According to the Congressional Research Service on wildfire statistics, between the years 2018-2022, there was an average of 59,120 total fires with an average of 7.66 million acres burned throughout the U.S. It also states that 89% of the average wildfires between 2018-2022 are caused by humans, but the ones that are caused by lightning tend to be slightly larger and burn more acreage.
Based on a study by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, since 1983, the National Interagency Fire Center has documented an average of approximately 70,000 wildfires per year. This data suggests that the actual total may be even higher for the first few years of nationwide data collection.
A movie concerning a true story about a family escaping from a wildfire titled “On Fire” was released Sept. 29 and it’s a ride of a lifetime. The different aspects of each character within the film mesh really well and display the hardship incredibly.
The movie only lasted an hour and 20 minutes, but the pacing of the movie impressed with the amount of information given. Nothing from the movie felt rushed, out of place, or misunderstood.
The plot of the movie was simple, yet created more emotion for the audience than anticipated. The movie depicted a family consisting of a father, an eight-month pregnant mother, an 81-year-old grandfather, and a teenage son who were attempting to escape a wildfire with survival as their main objective.
The actors showed the dynamics that each character consisted of really well. Peter Facinelli embodied how a father should be: strong, hopeful and protecting his family, Fiona Dourif showed what mothers would do to protect their kids and Asher Angel showed vulnerability while stepping up to the plate when needed.
The character work was incredible, and even the impact these disasters had on first responders that the movie showed was impeccable. When Sarah called 9-1-1, the respondent was obviously horrified and scared, but she pulled through and helped the family to safety.
The fire CGI was also decent with a couple of weird spots, but overall, it went really well.
Even with the $10 million budget this movie impresses, but needs more advertisement. It earned $134,825 on its opening weekend. I didn’t find out about this movie till the day before it was released so I don’t expect big weekend numbers, but it deserves a better turnout than having only three people in attendance when I went to watch it, including myself. If they could spend a bit more money on advertising this movie, they would be getting in more money.
The movie has been released in theaters and can be watched at a theater near you with the closest being the Maya Cinema on Century Blvd.
I would highly recommend it to anyone to watch the movie. I will give this movie a seven and a half out of 10-star review.
