Featured Audience Ratings

• Mark H

  
  Woefully underrated thriller stars Timothy Bottom and George Segal in a brilliant game of cat and mouse set at a series of theme parks. Disaster films of the 70s were big on gimmicks and short on characterization. Rollercoaster was marketed around its catastrophes. And while the… More
  Woefully underrated thriller stars Timothy Bottom and George Segal in a brilliant game of cat and mouse set at a series of theme parks. Disaster films of the 70s were big on gimmicks and short on characterization. Rollercoaster was marketed around its catastrophes. And while the action is highlighted a couple of accidents, it's the performances of these two leads that draws you in. It's really not a disaster movie at all, but a battle of wits. The narrative strips away needless extras and lays bare an intense relationship between good and evil. Timothy Bottoms portrays the demented young man who sabotages roller coasters around the country in an effort to extort $1 million dollars from the authorities. He presents the terrorist not as a crazed madman, but as a calm handsome, preppy type. The depiction is thoroughly unexpected and goes a long way in making him a delightfully uncharacteristic villain. He's matched in his scheme by George Segal as Harry Calder, the Standards and Safety Inspector, whom he personally selects as his contact. Segal has got a world weary cynical tone that makes the dialogue better than it's actually written. Together their discomforting but occasionally amusing exchanges are what drives the script. I'll admit this isn't a complex picture. There aren't many plot twists that will be difficult to follow. But it's that glorious simplicity that I find so appealing. The climax takes place at the opening of "The Great American Revolution" roller coaster at Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The unveiling is introduced with a lot of fanfare. Cult Los Angeles rock band Sparks even makes an appearance as the entertainment for the grand opening. This is a big deal people! Apparently this was the world's first modern roller coaster to feature a vertical loop. Ah these were innocent times. Given the excitement of the cluster at the front of the line, you'd think they had tickets to the moon. In the end, this isn't the type of film to win a lot of Academy awards, but you knew that when you read the synopsis. It is however an incredibly entertaining thriller with wonderful performances. I loved it.

• David L

  
  "Rollercoaster" is one of those movies where you check your brain at the door and just sit back to watch. If you think about it much the flaws will come pouring out. It's a simple story of an extortionist who terrorizes the nation's amusement parks until he gets… More
  "Rollercoaster" is one of those movies where you check your brain at the door and just sit back to watch. If you think about it much the flaws will come pouring out. It's a simple story of an extortionist who terrorizes the nation's amusement parks until he gets his money. Obviously it is the rollercoasters that he sabotages. The opening scene is a slick and frightening sequence as we see a rollercoaster literally collapse before our eyes. George Segal plays a park inspector who unwittingly becomes an ally to the killer (nicely played by Timothy Bottoms). The middle section of the film is a mano y mano between the two as Bottoms runs Segal all over an amusement park where a money exchange is supposed to be made. One of the best moments is when Segal finds out where the bomb Bottoms has planted is hidden. The performances are all solid. Segal plays his part with a nice 'everyman' quality that makes him easily relatable. It is nice to see him living in an apartment that is reasonably sloppy. It is also fun to watch him ride a roller coaster. While everyone else is screaming and stretching their arms into the air he just sits right in the front car looking bored. Widmark is equally as good and possibly at his most gruff and abrasive. The sparing relationship that he has with Segal is entertaining. The intricate cat and mouse game that Segal plays with Bottoms isn't too bad either. There are a few impressive shots where the camera is mounted on the front roller coaster car and then is glided along the tracks at high speeds giving the viewer of a very realistic feeling of actually being on a roller coaster. Overall I would recommend it to fans of 70's cinema and to whoever appreciates a good popcorn movie.

• Randy T

  
  Made during the era of big budget 'disaster' pictures (see <i>The Towering Inferno</i>, <i>Airport</i>, <i>Earthquake</i>, <i>The Poseidon Adventure</i>, etc.). Here the culprit is a terrorist who plots an attack on an… More
  Made during the era of big budget 'disaster' pictures (see <i>The Towering Inferno</i>, <i>Airport</i>, <i>Earthquake</i>, <i>The Poseidon Adventure</i>, etc.). Here the culprit is a terrorist who plots an attack on an amusement park ride. Apparently the pool of fresh ideas was almost dry.

• jay n

  
  Not bad thriller, billed as a disaster movie but really more of a police/madman face-off.

• Danny R

  
  A clever, well-crafted underrated 70s thriller with taut directon by James Goldstone. About a deadly sociopathic extortionist bomber who is blowing up amusement-park rollercoasters with his homemade radio controlled bombs, his sole objective is money and if the group of amusement-park… More
  A clever, well-crafted underrated 70s thriller with taut directon by James Goldstone. About a deadly sociopathic extortionist bomber who is blowing up amusement-park rollercoasters with his homemade radio controlled bombs, his sole objective is money and if the group of amusement-park owners don't pay him a million dollars, he will continue his lethal bombings until they do, George Segal delivers a winning performance as the burned out safety inspector who is helping the F.B.I. track down the mad bomber, played superbly by Timothy Buttom who's nameless, soft-spoken mad bomber is chillingly believable, there is a wonderful tense game of cat and mouse between Segal and Buttoms who regularly calls him at home with a begrudging respect. The outstanding supporting cast all deliver superlative performances they included Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg and Richard Widmark, who is a standout as a tough federal agent. The film used a 70s novelty, a sound system called "Sensurround" that was first used in the 1974 disaster film "Earthquake," theaters that were playing the movie with this sound system were specially equipped with giant subwoofers in the front and back of the cinema on the floor, they looked like huge six foot tall black boxes, they would rumble at strategic points in the film to enhance the feel of the rollercoaster rides, i remember the experience was a lot of fun and very realistic, it sounded like i was really on a rollercoaster, excellent cimematogarphy and solid suspense throughout, a good time. Highly Recommended.

• Anthony V

  
  Interesting 70's oddity. Maintains interest and has a nice "Sparks" concert from their "Big Beat" era.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings