Earthquake (1974)

Earthquake (1974)

Directed by: Mark Robson

Starring: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy

Apparently this movie was hot shit when it came out because it used “SenSurround” to enhance the earthquakiness of the earthquakes. SenSurround was achieved by putting huge bass speakers around the floor of the theater, which would make it shake as the earthquake happened in the movie. That would’ve been neat to experience.

Earthquake tells the story of a ton of people as they survive a massive earthquake that threatens to destroy a dam and which causes tons of other damage. There really weren’t any specific storylines that were engaging or interesting, but it did have Walter Matthau as a drunk with a pimp hat on.

I don’t know if I just wasn’t paying enough attention or what, but there really wasn’t a whole lot to this movie. Chuck Heston’s character was having an affair and Richard Roundtree was a stunt motorcyclist, but once the earthquake hits, nothing really changes to them. I always thought the point of these big disaster movies was that something disasterous brings out different parts of people, but that never really happened in here. Heston’s character dies trying to rescue his wife, but that’s about as close as we get. And this is a two hour long movie, which is mostly just people climbing out of buildings.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just inured to disaster movies because of the popularity of them around 2000, but Earthquake didn’t really do anything for me.

Apparently this movie was hot shit when it came out because it used “SenSurround” to enhance the earthquakiness of the earthquakes. SenSurround was achieved by putting huge bass speakers around the floor of the theater, which would make it shake as the earthquake happened in the movie. That would’ve been neat to experience.

Earthquake tells the story of a ton of people as they survive a massive earthquake that threatens to destroy a dam and which causes tons of other damage. There really weren’t any specific storylines that were engaging or interesting, but it did have Walter Matthau as a drunk with a pimp hat on.

I don’t know if I just wasn’t paying enough attention or what, but there really wasn’t a whole lot to this movie. Chuck Heston’s character was having an affair and Richard Roundtree was a stunt motorcyclist, but once the earthquake hits, nothing really changes to them. I always thought the point of these big disaster movies was that something disasterous brings out different parts of people, but that never really happened in here. Heston’s character dies trying to rescue his wife, but that’s about as close as we get. And this is a two hour long movie, which is mostly just people climbing out of buildings.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just inured to disaster movies because of the popularity of them around 2000, but Earthquake didn’t really do anything for me.