after the swarm and who ever think that disaster movie could get any bad . well if you witness this cinematic monstrosity and you will see exist proof that bad disaster movie be indeed churn out after the swarm . this movie be encourage to be film at the time because irwin allen still have one film leave on his contract to be direct and the film studio want to get their money worth while they could . i for one could not believe that william holden and paul newman would agree to star in this rubbish . i read william holden biography and i read that both newman and holden be contractually oblige to star in one more film to be direct by irwin allen and and unfortunately and this be it . with holden and newman on board and it seem like a logical idea to jump aboard this turkey . ernest borgnine and red button and jacqueline bissett and james franciscus climb on for the ride . somewhere in there and burgess meredith and italian film veteran and valentina cortese also sign on . unlike olivia de havilland who onced admit that she make a huge mistake in turn down the role of the mayor wife in the towering inferno and i be sure these actor be think exactly the opposite once film start . what i find most extraordinary be how these veteran actor couldn not see this bad career move they be about to get themselves into after read the script . olivia de havilland admits that she only sign on to the swarm after her good friend henry fonda join the project . unless the actor be all great friend with each other ( which i know for a fact be not the case ) and then they have some serious issue to sort out . problem first arise on the set of this movie when william holden discover paul newman be to get top billing for the project . holden and already a heavy drinker at the time this movie be be film and abruptly walk off the set many time during the filming process . only when the film studio guarantee that holden would share top billing with newman do he agree to come back and finish his scene . the film basically take place on a ridiculous look island that resemble the set of fantasy island . it be basically a shot of a hotel with a papier mache volcano behind it . paul newman play an oil driller . jacqueline bissett be his love interest . william holden again play the ignorant owner of the hotel who refuse to evacuate the premise once the so called disaster be foreseen . red button play an ex con and ernest borgnine again play the hardened p. i. who have be hire to track him down and bring him back for justice . veronica hamel spend most of her five minute on screen either in her night gown or in front of the vanity mirror ham it up a the poor old wife who know she be take for grant by her cheating husband . burgess meredith play the jack warden role from the poseidon adventure a the husband of the elderly vacation couple with his wife and valentina cortese . alex carras and pat morita play two barflies who hang around with some shelley winter wannabe at the local town bar . when strange tremor rock the site where newman be drill oil and he sense something be not quite right . he decide to pay a visit to the volcanic monitoring outpost which be basically a cardboard box at the top of the papier mache volcano . to add to the insanity and there a gondola like box that can be lower into the volcano for further testing ( . ) . if you have already guess that a man go down in this clap trap contraption whilst a tremor occurs and the cable snap and he fall into the lava below and then you be dead set correct . if that seem unconvincing and you should see the red light the film crew strategically place on the ground to make it look like the heat of the lava be be reflect off the cast face while be spray with water bottle to make it look like theyre sweating . one of the most hilarious scene actually happen in the town after the volcano erupts . a flow of lava be ooze down the main street and engulf everything in sight . the patron of the bar make a hasty escape right before the red lava eats it up . it look like a scene from the blob and but then i remember that steve mcqueen wasn not in this garbage . when the volcano erupts and it be up to paul newman to lead the willing group of resort patron to safety on the other side of the island . stay behind be william holden and veronica hamell in one of the most awful scene display terrible special effect . huge ball of lava be spew from the volcano into the resort . theyre actually just huge papier mache ball cover in red and purple cellophane and but the naked eye isn not suppose to notice that . the resort explodes like something from the set of the thunderbird and youre leave wonder if the bulk of the budget be spend on that one shot . newman lead the survivor through a jungle of potted plant and palm tree . it doesn not take long for them all to be cover in black soot and sweat a if they just perform a steeplechase marathon down the stairwell in the towering inferno . the group of survivor be basically the big name of the cast . borgnine and button and meredith and bissett and morita and cortese and the shelley winter lookalike from the town bar . if you think the scene where the resort explode be laughable and wait till you see the roped bridge suspend across a chasm fill with flow lava . for starter and anything that be expose to temperature radiate off flow molten lava would be sing and burn within second . but pure logic for this movie basically go out the window from about the very second the opening credit flash on the screen . newman lead the group across the bridge . pat morita try his best stella stevens impression a he tumble low motion style into the flow lava below . valentina cortese try her best shelley winter impression a she tell burgess meredith she can not go on and dy from a heart attack . newman lead the group to safety . they basically reach the other side of the island in 5 minute and but who really care . that basically the movie . upon read william holden biography and i discover that none of the actor would agree to help campaign this film or attend the premiere . i can easily understand why if they even catch five minute of the finished product . this movie be simply awful . while it do not have half the big name that star in the swarm and it be twice as bad . whilst the swarm be laughable in part and this movie only make you wonder why $ 5 . 00 of the film budget be spend on special effect and the rest be pay for catering and bad make up . this movie be the final stake to be drive through the heart of the disaster genre . it be also irwin allen final film that he direct . i be too young to see this movie when it be release theatrically and but i can just picture the audience throw popcorn at the screen before walk out in both confusion and disgust . try to avoid this movie at all cost watch it will only make you wonder where your favourite star career go wrong . negative .