trigger Effect" we can enjoy it because of the proposition given and the actors working on it. Those who hated the movie for its acting or lack of a good story are a little wrong about it. Fine, it's not the best work of many of the stars present in here but it's not that bad. Hands down as best acting to Bill Smitrovich playing MacLachlan's friendly and helpful neighbor. He's a great character actor you recognize for countless films, never knows the name but here he makes his presence quite notable, specially after the robbery incident. Best character of the movie, it's because of him the film gets more gripping and more questionable when it comes to judge people's actions amidst such strange turmoil of events.Not the best or the worst, it's right in the middle. A little mediocre but positively watchable specially on a night time. 6/10

Take away human conveniences, plunge us into our natural state and we revert to savages. That's a stunningly obvious devolution even without recent evidence borne from large-scale disasters... It's psychology at a completely amateur level; made worse by the fact that obviously no one involved in the production team for this movie had a subtle or humble bone in their body... Wolves scavenging at the beginning - could the symbolism BE any more simplistic? I think not. Give me a break and start treating me like a creature of intuition, for once.This particular treatment of an idea that's been floating around since the industrial age is insultingly patronising, and what's worse is you have certain people commenting on the film who pander to the film-makers egos in later years by labelling the product with a wholly undeserved significance... This is slop churned out on autopilot from what could have actually been an interesting setup in more competent hands.