(1976)
3
Donald Guarisco
Irwin Allen translated his successful "disaster movie" formula from the big screen to the small screen with this made-for-television effort. Unfortunately, Flood! offers diminishing returns in its translation of this formula. The script utilizes a rather generic setup for its titular disaster and then fails to deliver the kind of cliffhanger moments and suspenseful setpieces that defined The Poseidon Adventure or The Towering Inferno. As a result, it becomes dull when it should be revving up. In terms of acting, Robert Culp delivers a likeably sarcastic performance as a heroic helicopter pilot while Martin Milner is competent but a bit bland as the main hero and Barbara Hershey is wasted in a nothing role as Milner's fiancee. Earl Bellamy's direction is competent and he makes fine use of scenic Oregon locations but he doesn't do much to inject any visceral excitement into the film's humdrum plot. To sum up, Flood! is a drudge of an adventure film and disaster film fans should stick to Allen's big-screen productions.
Flood! on AllMovie
Flood! (1976)
