Movie Review: Volcano (1997)
Synopsis: Mike Roark, the head of the Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management, has his vacation cut short when an earthquake triggers a volcanic eruption in the city. With no time to evacuate, Roark must find a way to stop or divert the steady stream of lava flowing freely through the city streets and the subway tunnels before thousands of people are killed.
Who's in it? The movie stars Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann, Don Cheadle, Jacqueline Kim and John Corbett.
Review: I had an opportunity to watch Volcano again yesterday evening and, mostly because there wasn’t much else on at the time, I did just that. I had been a while since I had seen this particular film, and I didn’t remember that much about it other than not liking it as much as Dante's Peak. After re-watching it, I decided it was better than I recalled.
I think if there is anything that makes this movie watchable, it is Tommy Lee Jones. He is an actor who is always at his strongest when playing a take-charge authority figure and this movie took full advantage of that. Frankly, if it weren't for him, I don't know if this movie would even be remotely as entertaining.
Also, while I'm not a huge Anne Heche fan, I did think she did a great job complementing Jones in her supporting role as volcano expert Dr. Amy Barnes. I especially appreciated the decision to keep their relationship platonic rather than try to force an unnecessary romantic angle between the two.
I also found I liked the premise of this movie. After all, Los Angeles is a big city and the idea of a volcano erupting right in the city limits does have its merits.
In fact, my biggest complaint about the movie is it doesn't take full advantage of the location. For all the talk about how destructive the volcano could be and all the lives that could be lost, the damage caused was surprisingly small, limited to just a few blocks. I'm not saying there should have been millions or even thousands of deaths, just something a little closer to the worst-case scenarios Barnes was describing.
I also found I wasn't a huge fan of Roark's daughter, Kelly (Hoffmann). I understand the need to give your lead character depth by showing him as a parent. However, Kelly is one of the most useless and helpless movie characters I've seen. The girl couldn't even move out of the way of a slowly falling building on her own and I would have loved to see a whole lot less of her.
Final Opinion: The movie isn't perfect but, mostly because of Jones' performance, it does prove to be entertaining. As a result, I would describe it as a film that is worth taking the time to watch.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other movies from the 1990s:
Movie Review: Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
Movie Review: Puppet Master II (1990)
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