lost-in-limbo Produced by Irwin Allen, the man behind two great disaster films; The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. I was looking forward to this inspite of its lowly rating and dud reputation. Being at the backend of the popular Hollywood 1970s disaster film cycle, these films seemed to run their course when it was released. Having a larger budget (around 20 million) didn't entirely transpired to the screen. This showed in some very dodgy looking green-screen effects, unconvincing practical fx and downright cheap studio sets. But what really killed it for me was its lack of extravaganza. Sure there's a seasoned, and all-star cast of strong personas (Paul Newman, William Holden, Jacqueline Bisset) with a traditionally thematic story of numerous (if uninteresting and superficially orchestrated) character drama sub-plots, so get the checklist out and tick off as we go. However it never really blows its top with a cast going through the motions and thrills that just don't have the adrenaline/or anxiety in its threatening set-pieces to stir up much. The bridge sequence was maybe the only mildy effective moment, well, up to a point. Expect more along the line of kitsch thrills, where there's a higher chance of you raising a chuckle (helicopter joyriding anyone?). Although I do like the concept ( a South Pacific island's dormant volcano unexpectedly erupts trapping the inhabitants), the scenic Hawaiian locations and Lalo Schifrin's simmering score. Too bad the scratchy execution and dire effects don't add to the fun, but contributes to a flat and unexciting fare.

Uriah43 With a budget of about $20 million and a cast that included Paul Newman, Ernest Borgnine and William Holden, this film should have been a blockbuster hit. Unfortunately, this was not the case. One reason for that may have been because there were too many big-name actors and not enough screen time to go around. As a result, certain characters weren't allocated enough time to develop in a meaningful way. For example, James Franciscus plays the part of a hotel owner named "Bob Spangler". He is married to "Nikki" (Veronica Hamel) and has a mistress named "Iolani" (Barbara Carrera). And while both of these actresses had interesting parts, neither of them were allowed to fulfill their potential in what little time they had. On the other hand, some actors got more attention than they deserved. The husband and wife high-wire team of "Rene Valdez" (Burgess Meredith) and "Rose Valdez" (Valentina Cortese) is a case in point. Not only did they not seem to fit in with the rest of the cast, but one of the ending scenes involving Rene Valdez was too obvious and pedestrian to merit being in a multi-million dollar film. Another big flaw revolves around the circumstances regarding another two characters: The first is "Mona" (Sheila Allen) who is the stereotypical helpless female that has to be coaxed and cajoled throughout the most harrowing parts of the film in order to survive. Quite annoying. The other character is an attractive blonde named "Marsha" (Glynn Rubin) who follows instructions without complaining and adds an interesting presence to the film. Unfortunately, Mona gets the character development and manages to survive while Marsha gets killed off within a very short time-frame. How disappointing. Add to that, the poor-quality special effects, boring scripts and weak directing (James Goldstone) and it's no wonder this film didn't generate excitement at the box office. And while Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, James Franciscus and William Holden all performed their parts in a very professional manner, the rest of the cast simply didn't have the time or resources to elevate this movie to a satisfactory level. Again, this film should have been much better than it was and while it might help pass the time, there are other films out there that are much more entertaining.

dsimmonsla I just saw this film again on TV after many years, i had forgotten how bad it really was........probably the most star studded cast in the worst movie i have ever seen.........full of third rate special effects and unintended comic moments.......poor Ernie Borgnine,now gone to that big studio in the sky, is forced to wander around blindfolded thru the whole film, looking embarrassed just to be there......and so much seemed to be borrowed from better films like "Poseidon Adventure" and "Towering Inferno" like the scene where the helicopter is hijacked and then predictably, crashes, killing all aboard....or the interminable crossing of the creaky wooden bridge, which proves to be a deathtrap for about half of the survivors...........and when the entire resort hotel explodes from a single fireball at the end of the film like a bomb, its just hilarious.

writers_reign This turkey is a disaster in the original sense of the word. I can only suppose that the likes of Paul Newman, William Holden, Burgess Meredith and even Red Buttons all owed Irwin Allen a movie and he chose to call in all their markers at the same time. It's so far beyond Dire it isn't true. There's absolutely no chemistry between any member of the cast and anyone else, let alone Paul Newman and Jacqueline Bisset, who looks as if she's just come out of rehab two weeks early. I'm scrabbling around to find something, anything, positive to say but it's virtually impossible. It's incredible that Carl Foreman and Sterling Silliphant get a joint credit as Screenwriters and more incredible that they allowed their names to remain on such a piece of crap.