ROCK HUDSON, MIA FARROW AND ROBERT FORSTER IN 'AVALANCHE'

Rock Hudson in Avalanche YEAR: 1978 Rates: ***1/2

Yes it's another of many 1970's JAWS clones, even though AVALANCHE is a wannabe Irwin Allen disaster flick with the disastrous situation named after exactly that. Rock Hudson stars as both the JAWS Murray Hamilton greedy mayor and Roy Scheider's central, intrepid Sheriff...

First he wants to keep his expensive resort open while putting his tourists in jeopardy after ignoring repeated advice from Robert Forster's Nick Thorne, basically the Richard Dreyfuss science-minded harbinger (more a non-preachy conservationist like Sam Elliott in FROGS) warning the millionaire industrialist not to mess with nature. Then Hudson becomes the suddenly guilt-free chief-rescuer once Forster's character is all but forgotten later on... 

Peggy Browne in AVALANCHE

Possible victims include pretty boy ski champ Rick Moses, who, after sex with another another-woman, turns nice guy Barry Primus's wife into a psychopath; Mia Farrow as Hudson's ex-wife who Forster takes a liking to; Rock's mom Jeanette Nolan as our stock "tough yet endearing old dame" and a tidy handful of others including Steve Franken and Antony Carbone...

Decent enough characters the audience may not entirely "care about" yet they connect neatly with the inevitable table-turning AVALANCHE, which is the only Roger Corman produced hindrance to possibly explain why an otherwise decent movie would register an unfair imdb 3.7 rating. Of course it's not a classic, and the performances mostly are phoned in, and there's a meandering search-and-rescue third act, which don't matter very much since the really important characters survive practically unscathed...

Cindy Luedke and a shower to SCORE: ***1/2

And yet, overall, AVALANCHE is low budget with former A-list/ talented B-list actors and actresses (a bottom-shelf "All-Star Cast") that flows like a time-filler should. Sadly, it can't live up to its formidable title: Yet the same can be said of the big-budget KING KONG remake two years earlier...

But director Corey Allen (who played the bully/driver Buzz that played a deadly game of chicken with James Dean in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE) makes otherwise terrific use of the beautiful snow-filled landscape, especially with several "Agony Of Defeat" style wipe-outs on skis and even snow mobiles. If only these killer action sequences were more plot-oriented: That way AVALANCHE might resemble less of a collection of actors/actresses involved in what feels like a collection of scenes/scenery.

Loggerheads Robert Forster and Rock Hudson in AVALANCHE

Cathey Paine with Rock Hudson in AVALANCHE with Robert Forster

Robert Forster as the voice of reason in AVALANCHE aka Skredet aka Лавина

AVALANCHE opening credit title card and sometimes the simpler the better

It's always good to see these words on the screen... so now let's see the man...

Robert Forster in Roger Corman's AVALANCHE d. by Corey Allen

Robert Forster as Nick Thorne in Roger Corman's AVALANCHE

A beautiful unseen for now dame and pretty boy ski champ Rick Moses older bro of William R. Moses

Okay here she is, the actresses name is Cathey Paine and she looks so innocent, but...

One of Cathey Paine's other roles was playing Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten... Can you see it?

Ingenue Mia Farrow in her down years before hooking up with a brilliant louse who'd give her great roles

Here Rock's character gets to be angry liken anyone who is about to lose everything because of those damn victims

Rock Hudson is framed in this veiled intro-shot like he's the most famous actor they could get

Robert Forster in Roger Corman's AVALANCHE aka Avalancha aka Lavinen

Robert Forster tests the avalanche shooter in AVALANCHE aka Plaz aka Lawina

Robert Forster in Roger Corman's AVALANCHE aka Lefkos tromos, i hionostivada

Some affordable action sequences fit nicely in AVALANCHE aka Lumivyöry aka Çığ aka