Konterr Brilliant and touching

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

mark.waltz Just getting over the aftershock of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the Los Angeles area now had to deal with other major issues. If it wasn't drive-by shootings, it was the destruction of old historical buildings to put in mini-malls as well as the expansion of the red line into Beverly Hills, a fight that would eventually cease and leave the end of the line in Hollywood. But there's magma forming underground, and that is even a bigger problem for an already freaky city where film crews didn't even have to leave town to get to.MacArthur Park really will be melting on the dark if something isn't done, and when the bubbles start a brewin' in the La Brea tar pits, trouble is definitely on the way. At the helm of the investigation into what's bubblin' up is a straight faced Tommy Lee Jones (assisted by Don Cheadle) who quickly puts two and two together, getting a two minute warning of pending disaster. The result is the return of the disaster movie genre, off the box office roster since the mid 1970's.I have fond memories of seeing this at the Beverly Connection cinema, right across the street from where much of it took place. To say that the audience reaction to this was just a little weird is an understatement. The conclusion brought the volcano literally under my seat, adding a ton of fun to my film going experience. This is a mixture of disaster, only the slightest of family subplot interference, growing intensely as it moves on, and featuring a feisty Carole Lombard like performance by Anne Heche as a geological expert.Released almost simultaneously with the similar but more rustic "Dante's Peak", this never slips up like more recent disaster films that crossed the line on credibility, although the character played by Gaby Hoffman (as Jones' teenaged daughter) starts to get on ones nerves after a bit due to her selfishness. There's also a bit with a racist cop that could have been done away with. Scenes of genuine tragedy happen with two trapped firemen in an overturned truck and an MTA employee trapped underground are gruesome and caused violent shaking when I saw this again. I happen to prefer "Dante's Peak" over this, but this has comedy, tension, conflict, a little bit of romance, a bit of real L.A. history that I experienced, and none of the excess garbage that pretty much ruined the new wave of disaster films that came out following the millennium.

Ruairidh MacVeigh As someone who's watched both the simultaneous Volcano disaster movies of 1997, I can say without a doubt that this movie fails to hold a candle to Dante's Peak, simply because whilst the situation in that movie was realistic, though predictable, and the action you could be gripped by with some enjoyable characters to back it up, this film has pretty much the opposite, but still laboured with the predictability aspect.So what's the red lettuce? Tommy Lee Jones plays Mike Roark the head of the Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management, and after an earthquake rocks the city, he's sent to investigate an apparent gas explosion at the MacArthur Park which has killed several workers. This is followed by strange activity at the La Brea Tar Pits, where some of the sculptures in the pits start to melt. Early the next morning, another violent earthquake rocks the city again and very soon a large lava spewing volcano emerges from the Tar Pits, spreading out into the city. With the assistance of a geologist played by Anne Heche, Roark must try to bring down the destructive force of nature before it wipes out the entire city on its way to the Pacific!Now, aside from the many glaring plot points and the fact that as a Geography student I could write a paper on how inaccurate this movie is, what specifically is wrong with this movie? (Although I will say, if you drop 1,000 gallons of water on top of a Volcano like they do towards the end, that won't stop it erupting!)Well, whilst it maintains the predictable 'the volcano's gonna erupt at some point' streak that Dante's Peak did, it's just generally a bore. The build up to the eruption isn't half as subtle or suspenseful as that in Dante's Peak, and even when the eruption happens it's not particularly exciting. The fact that the lava is moving slowly down the street really takes you out of the excitement, sort of like "Oh my goodness, it'll hit us eventually! Better stick the kettle on then..." Dante's Peak had the advantage of faster moving lava, an acid lake, a wall of debris laden water and a Pyroclastic Flow to keep both us and our heroes on the move.Next are the characters, who are all unbelievably stupid. Whilst Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche I'll excuse for the fact that they actually get stuff done to try and stop this thing, the other character's roles extend to just standing there with their mouths wide open in shock as this big red mass of heat approaches them. The daughter is especially stupid, spending the first half of the movie being a rebellious, angst teen, and the second half just standing gawking at the obvious danger rather than running away or ducking for cover like any other human being would. This is just one of many scenes that you find yourself scratching your head in confusion at, because you really can't let them slide, they're just too stupid for words.So, to sum up, this movie is exactly the same as Dante's Peak, only much less enjoyable. The most jarring problem is the characters, who are all very stupid and act less like human beings and more like lost sheep! The story's recycled, the CGI is recycled, the pace is slower and less exciting, there's enough plot holes to sink the Isle of Wight, it's just a big boring mess!Word of advice, avoid, like these characters should have been doing with the lava!

Ross D-G So volcano was in 1997 and well I think it did good but not really that well because sometimes it copied Dante's peak (1997) but overall tommy lee Jones was successful for this movie but Anne Heche as the lady (forget the names always) was not that well but overall this movie is just a popcorn fun style movie with lots of deaths(which could happen) and it's just a nice sort of movie for the family but 1 thing is wrong. THIS TEEN IS A TOOL FOR THIS MIKE DAD TO SAVE SHES USELESS SHE JUST STANDS THERE WITH HER TEDDY OR TOMMY THE KID AND MIKES DAUGHTER JUST IS A complete tool and when I mean a tool I MEAN A TOOL SERIOUSLY A TOOL so this is what I think of this movie

OllieSuave-007 In LA, emergency manager Michael Roark (Tommy Lee Jones) and geologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) investigate an earthquake and then realized that it is a volcano forming in the city. Therefore, it is a race against time for Roark to stop the volcano from consuming all of LA.As with many disaster films, you have to suspend reality and use your imagination to enjoy some good sci-fi fun in this movie. There are some cheesy acting, courtesy of Heche, but Jones makes up for it. It is fun watching the protagonists attempt to carry out their mission to save the city and, while the plot and story are simple, the fast-paced momentum will give you some edge-of-your-seat excitement. There's also a good dose of drama and action that keeps the film interesting.So, it's not a realistic film or one to make you think seriously, but a good popcorn sci-fi flick for you just to sit back and enjoy.Grade B-