When Time Ran Out... (1980)* (out of 4) Irwin Allen had a string of disaster hits but things started to fall apart with THE SWARM, which was followed by the questionable BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. The final nail in the coffin came with this truly embarrassing work that managed to get several Oscar-winners cashing a check. What we basically have here is a reworked version of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE where a group of people must try and reach safety after a mammoth volcano goes off. The dummies stay back at a hotel, which we all know if going to kill them while the smart ones, led by Paul Newman, must try and reach safety across the island. Not only do we get Newman but the cast includes William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Jacqueline Bisset, Edward Albert, Alex Karras, Burgess Meredith and Pat Morita. I've heard that a majority of these stars were under contract to Allen for one final picture so that might explain why they put their name on this mess but of course it could be because of the paycheck. Either way, this disaster film is a complete disaster from start to finish and I must admit that I'm very happy to have only watched the 108-minute version on the DVD. I had previous seen the extended version but the shorter version is always going to work best because of how bad the film is. For starters, the story is pretty much a straight rip of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and features many of the same plot points including Meredith's character filling the shoes of Shelley Winters' from that film. We get Newman doing the Hackman role and we even have Borgnine playing a cop here. Even if the story wasn't so poor, the real shock here are the special effects, which are pretty bad. The blue screen is so obvious especially in scenes showing off the volcano. Just check out the tidal wave sequence, which is a real head scratcher because we don't see very much of it and what we do see appears to have the actors standing still and someone throwing a bucket of water on them. The director doesn't have any luck at building suspense even though we get three extremely long and at times laughable sequences. One happens towards the start of the film when three men, including Newman, go down in the volcano. Another happens during the tidal wave but the biggest and most questionable happens at the end when all the survivors must walk across a bridge that is falling apart as lava flows beneath it. This should have made for a great sequence but instead it goes on so long that you can't help but lose interest and hope that people start falling. The performances are among some of the blandest that the great cast have ever turned in but, according to legend, apparently Newman started up his Newman's Own brand with the money he made off of this. In the end, this is certainly one of the worst disaster movies out there but fans of the cast and genre will probably still want to check it out just so they can talk about how bad it is.

My Take: Despite the all-star cast, this is a formula disaster movie with too much clichés and not much thrills.Released at the tail-end of the disaster movie craze of the 1970's (which might have already ended in 1979), Irwin Allen's WHEN TIME RAN OUT is more of an afterthought rather than a comeback as it was intended to be. Allen made a spectacle of himself with epics like THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO which popularized the lucrative genre. But with flops like CONCORDE: AIRPORT '79, it's clear the genre has overstayed its welcome. But apparently, no one told Irwin Allen, who went on to make this movie. Not only does the title say it all, WHEN TIME RAN OUT also came out the same year as the disaster movie spoof AIRPLANE!, making this film more embarrassing than it is.WHEN TIME RAN OUT has all the usual elements of a typical 70's disaster movie: an all-star cast caught in a major calamity. But WHEN TIME RAN OUT is much more routine than usual. The film also feels more like a TV soap opera with elements taken directly from Allen's other disaster movies. The film opens with the same-old row-call: Paul Newman is an oil drill foreman who falls for advertising exec Jacqueline Bisset, who was offered an engaging ring earlier by millionaire William Holden; James Franciscus is the owner of the island's hotel who refuses to believe the upcoming threat, while not exactly being faithful to his clueless (read: foolish) wife Veronica Hamel. And there's more where that cam from: Hotel employee Barbara Carrera refuses to marry her fiancée Edward Albert, Ernest Borgnine is an old cop in pursuit of convicted crook Red Buttons (who repeats his goofy jogging routine from THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE), and so much more. I know disaster movies are part-drama, part-adventure movies, but even when the drama takes backstage to the action, the film disappoints with some really cheesy effects and not-too-exciting action scenes (the overlong bridge-scene comes to mind).Though some hate to admit it, I'm quite fond of the 70's disaster movies, especially the one's by Allen. I liked his first two blockbusters, but I also liked his lesser efforts like THE SWARM (at least for camp value). And if there's one thing I know about Allen is that he never fails to entertain. WHEN TIME RAN OUT is quite a disaster in more than the sense of the word, with tedious subplots and some horrible special effects. But then again, no one does "disasters" like Irwin Allen.Rating: *1/2 out of 5.

"Rollercoaster" director James Goldstone's "When Time Ran Out," with Paul Newman, William Holden, Edward Albert, Ernst Borgnine, Veronica Hamel, Red Buttons, and Jacqueline Bisset, qualifies as just another Irwin Allen disaster movie. By this time, Allen's disaster movies had been nothing but disasters. While this one boasts a terrific cast, "When Time Ran Out" amounts to a tiresome bore. Interestingly enough, this was Irwin Allen's final theatrical feature film.The action occurs on an island that suspiciously resembles a cross-between of Hawaii and a studio backlot set. A papier-mâché volcano smolders ominously in the background for most of the film until it erupts. Sadly, the Carl Foreman & Stirling Silliphant screenplay, based on Gordon Thomas & Max Morgan Witt's novel "The Day the World Ended," never erupts.Oil man Hank Anderson (Paul Newman) warns tycoon Shelby Gilmore (William Holden), Kay Kirby (Jacqueline Bisset), and everybody else booked in Holden's luxury resort motel to clear out while the getting's good. Bob Spangler (James Franciscus) claims that Anderson doesn't know what he's talking about. Spangler insists that the volcano won't blow. Not surprisingly, the volcano does blow, and Gilmore along with a host of others escape to higher ground after crossing a rugged obstacle course. In one scene, they must traverse a rickety old bridge over a stream of molten lava.If you've seen one disaster movie, you've seen them all. This muddled epic bristles with cardboard characters, predictable scripting (by two really good writers) and phony special effects. As for the title, Allen should have altered it. Time doesn't run out in "When Time Ran Out," it drags out!

I watched this movie when I was a kid and I was fascinated by the special effects and acting. I've heard some bad reviews about it but the critics who gave it bad reviews were probably time wasters. I would say the best part of the movie is when the hotel blows up at the end, HOW SPECTACULAR! The acting was good, the special FX were good and the plot was excellent. I haven't read the book but haven't been able to get hold of it. I think every-part of this movie counts and every scene is greater than the last. I like this movie because 1) it is a disaster movie, which I worship, 2) it is about a volcano, which is a recipe for disaster, and 3) the acting is just super.