Panic in Year Zero

Audience Reviews

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Ron W Mar 14, 2019 Oh No! It's the End of the World!

Finn M Feb 22, 2019 A pretty decent post-apocalyptic film. Even for this type of B-movie sci-fier, it's a pretty minimalist flick, which doesn't use any mutant special effects or even a lot of blood. It relies much more in the thrills of the survival of the family, as well as human nature. And what makes this pic even more authentic is the fact that it was actually made during a period of high nuclear tensions. And director/star Ray Milland gives a good lead act. Overall, it's a surprisingly good film, and deserves more between three and three and a half stars. Recommended!! See more

Albus S Sep 22, 2018 Panic In Year Zero is, beyond a doubt, what could safely be called a B-Rated Film. It suffered at the time of it's release by the fact The Cuban Missile Crisis was playing out across the world. As a consequence, most people didn't really see this film until it reappeared as a weekend favorite, in the early 1970's. If we're going to talk about its weak points, let's get those out of the way first. Was this a full scale war, or a limited nuclear exchange? The film never quite makes this clear. It's played as if it's a full scale war, yet only five or six targets are ever mentioned by the emergency broadcasting system the characters tune into throughout the film. Either way, where are the dangers of nuclear fallout addressed? Quite frankly it's not... Not really. The characters move into a cave in anticipation of fallout that never arrives. This is explained by favorable winds which carries the fallout in another direction. This might be forgiven if the nuclear attack was limited, but in a full scale war the characters definitely would have needed their cave. This is where the plot suffers a little. The characters play it off as if the attack was total, but the actual effects scream limited. Ah, well, it was, after all, a B-Movie. The most fascinating thing about this film is it's portrayal of civilization spiraling out of control. Law and Order disappears immediately, and our characters are left on their own to try to survive. It really doesn't paint a very pretty picture of American society, as we see immediate price gouging, and an unwillingness by small towns off the beaten track to band together or engage in any helpful behavior. Instead what we see is the jungle code of every man for himself... In spades! What makes this film stand apart from other films of it's type, is it's refusal to engage us with nuclear mutants, or monstrous side effects from nuclear disaster. The only "monsters" in this movie are all too human, and with the breakdown of authority, our characters are forced to confront them all on their own. Murder, Rape, and even Sexual Slavery, are issues raised in this movie. True, all three are dealt with by the family standards of 1962. The fact they are even addressed at all, though, is a credit to the movie, it's script, and star Ray Milland's direction. Panic In Year Zero is a credit to survival, and the idea that some things are worth surviving for. Rather than paint a totally bleak picture which signals the end of the world forever after, it's paints a far more realistic picture of what might actually occur, and how society might crawl out of the rubble to begin rebuilding. In short, it's an optimistic film, despite the totally dire circumstances. On a scale of ten, and remembering this is a B-Flick, I rate it that rare TEN! It's a totally engaging film where the action begins in the first two minutes, and never lets up. You're thrown into the action from the start, and root for the family throughout. The acting is good, the characters believable, and the writing is tight and to the point. It is perhaps Frankie Avalon's best performance ever. And although crybaby after crybaby complains about Les Baxter's jazz score, it is the excellent music that firmly ties it to 1962, the year in which the film takes place. If you want a movie about how a real nuclear war might have played out, told grimly and by the numbers, Panic In Year Zero is the ticket. This often overlooked movie is a gem of Grade-B filmmaking. It does more with less than almost any other film I've ever seen. It's not meant to be an exercise in intellectual prowess. It's meant to be entertaining... And on that point, it delivers! See more

Aug 5, 2018 A classic & cult favorite. The original post nuclear holocaust/apocalypse thriller. But no zombies.... You'll see allusions to this film in Red Dawn (1984), (e.g., the general store scene). NB cheap "production values"/special effects (e.g., the still frame image for the nuclear explosion). See more

Draco M Jan 16, 2018 (I left a review days ago, but it's gone now? And have to keep posting this one? Come on RT, get it together!) Interesting look at early 60s. A disaster movie that stays miles away from the actual disaster, pretty good See more

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Panic in Year Zero

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