Dante's Peak (1997)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer (WGA):

Leslie Bohem (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The pressure is building...

Plot:

Dr. Harry Dalton discovers that Dante's Peak, which has recently been named the second most desirable place to live in America, is being threatened by a volcano that hasn't been live for years.

Plot Keywords:

Volcano | Mayor | Lava | Cascades | Volcanic Eruption

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Harry Dalton
Linda Hamilton	...	Rachel Wando
Charles Hallahan	...	Paul Dreyfus
Jamie Renée Smith	...	Lauren Wando
Jeremy Foley	...	Graham Wando
Elizabeth Hoffman	...	Ruth
Grant Heslov	...	Greg, USGS Crew
Kirk Trutner	...	Terry, USGS Crew
Arabella Field	...	Nancy, USGS Crew
Tzi Ma	...	Stan, USGS Crew
Brian Reddy	...	Les Worrell
Lee Garlington	...	Dr. Jane Fox
Bill Bolender	...	Sheriff Turner
Carole Androsky	...	Mary Kelly (as Carol Androsky)
Peter Jason	...	Norman Gates

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for disaster related peril and gore.

Runtime:

Poland:104 min | USA:109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #35097) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Pacific Western

Trivia:

Pierce Brosnan plays a character with the last name Dalton in this film. Two years earlier he took over the role of James Bond, replacing Timothy Dalton.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before the main eruption Harry turns left on what is supposed to be Bank Street. In the shot he is actually turning right on Cedar Street.

Quotes:

Greg: It's coffee time! Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! Cappuccino, java, YES!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

Blue Moon Revisited

Dude, you need to calm down...

After reading this last guy's review, I'd like to stick up for this movie and offer a BALANCED review. In my opinion, Dante's Peak does a good job of developing the characters (Dalton, R. Wando, the volcano as a character, even the townsfolk), giving convincing backstory as to how volcanos behave compared to scientists' expectations, making us care about the characters, building tension through conflict between Dreyfus and Dalton, and using effects to ramp up the intensity of the action scenes.

Yes, there were things in the script and the story which seemed a little contrived and strained believability. The attitudes and behavior of the USGS team were a little too informal and "hip" to seem real. The driving-through-the-river and driving-through-the-lava scenes were really too far out to be believed. Ruth's selfishness and patent stubbornness were unbelievable but understandable. The scene where the pyroclastic cloud chases them into the mine is pure hollywood fluff but still livable, mainly because WE CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. I found the character of Dr. Paul Dreyfuss to be right on. He explained the dilemma well during the city council meeting scene. All of the characters are believable at least, convincing at most.

I think the chemistry between Dalton and Wando is believable : Here you have a scientist who is analytical and professional, but who is still in touch with the lives of laypeople, and has a tender side. He has loved and lost before and he senses that this new volcanic threat is akin to the last one which "took" his love away. This re-enforces the precept that THIS TIME, HE WON'T LET THE VOLCANO HURT THE ONES HE LOVES. Wando is the warm, slightly ditsy mayor of Dante's Peak who displays the identifiable traits and values of a northwesterner. She feels slightly overwhelmed by her mayoral duties, raising her kids properly, and running her coffeeshop. She's had a previous marriage to a deadbeat who left her at a vulnerable point. The arrival of Dalton is very catalytic in her life. She's met the only man who has the right answer about the volcano, likes her kids, likes her, is intriguing, and is everything her ex wasn't. THIS IS THE MAKINGS OF A ROMANCE...DUH.

I'm really impressed that the filmmakers were able to pack this much character development, backstory, romance, suspense, personal conflict, with an intense end-sequence in under 1 1/2 hours! "Volcano" is a film with a similar premise that,IMHO, doesn't even come close to Dante's Peak. While this film is not deserving of an Oscar, IT IS A SOLID FILM, HAVING BEEN WELL-CONCEIVED, WELL-DIRECTED, FAIRLY WELL-ACTED, AND AS SUCH IS SUBSEQUENTLY WELL-DESERVING OF SOME CRITICAL ACCLAIM rather than getting a baseless pummeling from reviewers who obviously expect to see a 5-star gem everytime they go to the movies.