Review of Dante's Peak (1997) by Phil H — 10 Sep 2012

There seemed to be a few disaster films in the 90's, there also seemed to be a trend for making identical films, this was the first for the double dose of volcanoes.

Now lets be honest here, there is a standard setup for disaster films which is usually always followed and somehow keeps on working. In this case we have Brosnan being the science boff who no one believes when he fears a volcano may erupt next to the sleepy mountain town of Dante's Peak.

From the very start its a waiting game, waiting for the fun to start when the mountain blows. The easy plot builds up many characters so we get to know them plus links to other folk so when it all kicks off we feel the emotion run deep. Its simple building block film making basically and this film actually does it well with likeable characters all the way through. I must admit Brosnan is pretty good here, never really liked him before but his calm heroic demeanor is very soothing amidst all the terror and tension, I really wanted him to survive with the woman and kids.

The other things that impress about this film is how realistic it actually is and how well they handle all the effects and action. At no point was I ever thinking how shoddy the film looked or how cheesy it was. All the acting was really very good with some genuinely tear jerking moments of emotion and pretty much all the volcano eruption special effects were excellent. In fact during almost every sequence of rock spurting action I was impressed by the effects which also included some good model work and good matte paintings of the mountain.

Most definitely a more realistic route for this particular slice of volcano drama, pretty accurate with volcano facts offering a good education really. The whole thing builds well and gives plenty of time for everything to come to a climax nicely, no rush and no fuss with obvious care and attention to all areas. A highly recommended natural disaster that has it all including the obligatory dog to really heighten your angst and wetten your hankie when the lava flows.

(This film also includes the infamous 'Wilhelm scream' which is a kooky hokey scream sound effect used hundreds of times in various films. Google it and you will see what I mean and recognise I'm sure.).