"This city is finally paying for its arrogance."      

VOLCANO (PG-13) 

Oh boy, another disaster movie!!!  This time we're in Los Angeles, where some geologic rift has suddenly stirred underneath tinseltown, turning the La Brea Tar Pits first into a hot sauna, and then into a bonafide magma-spewing monster. 

Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) is an L.A. Office of Emergency Management Captain who first suspects something's wrong when several utilities workers are killed (okay, fried) while working underground.  Soliciting the aid of seismologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche), even Roark initially laughs off the possibility of a volcano under L.A.  "Is there a history of volcanic activity in the downtown Los Angeles area?"  Well, of course not!!  

And that's part of the fun of Volcano...

Lava bombs, burning buildings, explosions, lots of ash, more lava bombs, more explosions, more ash, and thousands of Los Angelinos running for their lives!!  This is more fun than a barrell of monkeys--if you know what you're getting into.  Great special effects and a stunning THX soundtrack are standard features of disaster movies these days, and Volcano definitely delivers.  The "last stand" at Wilshire and Fairfax (pictured above) is a visual feast, as are many other scenes in this film.  The storyline is as you'd expect--not too complicated with a lot of hokey subplots.  Tommy Lee Jones is also as you'd expect--entertaining in a straight-ahead authoritarian way.  In all, Volcano isn't particularly thought-provoking, dramatic, or unique in any way.  But, as disaster movies go it's not bad.  All that glowing lava is hard to ignore, and when creeping down Wilshire Boulevard it's absolutely wicked!

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

rfksecond2@cs.com gives this movie  stars: "Boring story at times. Ending was a 'I-can't-think-of-anything" ending." (6/20/00).

David Rogers gives this movie  stars: "Go Tommy! Go Tommy! Go Tommy! Tommy Lee Jones rules!" (5/6/00)

celeste_19@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "What a lot of people don't want to admit is that this story could actually happen. The tar pits are situated in a large crack in the Earth's surface. With each earthquake that crack gets deeper. I'm not saying it will happen this week or even this year, but it can happen someday. And there is now way we will be prepared for it, just as they weren't in the movie. I found it very realistic and over-all a good movie. It loses a few merit points for the ending, but come on.... it's Tommy Lee Jones, of course he ends up ok!!!" (11/17/99)

ironmonger@pop.kingston-internet.co.uk gives this movie  stars: "This is a brilliant popcorn movie. Plenty of special effects, action and just pure entertainment. I adore Tommy Lee Jones, so the fact that he's in this movie makes it even more watchable! Bought this movie on videotape purely for the joy of watching Tommy Lee Jones running around in his boxer shorts!!!!!" (11/6/99)

jessfroggy@prodigy.net gives this movie  star: "this movie was the worst movie i ever paid for the plot was dumb and it was so unrealistic and the special effects were not special" (8/18/99)

dluthy1@juno.com gives this movie  stars: "Ilike the movie I am 6 years old I Love watching Volcano Movies I was wondering if your going to make a sequel to th e volcano movie my mom would like to see to but with less bad words" (3/22/99)

S Collins gives this movie  star: "this movie was not worth the film it was printed on. I like to be entertained, don't get me wrong, but this film is so unrealistic that it starts to insult me. Why Hollywood thinks it can get away with making movies like this is beyond me. Maybe they should spend more money on purchasing a good script, instead of special effects." (11/20/98)

vanzaj@spiderweb.com gives this movie  stars: "tommy lee jones is the hottest man on earth, i just love any movie he is in but this one was the best." (10/23/98)

br768@rgfn.epcc.edu gives this movie  stars: "This is the best disaster movie I've seen. Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche were excellent." (6/23/98)

RM2664@juno.com gives this movie  stars: "Five stars. What can you say... Tommy Lee Jones is THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!" (4/15/98)

Stephanie Hensley gives this film  stars: "Tommy Lee Jones was amazing in this movie. He captured the character's feeling and emotions. This movie was well written and well acted out. I give the movie 5 stars as well as actors! Besides Tommy Lee Jones is so cute. How could you give him less?!" (12/28/97)

Sean Dreak gives this film  stars: "It seemed a little boring at first but then it started getting better. I thought it was a great movie." (11/18/97)