Volcano (1997)

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Jerome Armstrong (story)
Jerome Armstrong (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

The Coast Is Toast

Plot:

A volcano erupts in downtown L.A., threatening to destroy the city.

Plot Keywords:

Volcano | Earthquake | Lava | Fire | Hospital

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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	...	Rachel
Bert Kramer	...	L.A. Fire Chief
Bo Eason	...	Bud McVie
James MacDonald	...	Terry Jasper (as James G. MacDonald)
Dayton Callie	...	Roger Lapher

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense depiction of urban disaster and related injuries.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #35122) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

190th Street & Western Avenue, Torrance, California, USA

Company:

Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

Trivia:

The ash was made mostly of ground newspaper.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dr. Barnes exits the tunnel at MacArthur park and slips off her air tank, the metallic coat she is wearing slips off her shoulder. In the next shot, it is in place again, only to be back off her shoulder once more in the next shot.

Quotes:

[Roark ordered 200 K-rails (freeway dividers) to redirect the lava. ]
Roark: Where's the rest of 'em?
Truck driver: What "rest of 'em?" This is it!
Lt. Fox: Hey, there only about eighty here!
Truck driver: Eighty-two; everything else is stuck on the 5 and the 10.
Lt. Fox: We're trying to keep the city in one piece, pinhead. Eighty rails ain't gonna do it!
Truck driver: So what are you blaming me for?
Lt. Fox: Convenience, ok?

Movie Connections:

References "ER" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Buck Your Head

The Good & Bad Of 'Volcano'

BAD NEWS - Unlikeable female lead in Anne Hesch, who had too foul a mouth for me. Other irritating characters with stupid dialog. A predictable ending with the needlessly drawn out save-the-daughter scene trying for maximum suspense.

GOOD NEWS - Some awesome disaster scenes. Hollywood's special-effects just keep getting more awesome as the years go on. A fast-moving story that was just about the right length. A likable lead character played by Tommy Lee Jones.

Overall, a movie that keeps your attention but doesn't get your respect with the dumb dialog.