Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

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.

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!

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.

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.