Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Leofwine_draca This is by far my favourite disaster movie of all time, a film that transcends its somewhat cheesy genre origins to become one of the greatest movies ever made – full stop! It helps that it was the first film I ever saw, at the age of four, and even re-watching it today I can remember many of the classic moments. I was so young back then that I couldn't even pronounce the title – I used to call it 'The Fire in the Flats'! Although it's a lengthy movie, the running time is justified, because there's never a second wasted. The skyscraper setting is perfectly utilised, transforming from a posh, technologically advanced masterpiece of design into a raging death trap spelling destruction for many of those trapped inside. I get shivers just thinking about it. Director John Guillerman does a splendid job of building suspense and terror in equal measure and the result is a taut masterpiece. The script is also unusually good, a combination of two popular 'burning skyscraper' novels in one satisfying whole.What else is there to say? Great choreography – the fire itself is almost a living creation, more terrifying than many a movie monster. The action scenes are hair-raising, especially the bit on the broken stairwell. John Williams' score is music at its melodramatic best. And the cast – what a cast! McQueen and Newman butting heads and Newman coming off tops as the heroic architect (although that's not to deny McQueen's presence as the fire chief); Faye Dunaway and Jennifer Jones lending Hollywood glamour; Fred Astaire as a lovely old man; Richard Chamberlain as one of film's most loathsome villains; plus minor roles from familiar faces like Robert Vaughn, O.J. Simpson, and Robert Wagner. Add in effects that still stand the test of time even today and you have one fantastic movie.

tomasg-69814 It has been heavy discussed over the years about the "peak" status of this movie, being the most successful production in the era of pretty silly and - in average - overambitious disaster movies between 1970-1980. The trends who invited the greatest movie companies to show us terrible ways to die, fascinates me in present days. The view of the world must have been gloomy and gray, people still wanted to be shown moderate special effects of avalanches (salt) and skyscrapers fully set on fire. (Scale models.) Some of the characters always made it to the end of the tunnel for daylight, some were brutally roasted, the "heroes" who often sacrificed themselves for the crew.The Towering Inferno of 1974 is the one disaster i can re-visit from time to time. Mostly because of the very good casting, and the non-stop action after the entering of the flames. Steve McQueen was in first to act as the architect, but changed his mind. Thank You. Anyone imagine if Newman and McQueen would have been playing the other ones part? OK, If so, we could have discuss it either other way, today, because we wouldn't know anything else. The rest of the stars in this "epic panic" are just statistics for me; Newman grabs the steering wheel from the beginning, but almost has to move over to be co-driver, when fire chief McQueen enters the screen, jumping out of his car beside the "chimney". Equal lines, equal top billing....yes you heard it all before. The great rivals of the 70's (especially McQueen) was apparently sick of ego, and didn't allow the other part to have an inch of attention, or a second more of limelight than the opponent. Today this movie is only remembered by many as a cult flick of the (first) disaster era; some will rank it the as the best, the most successful. Patterns are all there: the love stories, the struggling family relations, the other template people you get to know briefly before the tragic sets in. The bad ones who gets theirs.I still like this one pretty lot, and will pick it up again, maybe this x-mas?

K F After watching this movie I have come to the conclusion that people in the 70ies were retarded and stared at each other awful lot. It sort of makes sense now too why they were all dressed in Ronald Weasley's dress robes...Apart from the endless staring at each other they also made sure there were lengthy pauses after each corny and unnatural sounding sentence they uttered. Even in the middle of a life-threatening emergency. They were either all terribly zen or...retarded. Yeah. I think this is one of the most annoying movies I have ever seen. About 65% of it, at least, could and should have been cut easily. I hope they remake it with normal people.

mark.waltz Following the smashing success of "The Poseidon Adventure", veteran producer Irwin Allen jumped back on the band wagon of producing tense, star-filled dramas of humanity in jeopardy for one reason or another. Following the big boat came this big skyscraper, and of course, this lead to his big disaster with an exploding volcano. Other copy-cat producers created movies about exploding blimps (three of them including a historical look back at "The Hindenberg" and two involving blimps hovering over crowded sporting events), rollercoasters flying off of their hinges, and of course, airplanes falling from the sky. All of them featured the most popular leading stars of the day and some surprising veterans making amusing comebacks."The Towering Inferno" is a scary thought in a world still remembering the impact of 9/11, and when this movie first came out, the World Trade Centers had only been open for a short time. Like "The Poseidon Adventure", an all-star cast gets together to celebrate a huge event, only to find their lives in jeopardy when disaster strikes. What it lacks in comparison to "The Poseidon Adventure" was that film's big heart, even though one of the plot lines attempted to keep that detail here. But this is a film about corporate greed and ego, and it is building owner William Holden's desire to own the world's tallest building, so perhaps it was intended for more of a message picture than one of holiday sentiment surrounded by tragedy.1950's rival tough guys (Paul Newman and Steve McQueen) fight over who will be the hero here, with Newman as Holden's partner and McQueen as fire chief. Newman is engaged to magazine editor Faye Dunaway which doesn't mean much because the storyline surrounding their relationship is never really developed and Dunaway, very busy in films in 1974, really has little to do. The most interesting storyline surrounds conman Fred Astaire (in an Oscar Nominated role) and his younger lady love (veteran actress Jennifer Jones) and their attempts to get out of the burning building. Susan Flannery, then at the top of her popularity on daytime's "Days of Our Lives", got a great deal of attention as one of the fire's victims.The set-up to the cause of the fire and how it spreads takes up much of the film's three hour running time, and moves into the attempts to rescue those trapped inside. Special effects are amazing, and overall, the film is extremely entertaining. However, an attempt to create another hit song like "The Morning After" (from "The Poseidon Adventure") is missed with "We May Never Love Like This Again" which did go on to win an Oscar but is certainly not as well remembered as Maureen McGovern's previous hit. She actually gets to appear on screen here, singing a bit of the song, unlike in "Poseidon".Fans of Astaire will be surprised to learn that this was his only trip to the Oscars as a nominee, never having been nominated for any of his classic musical films. He basically plays a non-singing, barely dancing version of all his other characters, the charming, dashing older man who just happens to be an ex-con. Jones is still gorgeous thirty years after receiving her Oscar. Other stars try to make an impression in the film, but sadly, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Wagner, Robert Vaughan and then football hero O.J. Simpson end up sidetracked when compared to the impact of the other stars. While this is far from being a miss, it is certainly not worthy of the hype it had at the time, especially its inclusion as an Oscar Nominee for Best Picture.