Rating: 
Summary: hold on to your seat
Review: I remember seeing this movie at the cinema back when I was a pre-teen. I think it was probably the first film I saw with 'surround sound' or whatever the latest gimmick was. I thought it was great and sitting in the cinema, I felt just like I was on the rollercoaster. Watching it on the tv screen at home is unlikely to be anywhere near as great as the original experience so I think I'll stick with my memories. I don't think the story was that clever, so if I were you I'd wait for a special movie event at your local cinema and go see it there - the DVD or video is likely to be disappointing no matter how big your tv screen is.
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated Suspense
Review: If you're looking for a campy, over-produced, disaster film of the seventies, you're gonna be disappointed. If you can get over the title of this film and actually watch it, you're gonna be plesently surprised. The premise may seem silly, but it actually works. Great acting, a smart script, even smarter dialogue, and excellent editing make this a real thriller. The suspense is almost on the same line as "Jaws". Sure the gaudy setting may be a turn-off, but just pay attention to the story and action and you'll become engaged. What makes this film so unique is the fact that people go to amusement parks everyday without the notion of anything going wrong. You can feel for this film because we've all been in the situation where we know something bad can happen, but our own enjoyment can distract us. What "Poltergeist" does to the suburbs and "Speed" does to public transportation, "Rollercoaster" does the same thing to the least likeliest place of terror- family amusements parks. Also, if you're planning a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, you'll DEFINITELY want to check this movie out!
Rating: 
Summary: In "Rollercoaster" no one can hear you screm over the others
Review: Okay, nobody ever thought it was really safe to get on the rollercoaster, but a mysterious master criminal (Timothy Bottoms) - who knows a thing or two about electronics, demolitions and engineering - has his own ideas for adding chills. Planting remote control bombs on tracks - precisely at the spot where the coaster goes fastest - he derails them in a series of spectacular and deadly "accidents". At first written off as accidents, the bomber moves from smaller parks to larger ones with flashier rides and richer owners. Only intrepid insurance investigator Harry Calder (George Segal) from LA spots an obvious pattern and suspects terrorism while the incidents are first written off as accidental tragedies. Worming his way into a meeting of the amusement park CEO's, Calder attracts the attention of the FBI, and then the mystery man himself. Calder is maverick, not a team player - he's not afraid to call it like it is or follow any lead to the ends of the world, but in Bottoms's character, Harry's met his match. The bomber turns Harry into a reluctant participant of the crime, having him collect the extortion money from the park owners and deposit it on a dead drop area in the middle of a targeted amusement park. In an elaborate sequence, and communicating with Harry over a walkie-talkie, the bomber sends Harry on an elaborate wild-goose chase in which he's forced to ride every ride while carrying the money and what may be a bomb.As a thriller, "Rollercoaster" is a mixed bag. The script posits Bottoms's mystery man as a cool extortionist - but the technical details of his mastery are glossed over. Also, in a film about rollercoasters, there's nary a mention about the science behind them. There's so little care about the engineering behind them that machines in this movie raise little if any chills whether in their designed role to scare people or thier scripted role in which they actually kill people. This was probably just TV-movie of the week fodder for the late 1970's. Still it's irresistible today mostly because it is a sort of time capsule for big-budget disaster movies from the period, featuring established big-name stars in meaningless and small parts (Henry Fonda has a bit part as George Segal's boss in a scene where we learn that Harry isn't a team player; Richard Widmark plays the head FBI investigator, an anonymous part that allows him to be cordial enough at first when he thinks he'll never have to deal with Segal's character, and appropriately annoyed when that proves impossible; Helen Hunt plays Harry's daughter in a part that gives no hint to her future fame). With the ludicrous 70's fashions, the rotary phones and the cars and the flick is funnier than scary. Add in the unintended irony of cinematography that almost looks like a travelogue for parks that nobody would want to visit after watching this movie, and "Rollercoaster" is an absurd treat. At its heart, the film is paced like a rollercoaster - slow only to build up to the scary parts (usually when the mystery man worms his way onto the scene). This is a perfect rental.
Rating:
Summary: Read my lips: this is NOT a disaster movie
Review: The fact that this movie has been long classified as a disaster flick is utterly ridiculous. There is a horrific "accident" on a roller coaster at the beginning of the film, but that's it as far as disasters go. The incident provides us with some insight into the mindset of a psychotic, nameless character played by Timothy Bottoms. Rollercoaster is an above average cat-and-mouse thriller that provides a lot of suspense, and an entertaining performance by George Segal. The later part of the movie takes place at Magic Mountain amusement park near Los Angeles--well before Six Flags bought it and then ruined the Revolution roller coaster that is heavily featured in the film. Seeing Revolution as it was when it first opened (at the time the only modern coaster to incorporate a 360 degree vertical loop) was both interesting and a little sad. Revolution is barley recognizable today since the surrounding foliage has all but completely hidden the ride. Six Flags has also added numerous brakes that almost completely stop the train several times, and the most uncomfortable shoulder harnesses imaginable. Many similar rides built around the same time (and by the same manufacturer) are currently in operation without all this added hardware. Enough said about that. Rollercoaster is a fine suspense thriller. Just prepare yourself for a serious time-warp back to the mid 70's. The twangy electric guitar music, clothes and hairstyles date this movie quite a bit. Remember lip gloss? However I truly enjoyed Rollercoaster, and it also provided me with a nice, long forgotten ride on the once proud and famed Revolution. Shame on you Six Flags.
Rating:
Summary: Read my lips: this is NOT a disaster movie
Review: The fact that this movie has been long classified as a disaster flick is utterly ridiculous. There is a horrific "accident" on a roller coaster at the beginning of the film, but that's it as far as disasters go. The incident provides us with some insight into the mindset of a psychotic, nameless character played by Timothy Bottoms. Rollercoaster is an above average cat-and-mouse thriller that provides a lot of suspense, and an entertaining performance by George Segal. The later part of the movie takes place at Magic Mountain amusement park near Los Angeles--well before Six Flags bought it and then ruined the Revolution roller coaster that is heavily featured in the film. Seeing Revolution as it was when it first opened (at the time the only modern coaster to incorporate a 360 degree vertical loop) was both interesting and a little sad. Revolution is barley recognizable today since the surrounding foliage has all but completely hidden the ride. Six Flags has also added numerous brakes that almost completely stop the train several times, and the most uncomfortable shoulder harnesses imaginable. Many similar rides built around the same time (and by the same manufacturer) are currently in operation without all this added hardware. Enough said about that. Rollercoaster is a fine suspense thriller. Just prepare yourself for a serious time-warp back to the mid 70's. The twangy electric guitar music, clothes and hairstyles date this movie quite a bit. Remember lip gloss? However I truly enjoyed Rollercoaster, and it also provided me with a nice, long forgotten ride on the once proud and famed Revolution. Shame on you Six Flags.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch suspense thriller!
Review: The title of this film may make it sound a bit silly. This is not another cash in on the 70's disaster craze. Rollercoaster is a first rate suspense thriller with crisp dialoge, assured direction and some nail-biting suspense scenes. The plot concerns an extortionist's (Timothy Bottoms)plans to blow up rides in the worlds most famous amusement parks, and a safety inspectors (George Segal)attempts to stop him. This film is marred only by the dated soundtrack and some hideous leisure suits. It all comes together in one of the most suspenseful climaxes in film history. If you have a Dolby Digital home stereo with a subwoofer, you'll have the added bonus of being able to watch the film in "Sensurround". It's too bad they didn't remaster the rest of the sound in discrete 5.1 channel. Those points aside, this film was an excellent addition to my DVD library, and would be an enjoyable film for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Terror in the amusement park
Review: Think you're safe from terror when you enter an amusement park? This underrated 1977 thriller will make you think twice about that assumption. What JAWS did for the beaches, DUEL for the highways, and PSYCHO for motel showers, ROLLERCOASTER does for amusement parks--turns them into places where absolutely no one is safe. George Segal is quite good as a cynical civic inspector looking into two very suspicious amusement park ride "accidents." He soon comes into phone contact with a young man (Timothy Bottoms), who is actually perpetrating these accidents to extort one million dollars from the owners of these parks. The result is slowly escalating suspense leading to a very tense conflict between Bottoms, Segal, and an FBI team headed by a very cynical agent (Richard Widmark). Boosted by Lalo Schifrin's often sinister Herrmann/Stravinsky-like score and James Goldstone's efficient direction, ROLLERCOASTER isn't the disaster movie it is often pegged as. Rather, it is an unjustifiably overlooked movie that deserves a revival. Look for a very young Helen Hunt as Segal's daughter.
Rating:
Summary: 1977 Special Effects Supremecy
Review: This is a rollercoaster disaster movie made in 1977. While that should be enough alone, I suppose I can go into further detail. I won't give away too much, but at some point in the movie there is in fact a rollercoaster crash. Keep the year 1977 in mind and you should just about have it. Yes, it was probably the single funniest scene I have ever seen captured on film. If only there were more scenes in the movie like it.........
Rating:
Summary: a very exciting movie
Review: this is one of my favorite movies. it was loaded with excitement. if you like rollercoasters than this is the one to buy. a very good cast and a very good movie. there's only one other one that i will like to get that is almost close to this one and that one is THE DEATH OF OCEANVIEW PARK.
Rating:
Summary: It's a shame so few people know this movie!
Review: This is one of those excellent movies that most people under 25 - sadly - have never heard of. Which is a shame; this is absolutely a classic thriller. After a theme park rollercoaster collapses, safety inspector Harry Calder (George Segal) is brought in to investigate. He concludes that the accident was in fact no accident but the attack of a terrorist.
Harry is proven right but his investigation attracts the attention of the terrorist who drags him into a dangerous cat and mouse game for a million dollar's worth of ransom money. What makes this movie so great is the actors. All characters in the movie are very believable and convincing. George Segal is particularly good as the cynical yet oh so charismatic and determined safety inspector.
This is a great two-hour ride!
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