The 70s were full of a certain type of disaster movie, and this is one more from that cookie cutter production line. The common thread in all these movies is that they're just not very good... and not very good for the exact same reason, namely terrible writing.
Most aspects of this movie are adequate. The pacing is as good as can be expected (given the script), the models are amateurish, but hey, it's 1977, the acting is what you expect from those actors. The problem is that this movie (and all its siblings) don't understand that they way you make a disaster movie gripping and intense is FOCUS! You pick your disaster, and from that point on, EVERYTHING in the script is one hundred percent concentrated on resolving the disaster and dealing with how it "fights back". Think for example of a recent quality disaster movie like The Martian, or Apollo 13.
This movie comes from the amateur hour screenplays of the 70s that were under the delusion that throwing in the kitchen sink would somehow ramp up the tension. And so we have at least four (by my count) back stories that appear for a scene or three, are supposed to generate some tension (but in fact merely divert focus) and then disappear never to be mentioned again. It's pathetic!
There's a reason a movie like Airplane had SO much fodder to work with... And this movie is very much in line with what Airplane was mocking.
Most aspects of this movie are adequate. The pacing is as good as can be expected (given the script), the models are amateurish, but hey, it's 1977, the acting is what you expect from those actors. The problem is that this movie (and all its siblings) don't understand that they way you make a disaster movie gripping and intense is FOCUS! You pick your disaster, and from that point on, EVERYTHING in the script is one hundred percent concentrated on resolving the disaster and dealing with how it "fights back". Think for example of a recent quality disaster movie like The Martian, or Apollo 13.
This movie comes from the amateur hour screenplays of the 70s that were under the delusion that throwing in the kitchen sink would somehow ramp up the tension. And so we have at least four (by my count) back stories that appear for a scene or three, are supposed to generate some tension (but in fact merely divert focus) and then disappear never to be mentioned again. It's pathetic!
There's a reason a movie like Airplane had SO much fodder to work with... And this movie is very much in line with what Airplane was mocking.