Customer Reviews

Volcano [VHS]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I've watched this movie dozens of times, the first being at an ampitheater in Indiana on a cold fall day. I hadn't heard of it before but the tickets were free, so I checked it out. Wow! What a movie! I couldn't believe it, the entire time I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I left with no fingernails at all. All the actors were just terriffic, especially Tommy Lee Jones, who just adds flair to any film he's in. I'm not sure where people get off saying that this movie is too fantastical, either. As they say in the film, one day in Mexico a man saw a smoking fissure in his field; the next day there was a volcano growing there. That story is completely true, and it's happened repeatedly throughout the world. Why couldn't it happen in LA, the most geologically unstable major city? That's like saying that an earthquake can never hit New York City because it just can't happen. And as the current quote on the page said, you can't fight nature? The techniques used in Volcano are used constantly in Iceland and Greenland, which are all highly geologically unstable places with many volcanos. Anywho :) off my soapbox, if you've got a second, check this out on a large TV with a huge sound system! And skip that Dante's whatever, Volcano is the bomb... literally.

There are a lot of reasons why this fundamental concept of this movie is implausible, and a number of dumb things happen in the movie, and yet the concept itself is interesting and was handled reasonably well.

Similar to the "other" volcano movie, "Dante's Peak," there are several indications that something geologic is happening. Death by hot gas blast is usually a pretty solid indication of that sort of thing (which happens before the volcano does its thing). After a number of interesting things happen a volcano bursts to the ground. The scenes of the volcano going "boom" are among the best scenes in the movie.

The real story takes off after the volcano finally erupts. We see absurd silliness as people continue to drive by the erupting volcano. I am unsure of why people would rather take the short cut and risk death by lava versus going the long way around, but maybe it is just me. We also see emergency services leader Mike Roark's (Tommy Lee Jones) daughter Kelly (Gaby Hoffmann) hang around her dad's SUV so long that he has to stop rescuing a fireman to rescue her, which subsequently allows the fireman to die. There is a lesson in this tragedy: when you see an erupting volcano, run.

Mike Roark attempts to work with the fire department to stop the lava flow, eventually succeeding. However, lava is an irresistible force and if it is not flowing above ground, then it finds somewhere else to flow. Soon Mike and seismologist Dr. Amy Barnes (Ann Heche) next try to predict the behavior of the rapidly flowing lava, setting up the climax of the movie, which involves imminent destruction of a hospital, and possibly Mike's daughter Kelly.

The action in this movie is generally good. I thought the lava effects were generally well done. A few things about the behavior of the lava that were a little weak, but I am able to forgive a few things for the sake of a good story. There were a few places where it was clear that the lava was animated in some fashion, but there were other places that were either live shots of a real volcano, or very well done shots of fake lava. I thought both times the lava emerged from the ground were well done. I also thought the lava flowing into the sea was good.

The action in this movie was not as well supported by the story and by the characters. Many of the people in this movie acted dumb. It was the action of the characters that got them into trouble. In more than one situation I found it difficult to believe that real life characters would do some of the things that people in this movie did. I could continue this discussion for a long time because of my frustration with people's actions. On top of the multiple dumb actions was weak acting. Anne Heche generally did well. Tommy Lee Jones had his good moments and his poor moments. Other characters varied from good (Jacqueline Kim as Dr. Jaye Calder) to corny (John Corbett as Norman Calder). This movie also took short cuts with a number of characters by relying on stereotypes.

I admit that even with all its weaknesses I have seen this movie all the way through at least three times. The reason is that there are cities in the United States that do run the risk of a volcano popping up nearby. I do not believe the La Brea Tar Pits are one of the riskier locations, but other cities bear some risk. I am fascinated by the response of emergency services as shown in the movie and wonder whether a real city would be able to respond as quickly initially and whether a real city would do any better than the movie version of Los Angeles supposedly did. The United States has been very lucky to experience fewer significant disasters than many other countries, and the loss of life in the disasters we have had have resulted fewer deaths than in most other countries. Watch this movie for yourself and consider how well your town would plan for such a huge disaster. What you think about how your town would respond will allow you to overcome the weaknesses of the characters and the acting.

In 1997 there were two eagerly anticipated volcano movies released. Dante's Peak was more of a blockbuster hit, but not very accurate from a geologist's standpoint. Volcano was more realistic and accurate. It was nice to see a disaster movie depicted as it would naturally happen.

Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche were wonderful to watch!

This movie is good. It has good special effects. I think it is better than dante's peak. This movie also isn't very long like some disaster movies are. I like disaster movies and this one is one that wins place in my heart. Buy it!

Without question, movies can be educational and informative; a powerful medium, the cinema inherently encourages global communications and creates a common thread that binds the nations of the world together. But lest we forget, the primary function of the motion picture is entertainment-- and one of the tried and true approaches to effecting that end successfully is taking a hypothetical situation and presenting it in story form by employing all of the talent and technology available that will make it as real as possible. And when it's done right, it provides the audience with a memorable experience while affording a respite from the daily grind, which is exactly what "Volcano," directed by Mick Jackson does. it's a film that asks, "What if?" and then answers it's own question in a way that's exciting and purely entertaining. It does call upon the audience to suspend disbelief, however, and there are those who will draw a haughty breath and laugh at the idea of a volcano erupting in Los Angeles and will refuse to give this story a chance; bear in mind, however, that it's these very same pseudo-intellectuals who, prior to May 18th, 1980, scoffed and disdainfully dismissed out-of-hand even the possibility that Mount St. Helens could erupt during our lifetime. So, put it into that kind of perspective, if you can, then sit back and relax and let this movie do what it was meant to do: Entertain you. And on a grand scale.

Waiting for the "big one" to hit may be a way of life for those living in California, especially in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, but suddenly there's some pronounced seismic activity in the L.A. area, and when a crew of city workers are scalded to death while performing a task underground, it falls to Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones), who works for the city and whose job it is to know these things, to figure out what's going on. Roark quickly secures the assistance of Dr. Amy Barnes (Anne Heche), a geologist, who uncovers evidence that a "geological event" is in progress, which means some decisions are going to have to be made by Roark, and fast. Inexplicably, there are indications of volcanic activity in the downtown area, in the vicinity of the La Brea Tar Pits. And Roark doesn't have time to plan ahead; in fact, he's already out of time-- the earth has decided it's time to make a move, and it's not asking permission.

Working from a screenplay by Jerome Armstrong and Billy Ray that's about as good as it gets for a story like this, director Jackson tempers the action and the incredible F/X with the human element, and that gives this film some teeth. Wisely, Jackson realizes that the audience has to relate to and care about the people involved, or his film will be nothing more than a huge Fourth of July fireworks display; and while it may be a good one, it's not enough to give his project legs. So he takes care to maintain the kind of balance that insures his film will reach and appeal to a wide audience-- and he succeeds. Depicting a cataclysmic event on screen is a challenge, and for it to work, Jackson has to keep it at least within the realm of possibility. There are those who will embrace it more readily than others-- those who have experienced an earthquake, tornado, hurricane or some such devastating event; those who have not may find it harder to become involved with what's unfolding on the screen. But rest assured, Jackson and his team have done everything humanly possible to make this viable entertainment for everyone. In the end, the filmmakers have done a terrific job of it, and should be commended for maintaining a standard of quality, rather than using this as an opportunity to exploit an unsuspecting public by offering a product unworthy of support.

Jackson's conscientious approach is aided greatly by a cast of consummate professionals, all of whom do their part in maintaining the quality of the picture, beginning with Tommy Lee Jones, who has demonstrated in film after film that he is an actor who gives 110% every time. Even in a bad film you will be hard put to find a performance by Jones that is not convincing. In his case, it's obviously a combination of talent and work ethic; if his name is on the label, it's like a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval-- you know you're getting a quality product, and his portrayal here of Roark is no exception. Jones creates a character who is believable, playing Roark as the ordinary person in an extraordinary situation and making it entirely credible. He immerses himself so totally in the role that he makes it look easy. And when it looks that easy, it's not-- and you can take that to the bank. It's a good job by Jones, and a big part of why this movie works so well.

Anne Heche, too, gives a solid performance as Dr. Barnes, and like Jones makes the ordinary person in an extraordinary situation scenario believable. And it's gratifying to see actors of this caliber going that extra mile to create this kind of realism, when it would be so easy for them just to walk or "camp" their way through a film like this, which, of course, would reduce it to a big-budget F/X extravaganza. This is good work for which Heche (as well as Jones and the others involved here) will never get the kind of acclaim she deserves, however, inasmuch as this is a "genre" film and unworthy of any "artistic" consideration (or so the officious declare).

The supporting cast includes Gaby Hoffman (Kelly), Don Cheadle (Emmit), Jacqueline Kim (Dr. Calder), John Carroll Lynch (Stan) and Keith David (Lieutenant Fox), all of whom contribute to the success of "Volcano," a film that will make you think twice about possibilities, and the forces of nature.

"But I'm lava...what beats that?" a child says during a game of 'rock, paper, scissors' after having witnessed the nearly instantaneous creation of a volcano in the middle of Los Angeles.

That line must be the greatest single piece of dialogue in movie history. But don't worry -- I didn't give anything away. There are plenty of gems like that throughout the film.

This is the type of movie you go into not expecting much; I was not disappointed! Just sit back, and feel the brain cells melt away!

"Volcano" is a first rate disaster film, it is exciting all the way through to the very end. The effects are very good the compliment the movie well. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche turn in good performaneces. Out of all the disaster films released in the 1990's this one is the best.

I just saw this 1997 movie for the first time, and was struck by the many ways it foreshadows 9/11: the feeling of disbelief, the chaos and destruction, the male cameraderie of the police and firemen, the sensationalism of the media coverage, the feeling of helplessness in the face of disaster, and the hopelessness of confronting an overwhelming threat. Looking through the previous reviews by date, I note that the more thoughtful reviews seem to occur after 9/11, although none of them makes that specific connection. I, for one, felt mesmerized by the mechanics of the disaster response, and carried along by the implacability of the lava flow, was reminded briefly of the days glued to the television set in mid-September, 2001.

The lava is really the cental character of this film, and the director and special effects people did an excellent job of portraying it. There are echos here of the final scenes of the original War of the Worlds, when the alien ships march through Los Angeles burning everything in their path. It is a very effective portrayal of the force of inanimate nature. The juxtaposition of that brute force with everday urban life is quite effective, and is of course what makes well-done disaster films so mesmerizing.

The human characters are trivial by comparison. Jones and Heche put in competent performances, as do Jacqueline Kim, Gabby Hoffman and Don Cheadle. I especially enjoyed the repartee between Cheadle and Jones. They manage to engage our sympathy enough to allow us to relate to them and their situation, but the script is trite and predictable and melodramatic. The heroism of the police and firemen seemed quite genuine, however, quite in keeping with what we know happened on 9/11.

Interestingly, an incipient romantic relationship between Jones and Heche is implied, but never developed, and in fact, unusual for Hollywood in our time, there is no sex in this movie at all.

The LA emergency response provides a counterpoint to the lava. The level of chaos and incompetence portrayed is very high, in contrast to the heroism of the individual characters, which is of course what generates much of the melodrama.

The plot isn't terrible, just very shallow and improbable, as one would expect from a film of this type: Lava erupts in downtown LA, and Jones and Heche figure out how to stop it, with lots of histrionics along the way. The larger implications of an active volcano appearing in the middle of a major American metropolitan area are not addressed, nor do they belong in a film whose primary intent is light entertainment. Still, one wonders. Would the Lakers and Dodgers move elsewhere?

While watching this film, I found myself thinking, "We would do better with something like this now, after 9/11."

Wouldn't we?

I see it at the theater,rented on video and finally I bought it on DVD!this is a awesome movie,cool lava flowing the street of L.A. is like the real lava.Tommy Lee is a wonderful actor and also Anne Heche too.The DVD transfer is also awesome,good sharp picture quality and sound.This is the DVD to get for your home theater system.

To paraphrase Homer Simpson, my personal Buddha, if they're ever going to pull the plug on me, I just hope Tommy Lee Jones is in my corner. It's the stare, the leathery skin, the level tone of voice that could reassure a tax cheat. In Volcano, the guy not only gets to save a city, but he also finds the time to be one helluva dad. As city official Mike Roark, Jones evokes the kind of serenity and persuasiveness that turns catastrophes into miracles. I wonder if he'd consider adopting me.

A metropolis gone mad confronts the head of the O.E.M. (Office of Emergency Management). Roark is a St. Louis boy and looks rather at out of his element when the La Brea tar pits begin billowing buckets of steam. Geologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) plays nothing but concern, particularly after a fellow scientist is virtually swallowed by red gunk pouring from the earth's core. Naturally, Roark and Barnes team up to try and curb the lethal liquid, but Roark's teenage daughter is in peril and the career man must quickly decide which responsibility he'll deal with first.

This latest lava-charged disaster flick proves once and for all that L.A. is no place for sane people. Forget the flash floods, mud slides, forest fires and occasional race riots. You ain't seen nothin' until you watch a fire truck melt into the molten surf on Wilshire Boulevard.

Volcano's special effects are fab--a combo of model work and computer imaging; the story is unremarkable but solid. And while there are a few trite patches in the "Can't we all just get along" vain, it's Jones who keeps the whole sh-bang from coming apart. As he's done in a a boatload of movies in the past, he's able to rise above the well-worn material and create something slightly special. Hey, it's no Earthquake, folks (What is?), but Volcano is destined to be summer's first monster hit. Deservedly so.