VOLCANO
A film review by Michael Redman
Copyright 1997 Michael Redman
** (out of ****)
When an earthquake opens up a fissure under Los Angeles and a volcano erupts in the La Brea Tar Pits, red-hot strawberry jam oozes through the streets of tinsel town creating havoc =97 and big bucks for the film studio.
Tommy Lee Jones is Mike Roark, head of the Office Of Emergency Management and is charged with fixing this inconvenience. It's an emergency that he hasn't had to manage before, but he has help from a seismologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche). The two of them against furious flaming nature forms the central story line in the latest disaster film to level major US cities.
As much fun as it is to watch LA melt down, there's...
I can't go on.
There's really no use in discussing the plot of this film. It's exactly the same as every other disaster film of the last 20 years. An overwhelming force destroys a bunch of stuff. Our hero and his new love interest try to convince the officials that there is a greater danger but they won't listen so the team goes off on their own. There are kids and dogs in danger who are saved at the last minute. In this one, there's even __two__ dogs.
Some of the effects are spectacular, especially the lava bombs, but what's new? Every disaster film has wonderful visuals. There's such a plot formula that the only enjoyment anyone can get from these movies anymore is by watching while turning off your brain.
Jones and Heche are more than adequate in their roles, but, again, so what? They and the millions of dollars that went into this virtual re-make of dozens of movies could have been better utilized.
Although the burning and devastation are entertaining, this is one of those movies where the story couldn't happen unless there are some remarkably stupid characters and the laws of nature are ignored. Most of the film is taken up by firemen spraying water on the thousands-of-degrees lava. In the real world, this would be like attacking a charging lion with a fly swatter.
Not a horrible film to waste an afternoon away with, but you're not going to experience much new. If you do plan on seeing it, make sure you do at a theater. On video, there will be nothing at all.
[This appeared in the 5/2/97 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be reached at mredman@bvoice.com ]
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