Earthquake 4K 1974

When I watched ‘Heaven's Gate’, I was 1) impressed and 2) not ready to watch subsequent disaster movies. That is why I firmly believed that the title of my review of the film starring McQueen and Newman would not include the number 2, i.e., I would not find a film that could stand on equal footing with it. But lo and behold, I found such a film, and what's more, it was also made in 1974 and also nominated for several Oscars and won several. It is a film with the unpretentious title Earthquake.

At the time, however, critics did not share my enthusiasm. Overall, they were wrong. Of course, the script is weaker here (and it was written by Mario Puzo, the screenwriter of The Godfather), but this is only noticeable at the beginning, when everything is quiet and peaceful and no one has heard of the earthquake. On the other hand, these scenes are easily carried by the Heston-Kennedy duo, who are, of course, meant to replace the McQueen-Newman duo from Hell in the Sky, which they do with flying colors. And no matter what, you genuinely worry about or rejoice for their characters. This is a lesson for Roland Emmerich, whose films, despite their scale, are guilty of having one-dimensional and stereotypical characters.

Speaking of Emmerich, in ‘The Earthquake’ there is a crazy military man, wild in appearance and mind, incredibly similar to Woody Harrelson, who, as we know, starred in ‘2012’. Such is the pun. But that's not the point. It is worth noting the excellent special effects, which surpass those in “Hell in the Sky” in scale, because there, even though it is large, it is still a building, and here, the whole of Hollywood is reduced to rubble, houses collapse, a dam bursts - and to this day it looks spectacular.

There are also cute (and talented!) actresses, a touch of humor (not always appropriate, but still), talented and charismatic actors, and even a cute white dog — everything is here. And it's somehow unfair to compare this film with the notorious “Hell in the Sky” — Robson's film simply wants to be set apart and admired, alternating between one exhibit and another. And there's still so much ahead — I've heard there's a series called “Airport”... And there, our “Crew” can be mentioned with a kind word, although this is pointless, since a masterpiece does not need unnecessary praise. In general, heartfelt thanks to the seventies for the grandiose destruction.