VividSimon Simply Perfect

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

EyeAskance 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.

revsolly 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".

binnione *(SOME SPOILERS!)*This film is one of the slew of nuclear films which seemed to be regular staples at the video shop in the 80s. It's nowhere near as bad as drivel like Legend of the Rollerblade 7 or Hell Comes to Frogtown, but it's still doesn't come close to the quality of films like Miracle Mile or the very serious films Threads and The Day After.Avoiding the common 'fight for survival after the bomb' trap it starts in a reasonably promising fashion. A group of neighbours plan a weekend away at their rural retreat, but just before they're due to set off an international crisis sparks fears of a full scale nuclear war. Lucky for them they are survivalists and their holiday home contains enough supplies and firepower to get them through the crisis. For about 40 minutes the tension is built up reasonably well and all the hints about which characters are going to turn into cliched survivalist nuts are done pretty well. Then suddenly it all starts to descend into cliche and platitudes - the final scene is a terrible cliche and anti-climax: The war is averted, but the groups of armed nuts won't believe it and continue to fight - this is only halted by a group of children linking arms to surround one group of adults and bring the shooting to an end. It's a pretty awful ending after a vaguely promising start. That said, they are numerous worse nuclear films than this one. If you want to see this done better and much earlier, check out Ray Milland's 1962 film 'Panic in the Year Zero' which has an almost identical plot but is so so much better.

nukeman 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.