Skip to content
MovieCove
The Sky's on Fire

The Sky's on Fire

TV movie199989 minPGMidcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Director
Dan Lerner
Starring
John Corbett, Josie Bissett, Bradley Whitford, Jo Anderson

The ozone is depleted and as a result of this all sorts things are happening like lethal insects flying around. A scientist tries to warn everybody about this but no one seems to believe him. When his predictions come true they now turn to him for help.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Sky's on Fire?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list The Sky's on Fire on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Sky's on Fire?

The Sky's on Fire earns 1 badge: Feel-good.

Reception

Is The Sky's on Fire worth watching?

The Sky's on Fire's Midcredits score is the 6th percentile of all films, from 356 ratings across 3 sources. 17% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

6th percentile

Better received than 6% of films

12th percentile among Action6th percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)10th
Approval (how many liked it)5th

46 /100

10th percentile of all films

18th percentile among Action9th percentile among 1990s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

17% liked it

5th percentile of all films

10th percentile among Action5th percentile among 1990s
17% rated it 7–1083% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

40th percentile

356 ratings across platforms

26th percentile among Action34th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 43% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

A low-budget TV disaster movie that is fun if you accept its cliches and shaky science.

Fans praised

  • compact, quick-moving B-disaster film
  • effective premise-level environmental message
  • actors elevate thin material (Corbett, Whitford, Billingsley)

Detractors panned

  • absurd, poorly-plotted science and logic
  • cheap production values and repetitive stock footage
  • dull midsection with filler riot footage

What stands out

ActingDivisive55

competent cast in thankless roles; Whitford and Billingsley singled out

PacingDivisive35

quick first and third acts but middle grind to a halt

Characters30

cardboard, two-dimensional with bad decision-making

OriginalityDivisive30

formulaic B-movie with one or two fresh animal-attack ideas

Plot and storyDivisive25

absurd, cliched, derivative disaster narrative

Effects and spectacle15

repeated sun shot, cheap fire and video-quality footage

Watch experience

What is The Sky's on Fire like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Fun ride: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want a fun ride.

It is gentle and leaves you feeling good.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Very little.

What it feels like

Fun ride.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseThrillingHopeful
Heaviest: middle
Register
Melodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.Adventurous · 11% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its melodramatic disaster premise relatively straight—earnest about its eco-warning despite the B-movie execution and occasional silliness.
The rideThe film builds tension as the disasters unfold, delivers chaotic action in the middle, and resolves with a tempered victory.
StructureA conventional chronological disaster narrative moving from warning, through crisis, to solution.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Feeling good.

The answer rests on this: Feel-goodFun
Why it leaves you this wayThe viewer leaves satisfied with the victory and likely entertained by the schlocky disaster fun, with perhaps a slight eco-consciousness.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% (this title) · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Oppressive state: A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).

21% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe scientist warns about ozone depletion, facing disbelief from authorities, and must overcome the environmental disaster caused by human negligence and bureaucratic inaction.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfNatureIdeas
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5% (this title): Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% (this title) · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Ideas

Nature · 2% of filmsJustice · 13% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores humanity's destructive impact on the natural world and the cosmic payback for ignoring environmental warnings.
StanceThe film warns about the consequences of environmental damage, centered on one scientist's struggle to be heard.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanWildernessRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score
SettingLos Angeles during a sudden ecological crisis driven by ozone depletion

Content guide

Is The Sky's on Fire okay for kids?

PG

The Sky's on Fire is rated PG.

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does The Sky's on Fire have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Sky's on Fire?

Cast

John Corbett
as Dr. Evan Thorne
Josie Bissett
as Jennifer Thorne
Bradley Whitford
as John Morgan, KTML News
Jo Anderson
as Elizabeth Sobel
John Billingsley
as Dr. Andrew Pike
Ben Browder
as Racer
Tom Irwin
as Aaron Schiffren
Donzaleigh Abernathy
as Dr. Hellstrom
Richard Penn
as Mayor Bill Thompson
John Lafayette
as Jeremy

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Sky's on Fire?

Movies like The Sky's on Fire include Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) and Godzilla (2014), both films about nature.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Sky's on Fire?

545 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: disaster survival. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.