WATCH: Flood

Disaster movies pretty much follow a predictable plot with stock characters and situations. There’s the slightly befuddled professor who used to be at the top of his field but is now out of it due to drink who has alienated his family; the professor’s former smart graduate assistant who is now some high mucky muck in the government’s science section; the two scientists with conflicting opinions on what’s at stake; the room full of data crunchers trying to predict when and where disaster strikes; they have something in common, usually a woman or love interest; and the government officials who just don’t get it and don’t know what to do.

It doesn’t really matter what type of disaster is approaching: freezing; meteor impact; alien creatures; enormous wildfires; gigantic sea creatures; or the catastrophic earthquake. I can’t even count the number of times Los Angeles has been leveled by a ten-plus quake. But for my money, the one that gets me is the giant storm at sea that creates massive tsunamis. The one recurring nightmare from my childhood involves being swallowed up by huge waves.

So, why oh why did I watch Flood, the 3-hour television series from Britain? Well, because of the cast: Robert Carlyle, Tom Courtenay, Joanne Whalley, David Suchet, Tom Hardy, and Susan Woolrich. The plot follows all the standard rules. When a raging storm coincides with high seas it unleashes a colossal tidal surge, which travels mercilessly down England's East Coast and into the Thames Estuary. Overwhelming the Barrier, torrents of water pour into the city. The lives of millions of Londoners are at stake. With only hours to save the city, will all these cardboard characters save the city and the day? Will the barriers hold? Will everyone pull together and make a plan and learn to love and respect each other? Is the pope a Nazi?

Well, the special effects are, well, pretty effective. And the really good thing about watching it on DVD – you can multitask! Read a book, or make one. Cook your dinner or eat it. Groom the cat. Heck, you can probably go for a walk and not miss much. But fun is fun, even if it’s recycled. Of course, you could just watch Independence Day. At least you’d get a few laughs.