DANTE'S PEAK
A film review by Adam Joyce
Copyright 1997 Adam Joyce
"Dante's Peak" is the next instalment in a series of disaster movies which are coming our way this year. It is written and acted very much to a formula, but this should do it no discredit. After all, when there is a small town lying at the base of an immense dormant volcano named Dante's Peak there can be little doubt that it will erupt. Where could the storyline go if it didn't? Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan), a vulcanologist, comes to the town of Dante's Peak following reports of seismic activity. He is taken on a tour of the volcano by the town's mayor, Rachel Wando (Linda Hamilton of Terminator fame). Both of them are single, and Rachel has two young children who instantly like Harry. On the tour of the volcano we also discover that Rachel's mother-in-law lives halfway up the volcano. Following the discovery of two bodies (which have been boiled to death quite graphically) in the local hot springs, Harry calls in the US team of volcano experts. These experts refute Harry's emphatic advice and decide that there is no need to put the town on alert. Once blessed with this information the rest of the story is not hard to decipher. The reason most people see disaster movies is because they are exciting, 'on the edge of your seat' action. It matters little that the storyline is predictable. "Dante's Peak" features amazing shots of the ominous, gigantic, but silent volcano which overlooks the tranquil town. The actions shots are exciting, and the lead characters (most of them, anyway) escape from death by the skin of their teeth hundreds of times. Although we hate the tension from these 'skin of your teeth' shots, they are the scenes which make a movie such as this one. With the digital effects, it is impossible to tell that the scenes are fake. The fast flowing lava, and immense water which flows down the local river is terribly frightening and detailed. "Dante's Peak" should give you enough excitement to last you until the next disaster movie.
3 out of 5
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