Earthquake (1974)

Wonderful character development!

Just perfect...

I wanted to but couldn't!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Various interconnected people struggle to survive when an earthquake of unimaginable magnitude hits Los Angeles.This movie is notable for the use of an innovative sound effect called Sensurround which created the sense of actually experiencing an earthquake in theaters. Due in part to this technology, the film won an Academy Award for Best Sound (Ronald Pierce, Melvin M. Metcalfe Sr.). Well done! Although relatively little happens for the first half, that does not seem to matter. We still enjoy getting to meet this motley cast of characters. There is some name-dropping (e.g. Zsa Zsa Gabor) to remind us we are in Los Angeles, and the action is well paced. I especially enjoyed seeing people fall off the tall buildings.

Even by the usual standards of disaster movies, "Earthquake" is a rubbish film. Most of these kinds of films have most of the budget spent on the special effects but the same can't be said for this film. It's the usual case of loads of stars having nothing to do. Charlton Heston made far better films than this. He only has to act the hero by trying to save the victims. It is so predictable, it's a wonder this film was made.

LA is rocked by a series of quakes, leading to the city collapsing into rubble, fire, and damaged structural integrity. The population endures danger and death as a result. To make matters worse: the nearby dam is on the verge of bursting!Get this out of the way: critique this based on plot and characterizations, besides how people suffer at the aftermath of quakes, and Earthquake is a rather unimpressive enterprise. Marjoe Gortner is a supermarket checkout in the National Guard who turns out to be an unstable psycho sexually obsessed with Victoria Principal (rocking a fro), who herself is the sister of a tag-along of stuntman Richard Roundtree (who had made his name in the Shaft films). There's Ava Gardner starring as Charlton Heston's shrill, noisy wife (sadly a far cry from that curvy seductress who made heads turn, showing up in her first scene bitching Heston out!) and Lorne Green's "daughter" (ha!). Pretty Bujold is the "other woman" who Heston eyes as a future squeeze. George Kennedy comes off best as a suspended cop who punches out a county officer for challenging his pursuit of a dirtbag in a convertible leading an incredible high speed chase that nearly claims innocent victims along the way.The money was well spent on the effects. The major city quake and subsequent dam break are knockouts. While the supporting subplots generate less enthusiasm, I couldn't say I wasn't entertained. There's a good sense of humor (the bar fight, Matthau taking shots at the bar as the city collapses around him!), well developed suspense (Bujold braving loose electrical wires to rescue her injured son, Greene lowering down his employees on a chair using a fire hose as the stairs on his floor were gone), and decent foreshadowing (seismologists Barry Sullivan and Kip Niven discussing recent evidentiary findings that support scary quakes ahead, the folks at the dam realizing the structure could disrupt at any moment) really deliver where it counts.The plot is busy with moving parts but it is the effects and heroism that this disaster film hangs it's hat on. Looking for intricate plot development and strong performance art wasn't on the agenda. This was aimed for butts in seats and an audience looking for shock and awe. Heston's former football star, now a rising architectural exec getting promotions by papa-in-law Greene to appease constantly- griping Ava isn't exactly a subplot that leaps off the screen pleasantly. But Kennedy organizing a rescue operation on the outset of catastrophe is. Jesse Vint and his homophobic goons haranguing Gortner, later machine-gunned by him is a stunning scene. Bujold is lost on a film such as this, but her beauty is tapped instead of her talent. The falling bodies and debris as the city crash and burns is incredible. One gripe: the cartoon blood during an elevator collapse!

Earthquake (1974) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Highly entertaining but brain-numbing stupid disaster picture has the "big one" hitting L.A. where a wide group of strangers must try to survive not only the disaster but its aftermath.EARTHQUAKE, in regards to its story, is downright awful from start to finish with one of the laziest and dumbest screenplays that the genre ever gave us. Thankfully, there's an all-star cast and some dazzling special effects that save it and in the end there's no doubt that it's worth watching if you're a fan of the genre. After all, the special effects won a special Oscar and I don't think anyone could argue that the effects are mighty impressive.The special effects are certainly the main reason to watch the film as we get to see a giant city fall thanks to not only an earthquake but there are also tall buildings on fire as well as a large amount of water from a dam that bursts. All of the special effects are quite impressive even to this day with the one exception being the blood splat during an elevator scene. The most impressive stuff deals with the actual earthquake as we get to see the ground crack in front of our eyes and buildings get ripped apart in seconds. The miniatures used are extremely believable and there's no doubt that the effects make you feel as if you're really witnessing an earthquake.As with any 70s disaster picture, this one here features a terrific cast with Charlton Heston leading the way as a man dating a younger woman (Genevieve Bujold) while trying to break away from his alcoholic wife (Ava Gardner). None of the three are Oscar worthy but they're entertaining enough. We've also got the "King of the Disasters" George Kennedy offering up a good performance. The supporting cast also includes Richard Roundtree, Lorne Greene, Victoria Principal and Marjoe Gortner. Walter Matthau also appears in an awful performance and role as a drunk.Speaking of the last two actors mentioned. There's a subplot dealing Gortner's character who we first see doing a nice act then seeing him getting picked on and then a really bizarre finale. I'm not sure why this character snaps but it's a really bad and somewhat embarrassing moment. Even the stuff with the Matthau character just seems to be from another film and looks awful here. The entire melodrama is pretty useless from start to finish and it's clear these stereotypes were just thrown together to be heroes or to die.EARTHQUAKE isn't a horrible movie thanks to the cast and there's no question that the special effects makes it a must see.