Retro Film Review: Volcano (1997)

Feature films are by definition distortion of reality, but sometimes the scale of such distortion borders on insulting viewers' intelligence. Hollywood films tend to distort reality by pandering to Los Angeles local patriotism and showing that all the most important or most attractive events imaginable have to take place in their beloved city, regardless of their plausibility. Volcano, 1997 disaster film directed by Mick Jackson, is one of the more obvious examples.

The plot, as the title suggests, deals with volcanic eruption. In the film this eruption takes place in rather unlikely place – minor earthquake leads to lava bursts from La Brea Tar Pits. Suddenly, the city of Los Angeles is threatened by unstoppable lava flow that destroys anything in its path. Mike Roark (played by Tommy Lee Jones), dedicated director of Los Angeles Emergency Management Board, together with seismologist Dr. Amy Barnes (played by Anne Heche) must think quickly how to prevent impending catastrophe.

Volcanic eruption in Los Angeles might look like a ludicrous idea for Hollywood blockbuster, but it is quite understandable when we consider the 1990s practice of Hollywood studios releasing rival projects with similar themes. Volcano was nothing more than 20th Century Fox's idea of matching another's volcano film – Dante's Peak - with its own, presumably more attractive to the audience. Dante's Peak had plot more grounded to reality – volcano destroying isolated mountain community with poison gases and ash - but it proved not to be as spectacular as rivers of lava destroying major American metropolis.

Setting Volcano in Los Angeles was good thing for this film, because screenwriter Jerome Armstrong and Billy Ray had opportunity to fill the otherwise thin plot with many Hollywood insider jokes. The special effects are impressive and the acting by Jones and Heche is good, although their roles didn't require much skill or inspiration. Because of that Volcano, if not taken seriously (and director and screenwriters obviously didn't), functions like cheap but effective entertainment, even when burdened by annoying Hollywood cliches (dog in peril, protagonist having rebel teenage daughter that must be rescued etc.). At the end the generally positive impression of Volcano would be improved by simple but powerful humanistic message. Because of that, Volcano could be recommended as something more than cheap exploitation of 1990s film trends.
RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 14th 2003)

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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/10357-volcano
Critic: AA