Volcano. (Film Only Review).
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The Plot.
Problems start to occur in downtown Los Angeles when several large tremors hit, but these are no ordinary earth tremors that Los Angeles is accustomed to, they are advanced warnings of what is about to show itself.
The ... Read review
Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in ... more
Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The...
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Quakes. Riots. Mudslides. Los Angeles has seen it all...almost. Get set for nonstop ... more
action, searing suspense and explosive special effects when Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones stars in 'the first great action film of the year!' (Matt Levitz, Syndicated Ra...
Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in ... more
Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Quakes Riots Mudslides. Los Angeles has seen it all..almost. Get set for nonstop action ... more
searing suspense and explosive special effects when Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones stars in "the first great action film of the year!". Something unspeakably chil...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Production Year: 2001 - Action/Adventure - Director: Dominic Sena - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Sam Shepard, Vinnie Jones, Camryn Grimes, Zach Grenier
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Production Year: 2003 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jan De Bont - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Angelina Jolie, Ciaran Hinds, Chris Barrie, Gerard Butler, Noah Taylor, Djimon Hounsou, Til Schweiger
Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: Excellent special effects Disadvantages: storyline does lack intensity at times
...but they are wrong. The Volcano has not finished with Los Angeles yet and Lava starts streaming through the subway system straight to the end of the line that is of course Cedar Falls. Roark and Dr Barnes are sent in a race against time and the Lava to try to save his daughter, the hospital and all the injured from the oncoming eruption. Will they succeed you will have to watch to find out.
The Acting / My Opinion.
======================== ...gives us an outstanding performance in his role of Mark Roark in this film. His roguish looks and straight but firm voice give this performance and excellent realism, making him in my opinion the perfect actor cast for this role. Anne Heche also gives us a good acting performance although I think this is more down to the fact that she is being led by such a strong performance from Tommy Lee Jones, as occasionally her character seems to be lacking ... more
Volcano. (Film Only Review). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Plot. ============ Problems start to occur in downtown Los Angeles when several large tremors hit, but these are no ordinary earth tremors that Los Angeles is accustomed to, they are advanced warnings of what is about to show itself.The Summary. =============== FEMA Director Mark Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) is finally getting a well earned vacation and spending some quality time with his daughter Kelly (Gaby Hoffman) since his marriage breakdown. Suddenly Los Angeles is hit by a large tremor and FEMA are sent into action. Although he starts to investigate, he is told to stop as he is on vacation but not before Dr. Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) of what she believes does warn him is causing it. He does not believe what she tells him and goes back home to his daughter. Dr Barnes is determined to prove she is right and with the help of her friend, Rachel goes down into the subway system to get the proof she needs. Whilst there another large tremor hits and her friend Rachel is killed but she now has the proof she needs, but is she to late. The last tremor was more damaging and as Roake Rushes to work with Kelly in tow, he is bombarded with Lava Fireballs erupting from the La Brea Tar pits. His car is stuck and ash is falling everywhere when his daughter manages to be burnt by a fireball on her leg. Dr Jay Calder is also rushing to work and has stopped to help so takes Kelly and other injured fire fighters in her car to Cedar Falls Hospital and safety. Roark is now left to battle the Lava flow and comes up with a plan to stop it. All the emergency services and residents all spring into action to help with Roark's plan, Suddenly the Lava pools in the man-made Dam they have built and they all give a big sigh of relief as they think they have beaten this thing, but they are wrong. The Volcano has not finished with Los Angeles yet and Lava starts streaming through the subway system straight to the end of the line that is of course Cedar Falls. Roark and Dr Barnes are sent in a race against time and the Lava to try to save his daughter, the hospital and all the injured from the oncoming eruption. Will they succeed you will have to watch to find out.
The Acting / My Opinion. ======================== Tommy Lee Jones yet again gives us an outstanding performance in his role of Mark Roark in this film. His roguish looks and straight but firm voice give this performance and excellent realism, making him in my opinion the perfect actor cast for this role. Anne Heche also gives us a good acting performance although I think this is more down to the fact that she is being led by such a strong performance from Tommy Lee Jones, as occasionally her character seems to be lacking that something special feature about it. Gaby Hoffman however is really starting to show her acting abilities in this role yet you can still see the relatively new to the business style in her. In saying that though this has no effect on the films quality due to the character and role she has been cast in. Don Cheadle stars as Emmit Reese and gives this character an excellent role although it is a shame we were not given a chance to see more of him in the film, and Keith David shows why he is becoming such a popular actor in his performance in this film. Again sadly his role I think could have been given a lot more in the film which it sadly does not. Therefore, in my opinion all the actors have given a good entertaining performance for this film.
The Directing. ================= After getting his teeth into directing in the film `Threads`, a film set in the after-mouth of a nuclear holocaust, Mick Jackson yet again gives us a chance to see why he is so good at directing disaster movies. He has managed to make this a high-tension thriller with plenty of action and suspense all inter-twined. He really has done himself great credit with this film especially when you consider he actually started his career as an Editor for the BBC.
Summary. ================ This is an action packed thriller, packed with plenty of tension and drama. The visual special effects are amazing and the actors give us a believable performance (see above). It may come across as just another disaster movie with a slightly different twist as it is set in Los Angeles, however due to all the visual effects and storyline this has managed to make this film an interesting and entertaining film to watch in my opinion.
Favourite Scene. ================= I have to admit my favourite scene in this film is when Stan (John Carroll Lynch), and his men are on the subway train rescuing the passengers and Stan goes back for the driver. Suddenly the train is surrounded by Lava and Stan has to jump to his death in order to save the driver by throwing him across the Lava. I think the effects in this particular part of the film when we see Stan partially melting is fantastic
Technical Information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cast. ~~~~~~~~~ Mike Roark ~~~ Tommy Lee Jones Dr Amy Barnes ~~~ Anne Heche Kelly Roark ~~~ Gaby Hoffman Emmit Reese ~~~ Don Cheadle Dr Jay Calder ~~~ Jaqueline Kim Lieutenant Ed Fox ~~~ Kieth David Norman Calder ~~~ John Corbett Gator Harris ~~~ Michael Rispoli Stan Olber ~~~ John Carroll Lynch Kevin ~~~ Marchello Thedford Rachel ~~~ Laurie Latham Fire chief ~~~ Bert Kramer Bud McVie ~~~ Bo Eason
Director ~~~ Mick Jackson
Certificate ~~~ 12 years and over Production year ~~~ 1997 Languages ~~~ English Subtitles ~~~ Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic, English for the hearing impaired. Running time ~~~ 1 hour and 40 mins approximately.
Widescreen 1.85:1 in Dolby Digital (5.1)
Special Features. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original theatrical trailer. Interactive Menu's Scene Access.
Purchase Information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Available from:- Play.com for £5.99 or part of a 3 for £15 package deal. Amazon.co.uk for new from £3.75 or used from 0.01 and above.
Advantages: Good special effects Disadvantages: Lack of characterisation, not enough human emotion
...Peak, which is similar to Volcano in every respect, except that Pierce Brosnan is in the lead role and not Tommy Lee Jones. Volcano isn't that terrible, but it definately doesn't class as one of the great disaster movies, even if it does contain some well cheoreographed action sequences and a solid (but not great) performance from Jones. This is definately Tommy Lee Jones's territory, allowing him to run around and save the day, as well as fix the ... ...same. The main problem with Volcano is that you don't feel any connection to the lead characters, with a lack of characterisation prevalent throughout. As the title suggests this film is all about a Volcano and its aftermath. The big difference is that the Volcano explodes in the middle of Los Angeles (which is scientifically impossible, but obviously nothing is impossible in Hollywood), leading to absolute chaos on the streets. The film starts with ...
bigmike33 13.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Volcano (DVD)
Advantages: Good effects and sound Disadvantages: The story lacks emotion
Movie: Volcano Year: 1997 Industry Rating: 12 Classification: Action / Thriller / Drama / Disaster Starring: Tommy Lee Jones .... Mike Roark Anne Heche .... Dr. Amy Barnes Gaby Hoffmann .... Kelly Roark Don Cheadle .... Emmit Reese Jacqueline Kim .... Dr. Jaye Calder Keith David .... Police Lieutenant Ed Fox John Corbett .... Norman Calder Michael Rispoli .... Gator Harris John Carroll Lynch .... Stan Olber Marcello Thedford .... Kevin Laurie Lathem ... ...Coast is Toast when a volcano erupts in downtown L.A., threatening to destroy the city. Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) is the director of the OEM (Office of Emergency Management) for Los Angeles, and is about to have his abilities tested to the max. In downtown L.A., after a couple of workers are attacked by what appeared to be a weird gas in an underground tunnel, Mike and another inspector are sent to investigate. After going down into the tunnel ...
Caeculus 21.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Volcano (DVD)
Advantages: Entertainmant Disadvantages: Not enough of a story
...wrote a novel of a volcano erupting under a city only his was based in New York. There are several similarities between this book and the film. Without going into spoilers, the locations, city-park-lake-subway, some actions, some characters, human and non human that I feel that this book was the genesis for the film. The film gives story writer credit to a Jerome Armstrong. This is the only credit according to IMDB.
I feel that this is only half ... ...the actions of the various characters, and there are several characters given name credits in this film, are not explored.
Why certain people acted as they do is not part of this film. We are presented with a situation and the action is allowed to develop from there. The why of the people being where they are is not mentioned at all. And that I feel lets down this film. As a disaster film this is quite entertaining. Suspend all critical belief before ...
Coloneljohn 23.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Volcano (DVD)
Advantages: Reasonable special effects, Tommy Lee Jones Disadvantages: Weak plot, poor characters
...the actual possibility of a Volcano forming in Los Angeles is impossible due to the geographical location.
The main star of the film is Tommy Lee Jones, who plays a stereo typical hero who has to save the day, even though no one would listen to him. You can't blame Jones for this performance as the character doesn't have any history or real depth of character. Accompanying him is Anne Heche who is not believable as someone with a knowledge of geology ... ...job but don't really stand out.
The film is directed by Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) and although he hasn't done a terrible job in keeping the film moving, he hasn't made the most of the story. The whole film relies on the special effects to keep you glued to it, but if he had made an attempt to explain the characters a bit more and work more with the storyline, he could have made a reasonable film. The soundtrack to the film is totally unmemorable, ...
christianfilmcritic 01.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Volcano (DVD)
Advantages: Great Idea, Great Special Effects Disadvantages: The idea wasn't fully exploited
This film is about a Volcano forming in the city of Los Angeles and causing massive devastation in the city. The idea is very good but the filmakers didn't exploit it to it's full extent as the script was pretty weak and a good idea was wasted. The special effects are outstanding and are state of the art and I cannot fault them. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones and was made around the same time as Men Ib Black but was released almost a year after it ...
lukerussell 16.07.2000
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probably saved the guy in a wheelchair gags for the sequel (they did).
Shorty Watches Girl On Surveillance Camera – Too long, too not funny. Glad they cut it out, but they should have left it on the cutting room floor. In a pile. Under some mouse droppings. In a volcano. On Mars.
Cindy’s Last Stand – 4 extra seconds of the final scene, featuring a throwaway blowjob gag. Unessential.
***DVD ROM extras***
***Screenplay Viewer***
Watch the movie alongside the screenplay (duh, really?), which also features clickable thumbnail images of stills from the flick. Pretty pointless for a movie reliant on sight gags, but adds more value to the package than:
***Scary Movie: A Guide for the Culturally Challenged***
Apparently an explanation, scene by scene, of each and every one of the jokes relating to pop-culture, which ...
peppersinclaire 05.02.2002 (07.02.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Scary Movie (DVD)
Advantages: Connery at this best Disadvantages: You'll think of Austin Powers when you see this
before. When the volcano set is referred to it is with full pride of the crew involved as the work that went into construction of what were them a record breaking film set was an incredible effort which is reflected in the documentaries. That set cost 105 of the budget and was designed by Ken Adam, who has a documentary about him included. Surprisingly it also shows the downside of the production with what went wrong, it is very moving story regarding the cameraman. That lost a foot when the helicopter blades came too close to the copter that he was filming from.
This is the second time that he film has been released on DVD, as this is an Ultimate Edition disc the extras have been beefed up and includes extras such as interviews from Whickers World to Radio adverts and trailer. A great selection, full list of extras below:
• Audio ...
When an earthquake triggers a giant burst of lava from the La Brea Tar Pits, sending great spews of lava all over various Los Angeles neighborhoods and causing all manner of flaming magma mayhem, dedicated Emergency Management director Mike Roark rushes to the rescue, with help from a plucky seismologist. A no-holds-barred cataclysmic extravaganza, replete with lava bombs bursting in air, a toned-down flirtatiousness between the city's saviors, and the straight-faced how-will-we-stop-it
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Original Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review
"...VOLCANO is sharply edited for maximum mayhem, played at top volume, and filled with every imaginable volcano-related effect this side of the lava lamp. The effects are grand and stupefying..." (New York Times, p.C1, 25/04/1997)
DVD Description
When an earthquake triggers a giant burst of lava from the La Brea Tar Pits, sending great spews of lava all over various Los Angeles neighborhoods and causing all manner of flaming magma mayhem, dedicated Emergency Management director Mike Roark rushes to the rescue, with help from a plucky seismologist. A no-holds-barred cataclysmic extravaganza, replete with lava bombs bursting in air, a toned-down flirtatiousness between the city's saviors, and the straight-faced how-will-we-stop-it
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