This is a nice, enjoyable little "B" movie. Great for a rainy afternoon, when you don't want anything too deep. I believe this is a composite of several real events. So, cheesy as some of the scenes seem, this kind of thing happened. And yes, the "Oops" that triggers everything in the movie actually happened. The good news is that there are no more Titan II missiles in the silos anymore. All the ICBMs (Minuteman III and Peacekeeper) are solid boosters, and the last Titan II missiles have been "de-militarized" at Davis-Montahn AFB. So, the events in this movie cannot happen anymore. The writing was a bit tired, especially in the area of dialog. The sets and locations were pretty good for a "B" movie. There was some good lighting and throughout there was good camera work. This is a very predictable film, but I actually hope it gets to DVD one of these days. This ranks right up there with "The Day After," except this is based on real events.
In response to a second review: I stand by my original assessment of the film. I said this is film is a composite of many real-life events, only two of which received media attention. There is nothing "revisionist" about the review.
In response to 1) it was never claimed that Davis-Monthan AFB was the site of any of the real-life events included in the movie. The review said that was where they were demilitarized. The "demilitarized" reference was to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), not to any of the ICBM units that had been equipped with the Titan II.
In response to 2) Irrelevant to the discussion, because of the above.
In response to 3) Only 13 of the original 95 Titan II boosters were used for satellite launches. A 14th was planned and never launched. Two were lost in accidents. 51 were launched in ICBM tests and training. There were a few here and there used for exotic purposes, such as displays. The rest were demilitarized at Davis-Monthan AFB, where they were indeed "dismantled and discarded." Five-inch holes were cut into the pressure tanks.
Further, now that the Peacekeeper has been retired from service, expect to see Peacekeeper booster sections to be used for space launch purposes.
In response to 4) Agreed, there was no inherent flaw in the design of the system, except for the hypergolic fuel and oxidizer that was corrosive and deadly. The fuel and oxidizer problem is the main reason the Air Force and NASA stopped further variants of the Titan beyond IV.
In response 5) The Peacekeeper was built as a much larger replacement for the Titan IIs. Between the Peacekeeper and the Minuteman III, the large land-based systems seem well covered. So, the assertion that "if there still was a U.S. military need for large, land-based ICBM warheads, there would still be Titan II's on alert today" seems incorrect.
In response to a second review: I stand by my original assessment of the film. I said this is film is a composite of many real-life events, only two of which received media attention. There is nothing "revisionist" about the review.
In response to 1) it was never claimed that Davis-Monthan AFB was the site of any of the real-life events included in the movie. The review said that was where they were demilitarized. The "demilitarized" reference was to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), not to any of the ICBM units that had been equipped with the Titan II.
In response to 2) Irrelevant to the discussion, because of the above.
In response to 3) Only 13 of the original 95 Titan II boosters were used for satellite launches. A 14th was planned and never launched. Two were lost in accidents. 51 were launched in ICBM tests and training. There were a few here and there used for exotic purposes, such as displays. The rest were demilitarized at Davis-Monthan AFB, where they were indeed "dismantled and discarded." Five-inch holes were cut into the pressure tanks.
Further, now that the Peacekeeper has been retired from service, expect to see Peacekeeper booster sections to be used for space launch purposes.
In response to 4) Agreed, there was no inherent flaw in the design of the system, except for the hypergolic fuel and oxidizer that was corrosive and deadly. The fuel and oxidizer problem is the main reason the Air Force and NASA stopped further variants of the Titan beyond IV.
In response 5) The Peacekeeper was built as a much larger replacement for the Titan IIs. Between the Peacekeeper and the Minuteman III, the large land-based systems seem well covered. So, the assertion that "if there still was a U.S. military need for large, land-based ICBM warheads, there would still be Titan II's on alert today" seems incorrect.