Disaster Movies
Disaster movies have been around for a long time – hitting it big in the 1930s with films such as San Francisco, The Hurricane and In Old Chicago. But the golden age began in 1970 with Airport, which was a huge financial success, leading to many sequels and knock-offs – with an apex in 1974 seeing The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and Airport 1975 all competing at the box office. Irwin Allen was ‘The Master of Disaster’ and responsible for its biggest hits (The Poseidon Adventure) but also the genre’s demise (The Swarm, When Time Ran Out...). Every disaster imaginable was covered in the 1970s, except tornados, but the 1990s revival corrected that. And then along came Titanic, where the genre’s mix of soap opera and spectacle rang the box office bell – along with its inability to stand up to critical scrutiny.
Links take you to the IMDd. Circled titles: A Point Blank Films fav!
Airport (1970) 5/10
Soap opera in the skies – this was the first big budget 70s disaster movie and was a huge hit despite being laboured, laughable and featuring a disaster that doesn’t happen until the two-hour mark.
Airport 1975 (1974) 6/10
An improvement on the original, this was enough to bring Gloria Swanson back to the big screen but the star here is Karen Black who rises above the formulaic plot and characters.
Airport ‘77 (1977) 7/10
This was advertised as “more exciting than Airport 1975” and it is the best of the series – with the usual disaster movie elements, all-star cast and ideas nicked from The Poseidon Adventure.
Armageddon (1998) 5/10
Big budget spectacle with Aerosmith on the soundtrack and Bruce Willis doing his tough guy schtick – a popcorn movie through and through.
The Bees (1978) 3/10
B movie veterans John Carradine and John Saxon star in this awful beesploitation movie, which uses stock footage, cheap dummies, and bad FX to add some sting.
Black Sunday (1977) 6/10
Is there anything scarier than a slow-moving blimp? Plenty, but with John Williams score and good direction, this has its moments, but at 2 hours and 23 minutes, they’re few and far between.
Bullet Train (1975) 6/10
Good concept, with a plot similar to Speed, this is overlong, talky and the FX aren’t great, but like other Japanese disaster movies, it’s deeper and more thoughtful than its American counterparts.
The Cassandra Crossing (1976) 7/10
Old movie stars – check; long running time – check; multiple story lines – check; but this is one of the more impressive disaster movies of the 70s cycle which doesn’t insult your intelligence.
Concorde Affaire ‘79 (1979) 5/10
Ruggero Deodato’s Concorde knock-off is cheap but better than the film it’s ripping off – and it has Joseph Cotten, Roger Kerman in another Concorde appearance, and disco score by Stelvio Cipriani. aka The Concorde Affair; S.O.S. Concorde
The Concorde... Airport ‘79 (1979) 4/10
Not quite the supersonic airborne disaster critics made it out to be, this has a good Lalo Schifrin score, Charo, Alain Delon, George Kennedy and Roger Kerman, but was dated even when it came out. aka Airport ‘79; Airport ‘80: The Concorde
Dante’s Peak (1997) 6/10
There were two volcano movies in 1997, and this is the slightly better one, starring Pierce Brosnan, with suspenseful moments among the clichés.
Deep Impact (1998) 6/10
This has a similar plot to Armageddon but a slightly better cast and a bit more logic and substance, though it’s not without moments of stupidity and 90s sentimentality.
Earthquake (1974) 6/10
This hackneyed disaster movie has a mostly elderly cast going through the soapy motions, but it does have impressive FX and the Sensurround gimmick cracked auditorium walls at the time.
Like all Robert Wise spectacles, this is well-helmed, and it tells a compelling tale – though the disaster, filmed in black and white to match the newsreel footage – is obviously reserved for the finale.
Krakatoa: East of Java (1969) 6/10
As many have pointed out, Krakatoa is west of Java, and this disaster movie plays like a widescreen travelogue of exotic locales, with enough subplots to keep you entertained on a Sunday afternoon. aka Krakatoa, East of Java; Volcano
Edge of your seat, nail-biting suspense all the way – and very realistic, probably because they sunk a ship for real, and unlike other disaster movies, this doesn’t waste a moment of its running time.
Meteor (1979) 5/10
Armageddon Samuel Z. Arkoff-style with big names (Sean Connery, Natalie Wood), bad FX, and – coming as it did at the end of the 70s disaster movie cycle – bad timing, too.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) 8/10
Irwin Allen’s epic set the standard for all disaster movies to come and though the characters are archetypes, the acting is better than average, with Shelly Winters a standout.
Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974) 6/10
Dark, disjointed but thoughtful Toho disaster movie with monsters, stock footage and graphic depictions of radiation exposure which shocked Japanese audiences; later butchered for America. aka Catastrophe: 1999; The Last Days of Planet Earth
Rollercoaster (1977) 7/10
Released in Sensurround, this disaster movie has good rollercoaster sequences but doesn’t need gimmicks as it is an interesting character study of a psycho, well-played by Timothy Bottoms.
Speed (1994) 6/10
An entertaining thrill ride with simple plot borrowed from Bullet Train, flashy director, and mostly pleasing cast.
Submersion of Japan (1973) 7/10
Well-made Japanese disaster movie with impressive FX that gets bogged down in talk; Roger Corman chopped it up, throwing in Lorne Green, but the original is the one to see. aka Japan Sinks; Tidal Wave
The Swarm (1978) 4/10
Despite the big budget and big stars this unintentionally hilarious Irwin Allen B movie signalled the death knell for the genre.
Titanic (1997) 7/10
You cannot argue with the highest-grossing film of all time – this is a Hollywood epic of the highest order – but it probably doesn’t stand the test of time with its clunky script and dialogue.
The Towering Inferno (1974) 8/10
Pinnacle of the 70s disaster movie cycle – big budget, big cast, and big FX overshadowing the stodgy script.
Twister (1996) 6/10
The special FX were impressive for their time, but with Jan de Bont in the director’s chair, this is mostly a studio blockbuster with its eye on the bottom line, and it shows.
Volcano (1997) 4/10
Dumb disaster movie about a volcano erupting in LA, the first plot hole of many – uncomplicated nonsense for the easily pleased.
When Time Ran Out... (1980) 3/10
Irwin Allen threw everything he could at this latter-day disaster movie, but almost everything misses, especially the shoddy FX and awful performances (and that includes you, Paul Newman!).