Plot: When a massive earthquake rocks the city of Los Angeles, Emergency Management department head Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) returns from his vacation to help with the city’s response. After geologist Dr. Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) warns that a volcano may be forming in sewer tunnels, another severe earthquake unleashes the lava flowing underfoot, threatening to destroy the whole city. As the fiery molten rock runs through the streets, Roark and Barnes must figure out how to divert it.
I remember the hype surrounding Volcano and Dante’s Peak when they came out back in 1997 and to this day I enjoy both movies for the sheer action spectacle they deliver.
In Volcano Tommy Lee Jones is at his heroic and surly best as Mike Roark, an Emergency Management Department Head who is forced to come back from his vacation early when Los Angeles starts having some strange seismic events. It turns out the City of Angels has a volcano under it, and it’s decided now is the time to make its presence known.
It’s such a wonderfully over the top 90’s concept that has its tongue placed firmly in its cheek not taking itself too seriously but still having enough drama to keep you invested.
The main character of this movie for me is L.A. itself as this really captures the mood of the time; it’s slightly crazy but it was also after the Rodney King beating, so the serious part of the story incorporates racism with a bigoted cop eventually agreeing to help a local Black man save his neighborhood. Some of this part of the film feels a little clunky especially at the end which has a nice message but it’s just a bit too on the nose.
The visual effects still hold up with some fantastic explosions and scenes of destruction. This is all elevated by Alan Silvestri’s amazing score which I think is a little underrated. To this day I still listen to March of the Lava on a regular basis.
It’s perfectly paced building up to the eruption with small events happening and the film isn’t afraid to kill people in rather awful ways. Shout out to Stan for his ultimate sacrifice in one of the most horrifying deaths in a PG-13 movie. He rescues the driver of a train throwing him to safety while he falls into the lava sinking while burning alive.
The late Anne Heche was a great foil for Mike as the geologist helping him save the city from total destruction. The worst character is John Corbett who plays Norman Calder; he’s kind of a disaster movie cliché where he’s an asshole who keeps trying to get his wife (who is a doctor) to leave everyone behind and save themselves. I’m disappointed he didn’t die in the film actually as he totally deserved it.
Overall, Volcano is still a ridiculously fun disaster picture with some entertaining set-pieces and visuals that still hold up. Alan Silvestri’s score is the highlight for me, but it’s the kind of movie I can watch on a Saturday afternoon and just enjoy the ride.
