Path of Destruction (film)

Plot

After the government cuts funding to a nanotechnology project, the fictional company StarkCorp stores samples on an oil rig near Alaska. However, an accident releases the nanomachines, witnessed by reporter Katherine Stern (Danica McKellar). StarkCorp attempts to cover up the incident while the nanomachines cause storms and disintegrate objects. The disintegrated objects are made into more nanomachines.

Stern teams up with a scientist, Nathan McCain (Pratt) who once worked for StarkCorp, leading to the conspiracy and an attempt to stop the disaster. At first, McCain hesitates but eventually agrees to help Stern. They run around for a while, pursued by bad guys who are almost going out of their way to bully whoever stands in the way.

Meanwhile, the United States military decides to disable the particles with a nuclear missile, despite fears that it will harm the west coast. However, after some consideration, it is decided that an experimental plane will be used to carry an EMP device to the nanomachines.

Meanwhile, the CEO of StarkCorp claims to apologize by bringing a deactivation device to national authorities. However, the chief scientist Dr. Van Owen knows that Stark is lying (taking the device to China), and brings him a bomb instead.

Later, the particles are disabled by the electromagnetic pulse, but the colonel in charge of the operation dies heroically in the process. The nuclear explosion, now deemed unnecessary, is aborted and the world is saved. The colonel gets the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Van Owen forces information on the whereabouts of Stark from another executive after pistol whipping him and holding him at gunpoint. Van Owen enters the code for the bomb, but is killed by agents working for the Chinese government afterwards. Meanwhile, the bomb explodes, killing Stark on the plane, leaving the StarkCorp assets to be seized by the government.

Over the course of the story, Stern and McCain develop a romantic interest in each other; although they never kiss or show displays of affection, it is implied that they begin dating at the end of the film.

Reception

Sloan Freer of Radio Times rated it 1/5 stars and called it an "increasingly ridiculous sci-fi yarn" with "a laughably unbelievable climax." Matt Paprocki of Blogcritics called it a bland film that borrows from the Michael Crichton's novel Prey.