Dante's Peak

Cast: Peirce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renee Smith, Jeremy Foley, Elizabeth Hoffman, Grant Heslov and Tzi Ma.

Director: Roger Donaldson

Release Date: 1997

Running Time: 1hr 48 minutes

Genre: Action

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

Volcanologist Harry Dalton, arrives at a famous countryside town recently named the second most desirable place to live in America, and discovers that the town has a long dormant volcano, that could wake up at any minute! 

This is a thriller with a dash of romance thrown in! I can remember watching this in my early teens with my older brother, it honestly used to frighten me quite a bit. Looking back, it does seem a little bit daft, however at the same time it goes to show how realistic it is. Volcanologist Harry Dalton is sent to Dante's Peak to investigate a few sudden changes in the mountain's activity. After finding the mountain has incredibly high acidic levels, he informs Mayor Rachel Wondo (Hamilton) and the local town council that the volcano has the potential to blow! Will they evacuate the town just in time? Or will it be too late? Harry must use his knowledge to help save Rachel and her two children. Peirce Brosnan is excellent as Volcanologist Harry Dalton, he delivers fantastic characterisation, his knowledge of volcanoes appears very genuine and realistic. He has a very strong sense of character and it really shows on screen.

Linda Hamilton plays Mayor Rachel Wondo, in between running the town, looking after her two children Lauren and Graham, she also runs her own coffee shop. A favourite among the town's geologists. Hamilton's performance is very good. I love the chemistry between Peirce Brosnan and herself. The two work beautifully together on screen. Jamie Renee Smith who plays Lauren delivers a very good performance as does Jeremy Foley who plays her brother Graham, for child actors they both come across as very convincing. The friendship that they build with Harry as the film progresses is fantastic. Leslie Boham wrote a very good screenplay, essentially this film could have been very cheesy and lost it's audience very early on, however she manages to add a sense of realism to the film without pushing it too far. The dialogue between characters is very genuine and real, a lot of research appears to have been made prior to writing the script, it really shows. Don't be fooled into thinking this is like Mick Jackson's "Volcano" which starred Tommy Lee Jones. Dante's Peak really will have your heart racing at times! The storyline isn't as predictable as you may first think.

Can you believe this film was shot twenty years ago? The special effects for the time were exceptionally good. The cinematography is amazing and really adds suspense to the film. Beautifully shot in Saugus, California, with a few establishing shots of Mount St Helen's, you've really got to give Director Roger Donaldson some credit! Despite it being twenty years old, it still looks excellent today! The special effects team, especially deserve a great deal of credit for their work on this movie. The production design is great and really adds a sense of realism to the movie. It adds to the tone of the film perfectly. The whole of this movie looks so convincing. It's almost hard to believe at times it's just a film, it looks that good! The lighting is great and works well with the production design and the cinematography. There are a few scenes that are honestly very frightening, especially to young audiences. Lava flows, lakes that are instantly turned to acid!

Incredible music composer James Newton Howard delivers a stunning score. A soundtrack that connects to you on an emotional level and manages to tell the story, just through the use of music it's magnificent! I was thoroughly impressed with the storyline, the special effects, the gorgeous cinematography and the excellent score. Dante's Peak really will have you on the edge of your seat! Although it looks dated, it's one to definitely add to your collection!

4/5 stars