Massive Retaliation (1984)

Perfect cast and a good story

In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I saw this in passing and thought "How did I miss THAT one?" I've seen great movies on the topic - Threads (amazing), Testament, even the cliche The Day After... so it seemed a treat to find this.Boy was I wrong. After "meeting" all the characters, I wanted the bombs or the radiation to win. Every single character - kids included - is repellent and detestable. Seriously, I wished I had pompoms and a "Go Nukes Go!" T-shirt on.The beginning is a lot of unlikable people all hearing news about an impending war with the Soviet Union in the Gulf. SUPPOSEDLY they're all in some sort of "Nuclear War Survival Club" or something, but it's clear from the get-go none of them have a clue what that means. They actually think that "KEEP OUT" signs are a good first defense. Then they have their entire system based on a computer (apparently EMPs were unknown then and TRS-80s with thousands of disks were thought to be Pentagon-esque). Cliches galore. Rednecks, non-veteran leader with delusions he's a general... at the first news report of explosions in the gulf - DAYS before the EBS goes on - the rednecks start to rape & pillage. News reports talk about "random looting" but everyone is evacuating in an orderly, nonchalant manner.I won't go into every sordid detail. it's just drekscheisse. THREE OUTSTANDINGLY AWFUL THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR: The "comic relief" buddy. Bobcat Goldthwaite. The kids at the end holding hands & surrounding a dead man after saying how much they hate war. Yes, it's THAT excrementally bad.Get some drinks, snacks, and snarky friends & have a Riff Party for this dog.

A group of survivalists hole-up in a backwoods cabin, braced for an impending nuclear attack. Meanwhile, their children are trying desperately to join them, facing car troubles along the way.There are plenty of nuclear war films out there...put this one at the bottom of your "see list". This poorly written low-budget film strives for the same subdued bleakness that made TESTAMENT a powerful experience...the result is a dull soap opera of tawdry interpersonal dilemmas with a World War III back-story. With subject matter as serious as this, MASSIVE RETALIATION should be a rough punch in the gut...sadly, it just tickles your ass with a feather.3.5/10 - not recommended.

When I saw this movie, I couldn't believe that any self-respecting producer would waste the money. The action is silly. The youth of the movie are portrayed as smart-mouth and not worth the saving (an outgrowth of the scriptwriter's own view of children). The cast list tells you all you need to know when you see Peter Donat, Jason Gedrick and Bob Goldthwait all in the same movie.I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the portrayal of the survivalists. It is typical of Hollywood's view of people other than those in their own inner circle.If you must see a nuclear disaster movie, this is not it. You'd be much better off seeing "Miracle Mile" with Anthony Edwards, or "On the Beach".

Massive Retaliation is your every day, average five-star movie. The beginning starts out great, but then quickly goes downhill. Massive Retaliation is about a group of survivalists that retreat to their camp after the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the Gulf of Oman. Their children were supposed to come up earlier in the day, but when they find the bunk-houses empty panic starts to set in. As urban areas in the U.S. are evacuated tension increases. The movie was made in 1984, but the styles of clothes and music looked like they were left over from the late 70's. If you're really interested in the nuclear topic you should see Massive Retaliation. But, be forewarned, there is only one nuclear event reported on a TV news program. No big nuclear explosions in this one.