April 27, 1997 -- "Volcano" was a production which tried, but failed to beat "Dante's Peak" into theaters, and although it suffers by comparison, it still is fun.

The film, about a volcano erupting in downtown Los Angeles, is helped immeasurably by veteran actor Tommy Lee Jones, who has enough charm and charisma to rescue just about any movie. He needs it all to save this one.

Jones plays Mike Roark, the obsessive, control-freakish head of emergency services in L.A. Roark, who is on vacation, immediately swarms back into the office when the city is hit with a mild earthquake (now there's something unusual). He then tries to shut down a subway line when several utility workers are cooked underground by what appears to be steam.

Of course, the powers that be say that Roark is over-reacting and in the tradition of the mayor of Amity, they send the subway heading straight into the lava. Backing up Roark is the Pretty Young Scientist character Dr. Amy Barnes, played by the miscast Amy Heche. Barnes and her assistant, on being told the tunnels where the city workers were cooked are dangerous, decide to go down there and check it out.

Eventually, these preliminaries out of the way, the volcano starts spewing lava down the streets of the city. Roark and Barnes must come up with instant solutions to stop the lava from destroying the city. It becomes a race against time.

The special effects are very good. It really does look like real lava and a real volcano. The stunt work is good, too as there are numerous daredevil rescues and some noble acts of self-sacrifice. It is a predictable film that follows the disaster film formula closely, but it is better than most movies of this genre. It rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 1997 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.