Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Konterr Brilliant and touching

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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.

Sandcooler Paul Newman only bothered to be in "When Time Ran Out..." (ominous points make any title better) because he needed funding for a salad dressing company, so you can imagine how riveting his performance is. He reacts to the mayhem of a volcano eruption with the shocked grimace of someone who could really go for a salad just about now. In fact, every name actor in this movie completely phones it in. Most of them were there against their will because they signed a wonky deal with producer Irwin Allen, but come on, you still have to do your job. Burgess Meredith is the only one that really tries, so he deservedly gets to play a pivotal part in the movie's (ridiculous) climax. After they got all the stars on board there clearly wasn't any money left for the special effects, so the volcano action is mostly left to your imagination, bits of stock footage and one of those stupid background photos they used before stupid CGI was commonplace. Thankfully, all of this is put together so incompetently that you just can't help but laugh and have a good time. "When Time Ran Out..." starts of a little bit too slow to be a full-blown "so bad it's good"-movie (almost nothing happens in the first hour), but once the volcano erupts you get an absolute feast of terrible dialogue, mom&pop store explosions, forced suspense and marvellous genre clichés. Sorry Paul Newman, I'm going to have to recommend this.

darthquincunx Time should have ran out on the making of this movie as it is yet another waste of good talent by Irwin Allen. The plot is predictable and formulaic, it is basically the Poseidon Adventure on a volcanic island. You have the intrepid group fleeing from the volcano, warning the rest to come with them but scoffed at. Sound familiar? Well that is exactly what happened in the Poseidon Adventure. You have your token victims picked off one by one but unlike the Poseidon Adventure where the danger was every present and it was claustrophobic, fleeing from lava flows, the danger was just not there. A real Paul Newman turkey, this one, not sure why he did it because it certainly did not enhance his reputation.

StuOz Cool explosive special effects, an okay Lalo Schifrin score, William Holden being pleasing as always and a well played sense of doom in the opening sections of the film. There are reasons to watch this for these things, but this is a film with problems and that is obvious right from the word go! Irwin Allen's other four 1970s disaster feature films began with some powerful theme music from John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith or Jerry Fielding but WTRO's Lalo Schifrin score is surprisingly low-key. This describes the film itself: it mostly lacks that Irwin Allen gusto seen in his past work! The theme music says it all! The gusto finally appears for a while when Paul Newman/James Franciscus go down in that craft to the very centre of the volcano. This scene alone makes the whole film worthwhile: very well done and full of suspense! All the scenes with William Holden and uncomfortable Franciscus together are well played.But this is sounding like a too positive review and I have to tell it like it is: What has happened to screen favourite Burgess Meredith? He looks and talks like he has just walked out of a retirement home! Just two years before this he appeared in Irwin Allen's The Return Of Captain Nemo looking and sounding a lot younger and more full of energy. I hate to say this: but I feel uncomfortable watching him in this film. I am guessing he had a contract with Irwin and he was required to do this film if he wanted to or not. Paul Newman ("that volcano movie was my worst movie") was in that situation I am told.If you viewed WTRO in 1980 or 1981, give it another chance in this century, it has actually improved over the years. In the 1990s we got two more volcano disaster movies - Dante's Peak and Volcano - both are good but perhaps a little too perfect with all that CGI all over the place. The less perfect effects work in WTRO is actually more pleasing to the eye as we all know some of it was done with REAL explosives...not computers! I wish Irwin ended with Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (1979) but When Time Ran Out is not too bad at all!