July 25, 2012

Movie Night: Volcano (1997).

Review #202: Volcano.

Cast
Tommy Lee Jones (Mike Roark), Anne Heche (Dr. Amy Barnes), Gaby Hoffmann (Kelly Roark), Don Cheadle (Emmit Reese), Jacqueline Kim (Dr. Jaye Calder), Keith David (Lieutenant Ed Fox), John Corbett (Norman Calder), Michael Rispoli (Gator Harris), and John Carroll Lynch (Stan Olber) Directed by Mick Jackson.

Review
The film is easy to describe in a few words: "Volcano pops up in Los Angeles, cheesiness ensues." Tommy Lee Jones at least does a good job, given what he is in (he sure has been in a lot of situations from a FBI marshal to Ty Cobb) The characters are introduced in a snap but aren't much in terms of memorable territory. The cheesiness factor ranges from scene to scene, but my "favorite" is when the lava is destroying a house (man, that's weird to type), and the dog is trapped there. He looks around...and barks at the lava before going out the doggy door. That alone is laughable. The effects are decent, they look believable enough, but the last thing I'll mention (probably most important) is the relatively changing science in the film. Characters get close to lava without feeling much and when toughing the lava are dead with the touch (you might as well use TV Tropes to help you understand volcanoes) At points, the lava isn't much threatening, as it moves slower then a snail at points. I might as well mention this film is 15 years old (it doesn't feel that way though)...But the last question is: Is it better then Dante's Peak? Probably, but it doesn't matter given that both are slightly forgotten, and that is probably for the best.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

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