User reviews

As a former Firefighter/EMT I found this film to be infuriating, especially because it was based on a true story! After fighting numerous wildfires in the backcountry, a firefighter's worst nightmare is dealing with unprepared citizens and an inept Incident Commander that endangered the lives of those employees & citizens who were properly trained.

If the details presented were accurate, the family portrayed should be chastised for their ignorance while residing in the obviously heavily wooded area! Using Google to research emergency procedures should have been a priority BEFORE A FIRE 🔥! Being insured, clearing defensive space & preparing a GO BAG are priorities! Preparation is everything.

Yet another movie that I had never heard about, "On Fire" from directors Peter Facinelli and Nick Lyon immediately caught my attention when I saw that cover. I am a sucker for natural disaster movies, despite the majority of the movies being questionable. But I had never heard, much less seen, "On Fire" before, so of course I opted to give the movie a chance.

The storyline is pretty straightforward, and I will say that it is a fair enough watchable movie, though hardly anything outstanding. So writers Nick Lyon and Ron Peer didn't really deliver something out of the ordinary here. And yeah, it was essentially also a very predictable and somewhat generic storyline actually. But hey, if you enjoy natural disaster movies, "On Fire" is definitely well-worth sitting down to watch.

There are a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Peter Facinelli (whom also co-directed the movie), Fiona Dourif, Glenn Morshower and of course the iconic Lance Henriksen. So I will say that the the cast ensemble in the movie was definitely good. The acting performances in the movie were good.

Visually then "On Fire" was good. The effects were fair and looked real enough, though I have to admit that I had a hard time buying into the characters ever were in any real danger. And that sort of took away from the overall impression of the movie.

Watchable for what it was, "On Fire" is hardly a movie that warrants a second viewing, as there isn't enough contents to the storyline for that. But it definitely is a movie worth sitting down to watch if you enjoy natural disaster movies.

Ultimately, then the movie's cover/poster over-sold the movie by a landslide. The cover/poster was way more interesting than the movie turned out to be. A sad fact, actually.

My rating of directors Peter Facinelli and Nick Lyon's 2023 movie "On Fire" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The fire was done very well, and showed the real dangers of living in the woods and how fire can spread so fast. And with featuring the 911 staffing, showed how quickly things can change when fire spreads from strong winds. What seems couldn't happen becomes what does happen. The weakness is the script, as the actors do a good job showing their skill, their danger and the ability to think quickly. And the father Dave, risked everything for his family. Rated PG-13, it was watered down into too much of a formula driven script. But that is more the reality of what is necessary than the fault of the execution of the production. It needed to be acceptable for family viewing. It seems to be a lot of real fire, along with some CGI fire, but maintained the tension.

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.

!

Oh goodness. Why didn't somebody stop them!

The story in its essence was very good, however the delivery is idiotic. Over directed in the most silly, childish ways; melodrama past any point of sanity, and poorly written so that it loses all sense of reality. In fact, this should have been fantastic because the essence of the survival story is extraordinary, but because the writing is so lacking, and the direction is horrifically childish, over the top and silly, they lost all the power it should have had. They should have studied Ron Howard's Backdraft to understand the power of a "fire" movie and what it could have been, not whatever they looked at as their example.

This was embarrassingly bad, and for no good reason other than too much ego to go hire a real, decent Director, and Writer. Even an excellent Director could have worked with this idiotic script and made it work. It would have been an entirely different film. Sad they didn't do that.

It was good however,feel a few changes might of made this better.. It had clichés,plotholes & parts might feel contrived.

Although love Fiona in past work,she was miscast for this part.

The CGI was decent enough to draw you into the fire storyline,however some dialog & such failed occasionally.

The cinematography felt low quality,but have seen worse in productions.

Overall acting & casting was ok,was hoping Lance H would of had a more pivotal role.

This movie was poorly marketed & considering enjoy Peter F movies,plus him having major involvement such as directing that's unfortunate.

This movie is worth seeing-even once.. It brings family,faith & survival during a desperate time.

Perhaps the best thing about this film is that it will convince many people that it is really necessary to keep those 50 or even 100 meters without trees around the houses. And even then... the example given here of the ingenious care taken by the owner of that house literally going up in smoke was interesting: you're never safe from the recklessness of your neighbors.

The story of a family of 3+1 who survived a forest fire provides the pretext for a production in which we are placed inside the burning forest, in a terrifyingly realistic reconstruction of the scenario that someone in those circumstances has to face - with virtually no chance of survival. Great value is placed on unity, as each element of these three will contribute in its own way to an improbable outcome.

The production (pyrotechnics and everything else) is stupendous, the actors very convincing and the filming impeccable. But there are a few problems, namely the script, which is too formulaic and predictable, and with inconsistencies: there's the manslaughter of two old people, with no culpability and (almost) no remorse, and there's the final shock of seeing those trees, so green, on the shores of Lake Chilton...

Awful in every regard.

Acting: Atrocious.

Writing: Wow.

Do NOT waste your time with this. I don't want to write anything more about this because there's not much to say and it isn't worthy of any more of someone's time, but I'll continue typing in order to help save even one person from wasting another minute of their life thinking whether they should watch this or, God forbid, actually watching it.

I hated all of the characters and laughed at every terrible piece of dialogue and story that came along to the climax of this terrible film.

I beg you to please not waste your time with this.

There. Done.

So I decided to go see a random non-franchise movie and this looked interesting. I was the only one in the theater which is sad but great for me bc I legit OPENLY SOBBED at how moving it was. It's a simple premise that personalizes a family conquering insurmountable odds. Script and acting had some great dialogue between action to make you truly connect with each character- nonfat to be trimmed imho.

I truly feel like the dynamics of the family- mom (8 months pregnant), dad, their teenager, and dad's father are relatable whether you have been in that exact position of relationships or not. The dad (Peter Facinelli) just embodied this character- the fear a father faces trying to protect his family while also trying to stay strong and hopeful for them. And the mother just embodies what women can and will do to keep their children safe. The teenage son shows vulnerability while also stepping up to the plate despite his fear.

I also love how they acknowledged the impact these disasters have on first responders. Can't get over how good this was. Highly recommend! Please go see it!

This was the worst disaster movie I have ever watched, and I've seen them all. It is not even possible for not only one, but pretty much every single character to be so effing stupid in everything they do. From running to the fire to a random neighbor in flames, one hundred yards from the nearest blaze. The poor lady must have spontaneously combusted while her whimpers sounded more like she bit her lip than if she were ablaze. Nothing about this movie would make sense to anyone with an IQ over 50. If you want to see a decent forest fire movie or tv show, watch "They want me dead" or"Fire Country". Or watch this To see for yourself and be compelled to write a review like me for the first time in a decade.

Although this movie is rated PG-13, I brought my young children along to see it and feel it is suitable for families. We all thoroughly enjoyed the story and sat at the edge of our seats as the protagonists moved from one ordeal to the next in their harrowing fight to survive the wildfires that raged around their home. Considering the increase in serious wildfires worldwide, I feel like this topic is top-of-mind for many, and the film showcased personal experiences of those who have experienced such terrible nightmares firsthand. The effects made you forget that you were watching a film and pulled you right into the story. Go check out this film and tell your friends and family!

No pun intended - I thought at first the movie was made in the 80s - the title and the fact Lance Henriksen is one of the "leads". I was wrong in the end - but I did like what I got served. Well liked as in I think it was very well made. Because what we do get is quite harrowing. And yes suspension of disbelief is quite important here. And accepting that some things may feel a bit like cliches ... but they still work.

I have met Peter Faccinelli at a convention and he seemed very content and happy with the movie. And considering the cast and the struggle/fight for life we see there ... something we can all relate to ... Will of life ... drama baby ... it all works, depending on how much slack you want to cut it.

A decent watchable film if you view it as a B-movie and considering it was made on a tight budget - maybe. Good acting, and the story is touching. The film focuses on themes of fire and family dealing with disaster. Its straightforward plot, only 80 minutes, has no silly subplots, sex, or nudity, making it a family-friendly.

There are some negative aspects, such as the use of cheap, clumsy fire CGI in some scenes. However, considering it is a relatively low-budget film with no big-name stars, likely from a small production company, we should give them credit for creating a relatively good film.

On a personal note, as someone interested in survival topics, I appreciated their methods of protecting the house: removing all quickly flammable materials such as gas cylinders, dry tree leaves, grass, and plants; moistening the ground and house with water; and installing water sprinklers. However, their plan ultimately failed due to the explosion of gas tanks in the neighbour's house. This highlights that no matter how well-prepared you are for disasters, you must also you should pay attention to your neighbours to ensure they do not become the weakest link.