Condominium (1980) User Reviews

Arrogance and Greed in the Face of a Major Hurricane

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 27 September 2017]

After his wife suffers from a stroke that leaves her hospitalized "Gus Garver" (Steve Forrest) gets a welcome visit from a young man he befriended many years earlier named "Sam Harrison" (Dan Haggerty) who shares his interest in engineering. As it so happens, upon looking at the high-rise condominium that Gus shares with his neighbors Sam discovers that the entire building has been made with substandard materials which could result in a total disaster if a strong hurricane were to hit. Unfortunately, when he shares his findings with the tenants he discovers that many of them are either skeptical or reluctant to do anything about it. Even worse, the people who built the condominium are intent upon keeping their shoddy business practices a secret-and they will stop at nothing to do just that. Meanwhile, a strong hurricane is gathering strength in the Atlantic Ocean and headed for that very spot. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, even though I liked this mini-series, there were some rather obvious flaws which cannot be ignored. First, I didn't especially care for the number of times a specific ending scene kept popping up throughout the course of the film. I suppose it was intended to keep the viewer in suspense but in my view it had the opposite effect. Additionally, I thought that some of the sub-plots were a bit too shallow and transparent as well. Even so, I liked the presence of Barbara Eden (as "Barbara Messenger"), Linda Cristal ("Carlotta Churchbridge") and Pamela Hensley ("Drusilla Byrne") as they definitely added to the scenery. Be that as it may, while this certainly wasn't a mini-series with any real depth or great acting, it might interest some viewers and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

A great addition to the disaster genre films!!!

[etetreault · 13 December 2001]

Originally shown on ABC'S Operation Primetime in 1980, this rare gem has not been aired again since 1984 on WLVI TV 56 out of Cambridge Boston. Sad that the tv networks air the same old garbage month after month, but do not show the movie classics of the late seventies and early eighties. This movie had an all star cast with Barbara Eden and Dan Haggerty in front. This movie was very entertaining and amusing with adult themes yet clean language, no wonder no network wants to show it! True it is soap opera styled, no different than all other disaster films. Some critics called it cheap and tacky, but fans of the great assortment of stars would truly like to see this one again. The storm sequences alone and the enormous storm surge wave make this both exciting and interesting. I'd personally pay big bucks to have this one on video!!!

Some Eye Candy

[markmiller-50259 · 2/10 · 10 July 2019]

I saw it back in 1980. The plot was little better than what one would expect on an Aaron Spelling TV program. The eye candy was the best part, especially when Pamela Hensley is in this black bathing suit that compliments her body.

Great Suspenseful Movie

[pat-176 · 10/10 · 8 May 2001]

I saw this movie way back in the eighties and enjoyed it very much. A lot human interest. Not tacky. Just human beings living their lives to the best of their ability. Lots of action, suspense . And as I remember it was prophetic. It had a great cast, Barbara Eden, Steve Forest, Ralph Belamy etc. I sure wish they would run this one again or put it on video. Pat.

Enjoy Your 1980s Disaster for the Evening!

[JLRMovieReviews · 8/10 · 8 September 2016]

Barbara Eden and Steve Forrest star in this TV-movie about the citizens living in a "Condominium," whose inevitable fate as rubble is both tragic and perversely fascinating, just like a car wreck. An array of 1970s and 1980s stars have roles here, such as Ana-Alicia, Richard Anderson and Dan Haggerty and many others, and character actor Ralph Bellamy is seen to good advantage. But this rides mostly on the anticipation of the action. The two-dimensional characters and silly dialogue give this a campy feel in the beginning, but, as you feel the calm before the storm, you are swept up in another world with these people and their real important problems. Yeah! Some people just don't listen when told to leave, as the condominium won't withstand the oncoming storm, due to age and a bad foundation. But all in all, I think by the end you'll feel entertained by the whole spectacle and its unashamed simplicity! 8/10!

Excellent

[vanddandl · 7 September 2002]

Very good movie - would love to have a copy of it. I wish it would be shown again on TV. Barbara Eden and Dan Haggerty did good jobs of acting in this movie and it was a great addition to the natural disaster theme movie genre.

Great TV DIsaster Movie!

[redjennger · 10/10 · 31 December 2011]

This really rocks from a disaster-aficionado perspective. I looked the movie up because it was filmed (in part) on Panama City Beach, FL which is part of my metro area. I also love Barbara Eden - who still has the "Jeannie" body at 46 in this movie. The cast is a mix of 60's-80's TV and movie favorites and goes as far back as Ralph Bellamy (a movie star as far back as the 30's). Dan Haggerty(Grizzly Adams), Pamela Hensley (Matt Houston), Don Gallagher(Ironsides) and many others appear in this flick; it's like Love Boat on steroids with a hurricane coming.

I found a DVD recorded from a CA TV station on Ebay and had to have it. When you get a chance to watch it, look at the long shots of the condo for good views of the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City Beach. Beautiful.

A guilty pleasure

[safenoe · 8/10 · 9 September 2017]

With Hurricane Irma barreling towards Floria, it reminds me of Condominium, which is almost 40 years old and stands the test of time with climate change and all that. One vivid scene was at the end when in the midst of the hurricane, a couple (man and a woman, not LGBTI - too soon) make passionate love in one of the apartments, oblivious to the death and destruction around them. I can't remember who was cast as the couple but still.

Cheap, tacky but lots of fun!

[stevefa · 24 August 1999]

Yes it's cheap and nasty, but you get to see a big apartment building destroyed by lots of water - that's surely worth viewing in itself! Watch it, it is enjoyable 'tacky' fun.

Good story

[erotikissscrewd · 10/10 · 8 August 2022]

All star cast. Multiple layers of characters. You have your millionaires living along side people struggling to get by. You had hurricanes, crooks, relationship issues, stubborn, hard headed tenants, compassionate people. Very good story line. Great for the time period.

Irwin Allen Would Have Been Proud

[JimmyL5555 · 10/10 · 17 January 2020]

The only faults I found with this "mini-series" was (1) the opening titles music which is too positive and peppy which is the opposite of the tone of the story which is a serious disaster-laced drama, and (2) the climax segment beginning and sprinkled throughout the movie which is supposed to be presented in "flashback," as if the flashback is everything one person recalls, which would be impossible since the story involves so many people. I believe the flashback structure was intended to stretch the 3 hrs to 4 hours to include commercial breaks and as a device when returning from commercial breaks to remind the viewer of the movie he or she is watching and who sat through the commercials. This movie SHOULD be released on DVD or BluRay without the "flashback" structure and play the story straight from beginning to end like so many movies do, and that should save on wasted repetitive extraneous unnecessary footage, viewing time and data space on the DVD/BluRay. (That will be a goal of mine.)

Since this story involves everyone in the building, it makes perfect sense to build character development so you get to know everyone and you get to care what happens to them. This community has good people, bad people and everyone in between, which exist in ANY community, and if critics call that "soap opera style," they have that prerogative. To me, "soap opera" is a storyline where sex is the focus. In CONDOMINIUM, intimacy comes as a bonus while the focus is on how each character behaves and treats each other, which is as exciting as the storm itself.

The suspense is built slowly and gradually as the storm and the building's condition unravels to the point where it grabs you and won't let you go. A winner and a half. Not to be missed!