When this film came out spring of 1980 it was uniformly trashed by the critics. Leonard Maltin in his movie guide gives it a BOMB rating. My reponse? Lighten up!!! This is popcorn entertainment and it works. I watched this on a Sunday afternoon and it was a great non-think way to while away the time. It doesn't rise to the camp level of producer Irwin Allen's "The Poseidon Adventure" nor is it as violently pornographic as "The Towering Inferno". The special effects don't rise to the level of previous Allen efforts but they're not bad. I was under the impression that the star-studded cast was in paycheck mode and that may be the case but it's not apparent that they're phoning it in. Noteworthy: How many films sport so many Academy Award winners (Paul Newman, William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons) and Oscar nominees (Burgess Meredith, Valentina Cortesa, Pat Morita). Probably "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno" and maybe an "Airport" movie.