memorable-name Get ready to be shaken, stirred and possibly even tickled as Los Angeles is destroyed by a major earthquake (hence the title) made over 40 years ago, Earthquake still has the magnitude to entertain even if some will find the first 50 mins a little slow but don't be discouraged once the knee trembler strikes it should offer enough to keep you entertained. The characters are a little clichéd we have Ava Gardner and Charlton Heston in a troubled marriage, it seems that its not just L.A. that is falling apart, there is George Kennedy as a disgruntled cop, Genevieve Bujold as a single mom, Victoria Principle as a young woman who attracts the men and whole host of other actors who were famous during the 70's. The special effects range from good to laughable, just remember this was before cgi and the scenes where we see the skyline wibble and wobble are still quite impressive to this day as is the post quake action. So if you don't mind your action, flared, bell bottomed and campy this 1970s blockbuster one of the best, biggest and least disastrous disaster movies of its time could be the film for you.

SnoopyStyle Remy (Ava Gardner) and Stuart Graff (Charlton Heston)'s marriage is falling apart. She ODs once again after another fight. During a small earthquake, she jumps up and reveals that she's faking. He's a construction engineer working for his father-in-law Sam Royce (Lorne Greene). He starts an affair with the widow of his friend and single mom Denise Marshall (Geneviève Bujold). There is a mysterious drowning at a local dam and other disturbing signs. LAPD cop Lou Slade (George Kennedy) gets suspended for punching a clueless county cop. Miles (Richard Roundtree) is a motorcycle rider perfecting a new stunt. Grad student Russell predicts the big one in 48 hours.Walter Matthau's getup is hilarious. That bar is a weird place and that T-shirt is super fine. I like that group of characters. They're a little off-beat and slightly fun. I care a lot less about the affair and the jealousy within the Graff marriage. They could drop into the earth for all I care. The earthquake action is as much as can be expected with shaking cameras, miniatures, falling styrofoam and other stuntwork. This is good special effects for its times and satisfies the need for destruction. It's nowhere near as visually compelling as CGI but it feeds the same animal instincts. There is a good 15 minutes of continuous destruction. The aftermath is a mix of good rescue scenarios and bad melodrama.

Anthony To the point, while on a binge of disaster films, it occurred to me that Earthquake quite simply had no story other than the disaster itself. The first half refuses to engage, with characters that undergo a dull drama. I am not impatient--in fact, I don't mind the wait in The Towering Inferno, which some may find tedious. However, once all the pieces are put into place for the big one in this film, you get eight solid minutes of destruction. The second half, including aftermath, gives you what you wanted from a movie called Earthquake, even with some dated effects. You still get that 70's oomph.It's not The Poseidon Adventure by a long shot, but for those seeking destruction, this delivers the goods, and certainly better than others of the genre such as Airport and its sequels. This film is underrated here on IMDb. In conclusion, if I could give Earthquake a 6.5, I would; but I like to round up. Thanks for reading, and remember; it's all IMO.

Maddyclassicfilms Earthquake is directed by Mark Robson, written by George Fox and Mario Puzo and stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Genevieve Bujold and Lorne Greene.Following the success of films like The Poseidon Adventure, Airport and The Towering Inferno along came Earthquake. Unlike many other films in this genre Earthquake is just terrible, it's characters are for the most part shallow and even unlikable and too much time is spent focusing on their lives and problems and not enough on the disaster itself.For the time the special effects were good and the film was released in cinemas with Sense Surround.There is a stellar cast in this film but sadly even they cannot save this one. Stuart(Charlton Heston) and Remy Graff(Ava Gardner) are a bickering married couple who can't stand each other. Graff is having an affair with single mother Denise(Genevieve Bujold) and she thinks he will leave his wife for her. The other characters we encounter include a stunt motor bike rider(Richard Roundtree), an embittered cop(George Kennedy)who befriends a young woman called Rosa(Victoria Principle)and Remy's rich dad(Lorne Greene). There's also a bizarre cameo from Walter Matthau playing a drunk.Apart from a couple of earthquake sequences that do look impressive and scary most of the effects look dated today and the film drags on much longer than it should do. One for disaster fans who want to see as many films from the genre as they can, for the rest of us this is one to avoid.