DANTE'S PEAK
A Film Review by Brian Takeshita
Rating: *1/2 out of ****
It's time to take cover. After a hiatus of about fifteen years, the disaster movie has come back with renewed zest. In early 1997, there were no less than three movies about volcanoes alone, one on television and two in the theaters, with DANTE'S PEAK and VOLCANO in heavy competition for the moviegoing dollar. Of the two, I had heard that DANTE'S PEAK was the better film, so I decided to check it out when it was released on video.
The film begins with a slow motion scene of people in a third world country trying to evacuate their little town. The town is being covered in ash and sulfuric water from what we presume is a volcanic eruption. Flaming rocks of various sizes also fall from the sky, crushing homes and people. We see people panicking, people crying, and even horses rearing. It is a disaster of biblical proportions, signified to us by one person dragging a cross down a road. Symbolism doesn't get much more blatant than that.
We learn that Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan), a volcanologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, was there with his wife when the eruption occurred. Harry survived, but his wife did not. A few years later, Harry is sent to investigate some unusual seismic activity detected near the small town of Dante's Peak, Washington (which, we are told, has been voted Second Most Desirable Place to Live (Under 20,000) by the readers of Money Magazine). There Harry meets Rachel Wando, a single mother of two who serves as mayor of Dante's Peak and proprietor of a small coffee shop. Although the mayor doesn't seem to be alarmed by the presence of a man sent to determine if the mountain next to their town is going to blow up, a few members of the city council are. They are afraid that Harry's presence is going to scare off an investor who has pledged to put millions of dollars into developing Dante's Peak. They would rather have any news of possible stirrings within the neighboring dormant volcano swept under the rug. However, when an amorous young couple takes a skinny-dip in the local hot springs, they turn up cooked by lava which bubbles up from a small fissure underneath. Thus begins a chain of events leading up to the inevitable eruption.
This film contains a number of cliches. The amorous couple is one. As soon as they doff their clothes, you know they're going to die. The town busybody and the abrasive mother-in-law make appearances, as does the death-defying dog. Countless familiar scenarios only serve to make this film very predictable. Watching the movie, I was able to not only anticipate each of the major plot elements, but some of the dialogue as well. Unfortunate, since much of the dialog is terrible. For example, Harry's boss, Paul (Charles Hallahan), and a team from the U.S. Geological Survey join Harry to assess the situation. Paul basically tells the townsfolk that Harry's eruption predictions aren't cause for alarm. This causes Harry to leave in a fit of rage, only to turn up the next day, ready for work. When Paul asks Harry why he stayed, he says with grim determination, "Cause this town's in trouble and I'm the best man you've got." Even better is when Harry is trying to explain the need to jolt the residents into leaving. He likens the situation to how a frog will jump out if dropped into a pot of boiling water. If the frog is in cold water which is gradually heated up, however, the frog won't move and will allow itself to be cooked. "Is that your recipe for frog soup?" asks one of the team members. "It's my recipe for disaster," responds Harry.
DANTE'S PEAK has a singular talent for pointing out the obvious. Our heroes are in a boat in the middle of a lake which Harry realizes the volcanic activity has turned to acid. Mayor Wando demonstrates her brilliant powers of deduction by proclaiming, in a very grave tone, "Acid eats metal." Thanks for the tip. When we first see the U.S. Geological Survey building, there's a caption labeling it as such. This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that the caption is right above a sign on the building which reads, in large letters, "U.S. Geological Survey." I suppose the caption is for people who can't read signs.
Although Harry and Mayor Wando become an item by the end of the film, the viewer has no idea why. There is a severe lack of chemistry between the two characters, and the relationship seems rushed because of this. When they get close to kissing, I was asking myself, "Why do they want to kiss? Were they even attracted to each other?" If I were the mayor, I would sure think twice about kissing a guy who doesn't even crack a smile through the whole movie, trying to pull off the rough-yet-debonair act. Who does he think he is? James Bond?
The eruption of the volcano feels similarly rushed. There are several "warning signs" prior to the eruption itself, but they are so lackluster and without suspense that we don't feel as if they are leading up to anything. For example, one of the survey team members makes his way down into the crater of the volcano in order to retrieve a remote controlled robot. A tremor occurs. Does he plunge headlong to his death? Is he engulfed in lava which shoots up from below? No, a couple of rocks fall on him and break his leg. The sole purpose of this scene seemed to be to set up the subsequent chopper rescue scene, which I suppose was intended to be dramatic as well. It wasn't.
One plot thread left noticeably hanging was the investment in the town of Dante's Peak. In a disaster movie, there's usually one guy who's greedy enough to cover up the possibility of eruption/fire/earthquake/explosion/tsunami/tornado/meteorite, and usually gets killed by the disaster. It's okay, of course, because we all think he got what he deserved. If you're going to be unoriginal, you might as well go all the way. In DANTE'S PEAK, the city councilmembers are concerned, but they don't really try hard enough. Maybe the mayor's abrasive mother-in-law should have been the one. For no apparent reason, she snaps at Harry for even positing that the volcano could erupt. Perhaps her ancestors invested in some Pompeii real estate.
There are a couple of good things about this movie. The first is the scenery. There are panoramic shots of forests, lakes and mountains that are absolutely beautiful. The second is the special effects. They are the closest I've ever seen to a real pyroclastic eruption. But when elements which don't speak are going to be the best parts of your movie, you'd probably better rewrite the script.
Review posted October 7, 1997
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