Dante’s Peak (PG-13)

With an overabundance of doomsday picture films like “Armageddon” or “2012,” here’s a refreshing and special effects-laden film from the ‘90s: “Dante’s Peak.” The film pits a volcanologist (Pierce Brosnan) and a small town Mayor (Linda Hamilton) against a dormant volcano that suddenly becomes volatile. And while the film throws around some thick geology terminology and clichè, overall we find a pleasing film centered on a dying breed of disaster films that are about actual natural disasters. 

“Dante’s Peak” is, in this film, a volcano and the name of a town. At the film’s near-opening, we see the small, picturesque town receiving an award for ‘2nd Best Town to Live in – Population under 20,000.’ 

“Some piece of crap town out in Montana” won 1st place, we are told by a local denizen; and we see the kinship and pride that Dante’s Peakers have for their close-knit town. There’s a carnival, and town celebration, and we learn a man named Elliot Blair is planning to invest millions into the town in terms of businesses and jobs.

Of course, there’s a problem. Harry Dalton (Brosnan), of the U.S. Geological Survey, has been asked by his boss to check on the town’s dormant volcano after they pick up some activity. A number of strange occurrences – such as dead squirrels, dead trees, and two dead tourists, convince Harry the town has a bigger problem than running in second place in best places to live.

What works about “Dante’s Peak” is you really feel like you know these characters, and through careful development you know exactly what is at stake for each of them.

A flashback early on shows us Dalton has loved before, but a devastating loss during a volcanic eruption makes him shy away from relationships. Mayor Wando (Hamilton) is a single mother with 2 kids, and while we don’t learn about her relationship’s ending until halfway in, we see she is a supportive type who really seems to care about this town. This is brought sharply into focus when the question of ‘putting the town on alert’ for a possible evacuation comes front and center during “Dante’s Peak’s” run-time.

Other players in this film, such as as Harry’s boss Paul (Charles Hallahan), and the rest of their team including such actors as Kirk Trutner, Grant Heslov, and Arabella Field, add depth to the film as needed. Businessman Elliot Blair (Tim Halderman) is really just added for cliche, and could have been written out of the script with no loss to the film whatsoever.

Where the film excels is in the volcanic eruption, which turns the placid town of Dante’s Peak into an inferno of lava, crumbling buildings, and pandemonium. The special effects are believable, and the camerawork is well done. My favorite scene has to be a panicked town hall meeting whose occupants are greeted by smoke billowing from the ominous volcano and crumbling church spires as they run outside to flee.

The cinematography is done by Andrej Bartkowiak. While Bartkowiak’s directorial effort “Doom” was abysmal, his treatment of “Dante’s Peak” is just right. Maybe it’s the fact that the film was produced in 1997, or the fact that the film has a more realistic feel to it (before Hollywood got lost in its ‘end of times’ disaster rut), but the film’s effects and visual style are never too much or not enough.

It’s clear the film had scientific advisement (John Lockrow, David Harlow, and Norman McLeod are credited) and the film throws around a lot of scientific terminology (such as seismology, sulfuric, etc), but really makes no attempt at explaining them. This works in the movie’s benefit, however, bringing viewers into Dante’s Peak even more. For instance, it’s doubtful anyone outside the scientific community knows the term ‘Periclastic flow;’ but when Dalton says it, we all know exactly how devastating it really is.

The acting is decent throughout, with Hamilton and Brosnan making a good team. Brosnan, whose early career was borne from “Remmington Steele” seems to have some trouble here sticking to the tortured geologist and not slipping into romantic one-liners, but overall is pleasing to watch. No one seems like they’re acting here, even in short appearances by the town’s many denizens.

“Dante’s Peak” is a disaster film, and if that’s what you’re looking for, you will not be disappointed. The film is not overly deep, but is entertaining, and is standard fare for a ‘90s-era actioner. This is one you can watch alone or with the family, and is an easy way to pass 1 hour and 48 mins.

– by Mark Ziobro