An Alaskan town is in danger of destruction by a mystical snow globe that appears on a family's doorstep, wrapped like a Christmas gift, and causes deadly "natural" disasters in the real world, while simultaneously occurring in the globe.

Plot Synopsis:
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werewulfmom from Chicagoland
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There are movies that are so bad they're good, and movies that are just bad.

This one is in between. As quirky Christmas movies go, this is kind of fun, but it truly needs to be seen to be believed. A family discovers that the snow globe they've received as a gift is causing big troubles in their peaceful town. It takes a while for the main characters to believe in an evil snow globe (heck, I"m still having trouble believing it) but once they get on board they have to figure out a way to return the gift and stop the SNOWMAGEDDON!

And then it's time for eggnog!!

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Troubleboy from Hong Kong
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Let's admit it, most SyFy Channel original offerings are rubbish. However, without going into the plot, 'Snowmageddon' is slightly above their usual fare with a cast that is better than average and a story line that, for the most part, holds your attention.

No improvement on the CGI though and the town of 'Normal,' where 50% of the action takes place is more reminiscent of a cluster of buildings you would find on your average farm property, than Main Street, North America, even though the story is supposed to take place in the foothills of Alaska.

All in all though, the best of a usually bad SyFy crop.

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realdealblues from United States
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There have a been a few SyFy Channel movies lately that I have really enjoyed. Snowmageddon had a very original story line which on a large scale budget could have been even better. I won't go into details of the plot since it can be read on the main page and in other reviews, but it really reminded me of something Stephen King would write, mixed with a little Lord Of The Rings for good measure.

I generally like most SyFy productions but some are better than others and Snowmageddon ranks up there with some of the best for me. I was definitely entertained for an hour and a half and have no regrets in watching this time waster.

I give it a solid B+

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TheLittleSongbird from United Kingdom
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As I have said many times already I have made no secret of disliking a lot of SyFy's films, but I do keep watching to see if they do come up with something that is watchable at least. They have done a few movies that are surprisingly tolerable though even they are far from perfect, but most are bad but you are amused by the awfulness or are like witnessing a train-wreck.

I was very mixed on Snowmageddon actually, of the above categories it sits between the tolerable and so bad it's good ones. I do give it plaudits for the better than average acting, granted it is not brilliant but it is award-worthy compared to the likes of Quantum Apocalypse and Titanic II, decent photography and a storyline that is mostly interesting and original in concept.

That is not to say that the story is perfect though. It is interesting and generally well paced, but it does take a while to get going and the ending is abrupt. There are also scenes and ideas that suspend disbelief and don't make much sense, but for the first time in a while I actually got some novelty value out of them. These are including the ideas that electricity is still flowing in a town that is cut off from the rest of the world, flying even with ice bombs are going off and nobody in the town carrying a knife.

Snowmageddon also has some amateurish effects-though I've seen worse-, cheesy dialogue and characters that aren't developed enough to make us care for them. I loved the title, but it didn't fit with the concept and story, it was like there had been a last minute title change or that they had thought of a new idea and forgot to think of a title that fitted.

Overall, not as bad as other SyFy efforts, but there is nothing really that stood out to make it memorable or good. 4/10 Bethany Cox

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celestemekent from United States
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One awful disaster movie, with no explanations poor acting and clearly not worth the two hours it takes to watch it on TV. No connection is ever made to explain the connection between the snow globe and the disasters in the town, no explanation of why it was ever created or who might have brought these on the towns folk.

The viewer is clearly in danger of losing whatever intelligence they may have by watch this movie so run, don't walk away from it! Mysterious cracks show up all around the town with fire and yet there is no offer of how or why. Mysteriously trees pop out of the ground in random places that skewer folks and cars.

The most frustrating thing about this plot is the total lack of the presence of the creator of this mysterious snow globe and any reasonable explanation why it has appeared who its creator is and why all of these disasters are happening to this tiny town of Normal Alaska. It left me pulling out my hair in frustration.

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Paul Magne Haakonsen from Denmark
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Well, it isn't going to become any Christmas classic, that's for sure.

The story in "Snowmageddon" is about a mysterious snow globe that is left at the doorstep of the Miller family. The snow globe is a replica of the small lazy town of Normal, Alaska. Rudy Miller discovers that the catastrophic events that unfold inside the snow globe once it is winded up also happens in real life, right in their little town.

Initially, the storyline is sort of silly, but the movie actually works out well enough, because it is so cheesy. However, what makes this movie bearable to sit through is the acting. People cast for the movie actually pulled off their characters quite nicely, and it could have been much worse, had their acting skills been halting as is the case in most of these type of movies. But luckily, the cast here were able to pull up the movie.

As for the effects, well... Let's just say, don't prepare yourself to be blown away by the special effects. The effects in "Snowmageddon" are far from impressive. They do, however, get the job done, and most of the time work out well enough.

There are far worse movies of the same genre out there, many of which spewed out from SyFy Channel and The Asylum, so it was a fresh breath of air to have a movie that actually managed to stay a bit more afloat in the pond of otherwise unbearable movies.

One thing did puzzle me about "Snowmageddon", though. For a movie with a title such as it did, where was all the snow? I was expecting blizzards and such, but the snow was restricted to the mountain alone. And that sort of took away something from the movie, because the title did hint towards something that unfortunately never took place.

If you enjoy cheesy and campy disaster movies, where the story doesn't necessarily have to be 'realistic', then "Snowmageddon" is perhaps worth your time. I do believe, however, that this movie is the type of movie you watch once and then never again.

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ersinkdotcom from United States
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The only thing I can think of when it comes to Christmas movies that could be better than ones about killers dressed in Santa Claus outfits are disaster films centered around the holiday. I don't know if it's just coincidence or if Anchor Bay Home Entertainment is trying to start a new tradition, but last Christmas they gave us "Ice Quake" and now this year we get the gift of "Snowmageddon." SyFy Channel does deserve some of the credit for these entertaining low-budget time-wasters since they originally aired there first.

Christmas Eve in Normal, Alaska is anything but its namesake when a string of seemingly natural disasters occur. The tiny town's residents find themselves running for their lives from bizarre earthquakes, fiery explosions, meteoric ice, and protruding underground spikes. Could a mysterious cursed snow globe be the cause of all the mayhem?

"Snowmageddon" is glorious disaster-film fun for everyone who enjoys B- movies made on a one-shoestring budget. This has everything you could ever want in this sort of film and more. The CGI and special effects are maybe two steps above what we've come to expect from C-grade Asylum movies.

Filmmakers definitely know what they need to do to attract a good mix of genre fans for projects like these. Magda Apanowicz ("Caprica") does an incredible job of running around while screaming and crying. Michael Hogan ("Battlestar Galactica") trades in his eye-patch for a tool smock in the role of a wise old antique dealer. Laura Harris ("Dead Like Me") and David Cubitt ("Medium") play the parents of the little boy (Dylan Matzke, "Criminal Minds") who finds the mysterious snow globe.

One thing I find interesting about these particular SyFy Channel movies is their family-oriented tone. Both "ice Quake" and "Snowmageddon" are aimed at an "all ages" audience. Besides a few scenes with blood, there's nothing too gory about it. They also center around families trying to save each other while staying united during incredible events.

"Snowmageddon" gives disaster film enthusiasts something to watch over the Christmas holidays. The "cursed snow globe" is a unique fantasy element we don't get often with these types of movies. The lack of any real gore and graphic violence also makes it easier to watch with family and friends when you run out of other seasonal activities or just need a little downtime.

http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/849014/eric_shirey.html

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Leofwine_draca from United Kingdom
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Another week, another cheesy disaster flick from the SyFy Channel, shot in Canada as many of them are and with few redeeming qualities to recommend it. This one's about a family who receive a snow globe as a gift and soon discover that whatever happens in the globe happens in real life; they're caught in blizzards, ice storms and the like, and must fight for survival.

This is the usual run-of-the-mill type production in which an imperilled family are the focus of the story. All of the family members are either boring or unlikeable, so getting excited about the precarious situations in which they find themselves is difficult indeed. SNOWMAGEDDON plays out as a series of cheesy CGI spectacles, with vehicles and homes dropping into volcanoes and the like, and none of it is believable for a second. There aren't even any old time actors down on their luck to enjoy. Plus the whole snow globe angle is introduced and then dropped with little to no explanation; it's pretty annoying.

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nevadaluke from United States
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Snowmageddon is one of those movies like "Curse of the Cat People" -- it has nothing to do with its title -- in this case an extinction-level plague of wintry mix.

I would bet a carton of Camels that it was written under the name "Snow Globe" -- until somebody discovered the title was snagged by the Christina Milian ABC Family movie. That flick, about a romance-challenged girl who disappears into a fantasy land residing inside her water-filled Christmasy glass ball, is 10 times more entertaining.

This time, however, the snow globe is oddly unsnowy. I was waiting for the obvious plot device -- somebody shakes the globe and the Ice Age returns to bury the town under two miles of glaciers. Instead, the little village in the glass ball is beset by weirdly unseasonal phenomena like quakes, horizontal stratospheric tornadoes and spiky things that thrust up through the Earth's crust -- the latter being the movie's shark-jumping moment. (Full disclosure time: I fell asleep for half an hour in Act II but awoke to decide that I hadn't missed anything. Maybe the globe was shaken while I was out...? nahhh.) The holiday angle is also oddly shoehorned into the proceedings. You string up some colored lights, scatter a few trimmed trees around the sets and abra-cadabra: An instant holiday movie. All you need is a line of dialogue about how it was a holiday miracle when the town was saved from destruction.

And as for the climax -- hey, look! there's a volcano suddenly erupting just outside of town! Maybe that has something to do with all this weird unnatural madness. Let's go throw this thing in there and surely that will put an end to our troubles. Poof! Problem solved.

SyFy Channel once again performs a valuable service for would-be screenwriters -- to prove that anyone can write one.

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Bryan Kluger from Dallas, TX
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After viewing 'Snowmageddon', I realized one thing. That this so called movie titled 'Snowmageddon' does not involve a scenario worthy of the title of 'Snowmageddon'. It's like 'Halloween 3', you know the one without Michael Myers as the bad guy. 'Snowmageddon' is a SYFY original film and combines an asinine plot, terrible acting, and even worse special effects. I'd say they special effects are just a half step up from the effects in 'Birdemic: Shock and Terror'.

When I first heard the title and saw the cover art, I expected a certain type of disaster film. One that involved tons of snow and an end of the world scenario. Boy, was I wrong. However, I actually laughed out loud when I witnessed what caused 'Snowmageddon' to happen. The cause of 'Snowmageddon' is a toy snow globe. I'll repeat that. The cause of 'Snowmageddon' is a toy snow globe. I'll explain.

The film takes place in Normal, Alaska and centers around the Miller family. The father (David Cubitt) is the sheriff, the mother is a helicopter pilot (Laura Harris), and their two kids Jennifer (Magda Apanowicz) and Rudy (Dylan Madzke). It's almost Christmas time when a mysterious package disguised as a present appears on the Miller's doorstep. Rudy opens the package and discovers that it's a snow globe with an exact replica of their town trapped inside.

One flick of the wrist, a turn of the crank, and couple shakes of the snow globe and all hell breaks loose, or a version of mediocre hell breaks loose in the form of small earthquakes, tiny avalanches, and icebergs and rocks coming up from the ground. The earthquakes only cause minor damage with a few people getting injured because they are too stupid to get out of the way. There was an avalanche, but luckily the few people that were in the path of the avalanche either dodged it or were in a giant snow plow car and almost immediately rescued. And all of these evil disasters (I don't say natural), because these disasters always abruptly ended once someone died or was injured.

Fred (Michael Hogan from 'Battlestar Galactica), the local toy store owner seems to know a little bit about the snow globe. He tells people that the snow globe is cursed and that the only solution is to toss the evil snow globe into a fiery volcano in the same vein of 'Lord of the Rings'. And yes, this all happens in the span of 89 minutes.

All logic and accountability is wasted on this movie. With a title like 'Snowmageddon', I expect tons of snow killing people and an apocalyptic type of scenario. There was none of that here. The special effects looked like they were made by somebody's teenage cousin and the acting was laughable. But what do you expect from a creative team that have produced such titles as 'Ice Quake', 'Mega Cyclone', and 'Mongolian Death Worm'. The only way I would ever watch this again would be if the good folks at Rifftrax were to riff this film. Stay away from this movie.

globe|christmas|snow|the family|glass|rest|christmas tree|reference to jesus christ|christmas eve|disaster movie|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Germany:12 / Singapore:PG / South Korea:12 / UK:12 / USA:PG-13