The Trigger Effect

1996 "When Nothing Works, Anything Goes."
5.7| 1h34m| R| en| More Info
Released: 30 August 1996 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A blackout leaves those affected to consider what is necessary, what is legal, and what is questionable, in order to survive in a predatory environment.

... View More
Stream Online

Stream with Hollywood Suite

Director

Producted By

Universal Pictures

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Kerry Pure leftist anti-gun BS.The point of this movie is obvious; to try and make everyone who watches it come away with a fear and hate for guns.The entire plot is so contrived as to insulting to any rational, thinking person. So much so, that if you can make it too the end of the movie, you didn't need this movie to change your mind. You already had an irrational hate of guns.So far, I never have seen a gun, by itself, shoot. Much less kill anyone.Contrived drivel... poorly acted.
Taneka Thompson 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.
tdrish The reviews are bad. Once again, it looks like I have to defend the underdog: The Trigger Effect is a great film. The main problem with this movie in my humble opinion is the fact that people expect a thriller, but the movie plays out more as a drama. The main focus of the film is the "what if" factor. What if your power went out, and didn't come back on? What if you were at home with a sick baby, and you couldn't get the medicine for your child? What if your basic needs suddenly became a wedge between a chain of unexpected events? That's The Trigger Effect, and the characters are designed so that you don't feel as if you're watching actors and actresses, but more like people like us. They're emotions come alive, and they respond more in ways that we would respond. Each situation in the film has an outcome, which questions how we would handle it differently, or if we would have handled it the same way. Desperate times, desperate measures. Give this film a fair shake, you may be surprised.
Steve Pulaski The Trigger Effect is a movie I'm not proud to like, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't. It wasn't a fantastic thriller, but it shouldn't get the beating it's getting on IMDb, Netflix, and every other review site. The acting isn't phenomenal, the plot isn't much, but the events in the film keep you at least interesting and hoping for the best. In the long run, The Trigger Effect is not the worst thing to come out of movies ever.Sometimes, I believe, when a movie is panned by critics and moviegoers, a film gets bad reviews by everyone whether they like it or not. I looked on the IMDb Bottom 100 before writing this review, and thought, there's got to be one person out there that likes some of these films. I scanned about twenty, and the twenty I picked had no review above two out of ten. My point; not everyone can hate a movie. It can't be so bad no one likes it. This is kind of how I feel with this film and the 1996 comedy Bio-Dome which I found to be an entertaining film. The only difference with The Trigger Effect is I could find someone who liked Bio-Dome. I have yet to find someone that (honestly) admits they like The Trigger Effect.The film has no real plot. It takes place in Southern California where our two protagonists reside. Matt (Kyle MacLachlan) and Annie (Elizabeth Shue) return home from the movies to find their infant screaming with an ear ache. Matt calls a doctor who promises to have a prescription filled by morning. In the middle of the night, the neighbors wake to find a the town has blacked out. Matt arrives at the pharmacy to find out the doctor didn't call in the prescription, so he resorts to stealing the medicine for the baby.Matt's brother Joe (Dermot Mulroney) arrives at the house to convince the couple to buy a gun for security since the blackout is causing very strange behavior amongst the town. When purchasing the gun, the four come to the consensus that they must take a trip to wife's parent's house. Soon enough, all hell breaks loose.The film is no masterpiece, but it shouldn't get the beating it is taking on the web now. It's a very least intriguing. You want to know what happens to these innocent people. You want to follow them through this journey through hell. As most of these events occur, they trigger another thing to happen (obviously why the film's title is what it is). Clearly the person behind this idea wanted no light at the end of the tunnel. Just like the film Where the Heart Is or The Quiet, they wanted no light at the end of the tunnel.Upon it's release, it grossed a mere $1,887,791, and ranked 12th at the Box Office. It came up very short compared to it's $8,000,000 budget. It went on to gross around $3,000,000 in it's entirety, and lead on to never being spoken about again. While I think in no means it should be praised, it should at least be recognized for doing the job it did. It didn't want to be bad, but then again no movie does. It just showed it's limitations on screen, and nothing more. It doesn't want to be anything more than it's budget allows. It's a good thing and a bad thing simultaneously.Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue, and Dermot Mulroney. Directed by: David Koepp.