X
- 1997
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 1997
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Summary Without warning, day becomes night; air turns to fire, and solid ground melts beneath white-hot lava. Welcome to the town of Dante's Peak, where a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt with devastating force. Who will survive when the inferno unleashes its fury? (Universal)
Directed By: Roger Donaldson
Written By: Leslie Bohem
- 1997
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
- 1997
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 48 m
Dante's Peak
43
6.0
Where to Watch
Summary Without warning, day becomes night; air turns to fire, and solid ground melts beneath white-hot lava. Welcome to the town of Dante's Peak, where a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt with devastating force. Who will survive when the inferno unleashes its fury? (Universal)
Directed By: Roger Donaldson
Written By: Leslie Bohem
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
43
29% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
38% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
33% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
43
29% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
38% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
33% Negative
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
This corny and manipulative movie taxes your ability to suspend disbelief and predictably punishes characters for their hubris--earmarks of a great disaster flick, if the tone is just right.
Older youngsters not threatened by PG-13 levels of intensity might pester Mom and Dad to let them see this cinematic fluff-head. For everyone else, it simply is what it is -- which, despite a budget that could feed Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt for life, isn't very much. [07Feb1997 Pg 04.D]
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 69 User Ratings
6.0
38% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
46% Mixed
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
16% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 69 User Ratings
6.0
38% Positive
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
46% Mixed
32 Ratings
32 Ratings
16% Negative
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
An incredibly enjoyable, engaging and atmospheric disaster flick. Filled with spectacular practical effects, edge of your seat set-pieces and characters actually worth investing in, Dante's Peak for me is a rare treat. It simply ticks all the boxes ****, well made disaster film. It has two very likeable leads, the narrative is grounded and not over the top like a lot of other films in this genre and the setting/cinematography is sublime. It's a very well paced picture too, it flows by seamlessly and before you know it the film is finished. Dante's Peak truly deserves the recognition of being one of the best disaster films ever made, it is simply an enjoyable and entertaining movie that can appeal to just about anyone. What will strike you most about the film is how real the characters feel, how they react to this situation, how the plot builds excellently to the big finale and overall, just how fun it is to watch. Dante's peak as a film is 6/10, as a disaster film it sits up their with the best and deserves a solid 8/10.
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This is yet another one of those mindlessly enjoyable outings which eschews such unimportant details as plot or characterisation in favour of the biggest, flashiest special effects money can buy. Twister with lava, if you will.
Physicality of the second half, then, will keep the audience going, but it is not quite sufficient to camouflage the elemental silliness of storyline.
"Twister" is a rush. Dante's Peak, on the other hand, is a bore. Oh, it has its moments, but most of them are concentrated in the final forty-five minutes. The first hour, which is all typical disaster movie setup, is interminable.
The dialogue is utterly inane, but the high-tech effects deliver the sort of thrills that disaster-film connoisseurs expect.
Too bad that by the time the volcano shoots its wad, the movie has already died a thousand deaths, ground to a halt by the interminable waiting for the damn thing to blow.
Disaster movies can be a fun way to spend some time idle, although most are not particularly cinematically remarkable. This movie fits that description well. The action takes place in a small rural village that has just been considered a great place to live in the US, but lives in the shadow of a sleeping volcano. What no one knows is that this volcano appears to be in full swing and threatens to explode.
The movie quickly creates tension among the audience, and it serves well to grab our attention. I am not the best person to judge the script's ability to be true to the scientific facts underlying a volcanic eruption, I just accept what I saw tacitly, but I admit the possibility the film is not very true to science. The initial half is slower and the action is concentrated on the final half, which is basically a race to escape the volcano. There are some loose ends and inconsistent details, like that scene where a girl, who doesn't even reach the car's pedals, can drive off in a 4-4 jeep.
Pierce Brosnan was convincing in his starring role, while Linda Hamilton made an effort but is always in his shadow. Either way, they are the ones who leverage the movie. The volcano, as it happens in such cases, is almost a character in its own right. Technically, the film was entitled to the best sound and special effects that existed in 1997... but the quick advances in film make it look old-fashioned to many today. Personally, I liked what I saw.
It's not an excellent movie and it's far from being the life movie of anyone involved, it has a dubious script and unbelievable scenes where (as always happens in these movies) some characters escapes from death by a hair. But it's still one of the best disaster movies of the late 1990s, it's fun and entertains the public well.
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Production Company
Universal Pictures,
Pacific Western
Release Date Feb 7, 1997
Duration 1 h 48 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Exploding soon.
Awards
Young Artist Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
