Art Vandelay Has the writing and production values of a TV show. A bad TV show. And is Milland supposed to be the good guy? Barely an hour ater hearing about the nuclear blast he's buying guns and holding up the hardware store owner. Frankly I saw the whole thing as some kind of right-wing survivalist nutjob's wet dream. Oh, and those hipster rapists? Were they supposed to be scary?

hackraytex I had never seen this movie until now but yes I was alive during this period and understand the fear and apprehension that we all felt with the drills of hiding under ours desks in school. During one of the drills as we were going under our desks, the teacher hid some of her favorites under a table. I saw a place open under a table and I scooted under there. Within a minute, she pulled me out by the leg and told me to get back under my desk. I guess she did not think I was as worthy to survive as her favorites were. I forgive her. Regarding Mr. Milland, his career did stall out since he was a victim of the "Oscar curse" that has befallen a lot of actors. He deserves respect that he picked himself up and did not let it stop him from working. A lot of people fail to realize with its prestige is acting is also a job and one has to feed their family and pay the bills. He did not sit home and pine for not getting good roles. Another actor whom I admire greatly is Eric Roberts who has about 500 movies to his credit. He must have a very good agent. He was once asked why he was doing work that appeared to be inferior to what he started with. He said that he did not get much work when he was holding out for the "good" parts. Ray Milland probably did some embarrassing work to kept the bills paid and the lights on. He later showed that he had a lot left in him with TV and miniseries performances. His is an example that any honest work is honorable. He had a very important part in Rich Man Poor Man. Good job and rest in peace Mr. Milland. The point is that any honest work is honorable and should be respected. Good job and rest in peace Mr. Milland.

fredreiland WARNING - this review contains details which may be considered by some to "spoil" a movie, which, in my opinion, is already so BAD that it is BEYOND spoiling! Apparently, I chose a rather unconventional approach to viewing this film; rather than to shut one eye, squint thru the other and do my absolute best to "enjoy" it, regardless of all the glaring inconsistencies - or perhaps seek to superimpose a Post-Katrina America commentary on it all (as many "reviewers" have done), I simply watched it with my normal objective outlook, taking the story at face value. And that story failed miserably! Starting with the big, cloudy, barely-discernible (supposed) "explosion"... we don't ever learn what it truly WAS - or the cause behind it (as in "who" or "why") - but just seeing the thing is good enough for Ray Milland to pack up his family and head for the hills before "the bad people" can get on the move. What comes next is unbelievably silly to the point of being laughable - because terminally-grouchy Mister Milland begins taking steps to BECOME one of those "bad people" - eagerly getting involved in theft, assault, armed robbery, manslaughter (or murder, you decide)... all in the name of "preserving civilization". Sure, okay. It is perfectly acceptable to be a violent thug as long as HE is the one doing it! I won't get into the details of all the ensuing foolishness, since other reviewers have gone out of their way to make excuses for all of the illogical claptrap which follows. Long, tedious and ludicrous story short - if you are able to find this plot "interesting" enough to sit through it to the bitter end, then you probably won't even mind that the "hero" of the tale NEVER finds out what actually happened in the outside world; whether or not the entire continent was obliterated by nuclear holocaust, or if there had been an invading army (and a ground war which could still be raging)... no, he has NO idea what he will be returning to. And that is supposed to be a good enough reason for the viewer, as well. Because what it all boils down to is that this family went off and hid in the hills to behave like savages for a while, and now it suddenly has become a Happy Ending.Wow - what A GREAT movie! (NOT)

rogerleesong This was a pretty good film. I was expecting the usual AIP B stuff, but old Ray surprised me here; probably because he directed it. His character was convincingly intense, as he tries to save his family from the dangers of civilization on the brink of chaos. The wife could have benefited from a breakdown, and then recovery, as she showed moxie, but it was misdirected. Not much to say about the daughter; her character was pretty much non-existent, getting no development, except for the implied rape scene, which you just knew was going to happen. Frankie Avalon's character, as the son, was ripe for development when you saw that he liked shooting the guns, but alas, he didn't get much development either. His hair looked great however, throughout the whole movie. The girl that they rescued was the most interesting character besides Ray. The scene where they first encountered her was darkly marvelous. Also, the scene where Ray tells her to "Get dressed, and get out!"was a little over the top, but very much in keeping with Ray's intense character. All in all, it was much better than I expected. I wish TCM would show more "B" movies that have established stars that are in vehicles that aren't always great. That's interesting to me. Watching the same old, great movies is like listening to "classic rock" radio stations where they play the same old songs over, and over when there are some great "B" sides that never get played on the same record.