Okay, pull up a beanbag chair, maybe grab a can of New Coke (or just a regular one, your call), because we're digging into a tape that likely gathered some dust even back in the day: Irwin Allen's 1980 volcanic oopsie-daisy, When Time Ran Out... Seeing that iconic Warner Bros. clamshell with this title always sparked a weird mix of curiosity and caution at the local Video Village. Could the "Master of Disaster" strike gold again after The Towering Inferno? Well... about that.
Paradise Found, Paradise About to Be Lost
The setup is classic disaster flick fodder, pure Allen formula. We're whisked away to a remote Pacific island where slick hotel magnate Shelby Gilmore (William Holden, looking weary but professional) has built a stunning new resort right under the shadow of a supposedly dormant volcano. Oil man Hank Anderson (Paul Newman, radiating charisma even when wading through lava... metaphorically, mostly) suspects the fiery mountain is about to blow its top. Naturally, nobody listens until it's too late, trapping a glittering array of guests – including Holden's savvy PR exec Kay Kirby (Jacqueline Bisset), a kindly old couple (Burgess Meredith and Valentina Cortese), a fugitive bond thief (James Franciscus) with a detective (Ernest Borgnine) hot on his heels, and various other archetypes ripe for peril.
It's the kind of premise that fueled countless Saturday nights glued to the CRT, a promise of spectacle and star-studded survival. And the cast! Newman, Holden, Bisset, Borgnine... these weren't just actors; they were cinematic royalty. Seeing them assembled here feels less like an ensemble and more like a hostage situation orchestrated by a weak script.
A Cast Adrift
One of the most fascinating, and frankly poignant, aspects of watching When Time Ran Out... today is seeing these titans try to elevate material that feels thinner than volcanic ash. Paul Newman brings his effortless cool, a grounding presence desperately needed amidst the chaos. He reportedly despised the film – allegedly calling it something far less polite than "disappointing" – and you can almost see the resignation behind those famous blue eyes. It’s a testament to his star power that he remains compelling. William Holden, in one of his final roles (and his last disaster film), carries the weight of a man who knows he’s backed the wrong horse, both literally and figuratively. The rumored on-set friction between him, Newman, and producer Irwin Allen over the script's quality feels palpable on screen.
The rest of the cast does what they can. Jacqueline Bisset adds grace and intelligence, making the most of underdeveloped relationships. Ernest Borgnine brings his usual gruff energy, though his subplot with James Franciscus feels like padding imported from a lesser TV movie. It's a collection of professionals stranded not just by lava, but by a screenplay credited to heavyweights Carl Foreman (High Noon, The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Sterling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night, The Poseidon Adventure), which makes the resulting dialogue and paper-thin character arcs even more baffling.
The Allen Touch (or Lack Thereof)
This was Irwin Allen's swan song in the big-screen disaster genre he largely defined, and sadly, it feels less like a grand finale and more like a tired echo. Produced for a hefty $20 million (around $74 million today), the film was a catastrophic flop, barely scraping back $3.7 million at the US box office. It was clear the audience's appetite for this specific brand of spectacle had cooled.
The production itself seemed troubled. Allen, perhaps feeling the pressure, relied on familiar tropes but lacked the tension and character investment that made The Poseidon Adventure or The Towering Inferno work, despite their own flaws. Location filming in Hawaii lends some authentic tropical beauty, but it's often undermined by surprisingly shoddy effects work. Keen-eyed viewers might even spot some miniature model shots reportedly recycled from Allen's 1977 TV movie Fire!, a cost-saving measure that speaks volumes.
Across the Burning Chasm
Ah, the effects. In an era where practical effects could still wow us (think Alien just the year before), When Time Ran Out... often stumbles. The lava flows sometimes look suspiciously like glowing oatmeal creeping across miniature sets. And then there's that bridge scene. Our heroes must cross a rickety wooden bridge over a river of molten rock. The sequence is meant to be the film's heart-stopping centerpiece, echoing the harrowing set pieces of Allen's past triumphs. Instead, it's... well, it's something. The execution, involving obvious miniatures, less-than-convincing fire effects, and some dramatic-but-unintentionally-funny character moments, has become legendary for all the wrong reasons. I remember watching this scene on VHS, squinting at the fuzzy screen, and thinking, "Surely that doesn't look right?" It didn't then, and time has not been kind. It's a moment that perfectly encapsulates the film's unfortunate blend of ambition and inadequacy.
Interestingly, a drastically shorter version often aired on television under the title Earth's Final Fury. While cutting nearly an hour, it sometimes included snippets of different footage, particularly a tacked-on epilogue, further muddying the film's already murky legacy. Did anyone else catch that version late at night and wonder if they’d imagined parts of the theatrical release?
Legacy of Ash
When Time Ran Out... isn't a film you recommend for its quality. It’s slow, the dialogue often clunky, the tension minimal, and the effects frequently laughable. Yet, there's a strange nostalgic pull. It represents the absolute end of the 70s disaster cycle, a genre burning out not with a bang, but a fizzle. Seeing these incredible actors together, even in a misfire, holds a certain fascination. It’s a time capsule of sorts – a reminder of when studios threw huge budgets and bigger stars at simple, high-concept premises, sometimes with spectacular results, and sometimes... well, sometimes you got this.
Watching it now feels like excavating a peculiar artifact from the video store shelves. It wasn't a beloved classic you rented every other week, but more like that dusty tape you picked up once out of curiosity, drawn in by the star power and the promise of explosive action, only to be met with a slow burn that never quite ignites.
Rating: 3/10
The score reflects the film's significant shortcomings: a weak script that wastes an astonishing cast, lackluster direction, and special effects that were questionable even in 1980. The few points awarded are purely for the nostalgic value, the unintentional humor derived from its flaws, and the sheer, baffling spectacle of seeing so much talent adrift in such mediocre material.
Final Thought: When Time Ran Out... remains a fascinating failure, a volcanic dud that inadvertently serves as the tombstone for the golden age of the disaster movie. It asks the question: can star power alone save a film? The answer, erupting from this movie's core, is a resounding, slightly sluggish, no.