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Volcano
1997 104 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★5.8
Science Fiction, Action, Drama, Thriller
Director: Mick Jackson
Trailers
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EN
Description
An earthquake shatters a peaceful Los Angeles morning and opens a fissure deep into the earth, causing lava to start bubbling up. As a volcano begins forming in the La Brea Tar Pits, the director of the city's emergency management service, working with a geologist, must then use every resource in the city to try and stop the volcano from consuming LA.
Budget:
$90M
US Gross:
$49.32M
Worldwide:
$122.82M
Starring
Tommy Lee Jones
Actor
Anne Heche
Actor
Gaby Hoffmann
Actor
Awards
Razzie Awards 1998
— Award for Disregard for Human Life and Public Property
Key opinion
Volcano is widely regarded as a quintessentially 90s disaster spectacle, praised primarily for its impressive practical effects and visceral portrayal of lava flows. While critics and audiences frequently disparage the thin, cliché-ridden screenplay and unrealistic scientific premise, many still find the film an entertaining and nostalgic ride.
| Production | The practical effects and visual depiction of lava flows remain a high-water mark for 1997 disaster cinema, appearing more impressive than many modern equivalents. | |
| Acting | Tommy Lee Jones provides a magnetic, authoritative presence that anchors the film despite the thin material he is given to work with. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay relies heavily on predictable Hollywood tropes, including forced sentimental subplots involving family members and pets, which undermine the narrative tension. | |
| Theme | The film discards scientific plausibility in favor of high-concept entertainment, leading to frequent criticisms regarding the unrealistic behavior of authorities and the volcanic premise. | |
| Pacing | Opinions on the pacing are split; some find the film’s relentless momentum and intensity to be engaging, while others argue the thin character work makes the film feel draggy or unearned in its emotional beats. |