Dante’s Peak

Dante’s Peak follows volcanologist Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan) as he arrives at a small countryside town to study its long-dormant volcano, with chaos ensuing as it turns out said volcano may not be quite as dormant as everyone suspected. Filmmaker Roger Donaldson delivers a perfectly serviceable disaster flick that benefits from solid performances and impressive special effects, although it’s equally clear that there are certain elements preventing the picture from becoming a minor classic of the genre. (This is never more true than in a first half devoted mostly to sequences in which Harry attempts to convince various figures of the threat’s severity.) The hit-and-miss atmosphere is perpetuated by a somewhat needless emphasis on Harry’s less-than-convincing relationship with the town’s mayor (Linda Hamilton’s Rachel Wando), with the lion’s share of the movie’s plot subsequently detailing Harry’s ongoing efforts at keeping Wando and her extended family (and lovable dog) safe from harm. There are certainly plenty of exciting set-pieces contained within Dante’s Peak‘s mostly engaging midsection – eg Harry and company attempt to drive through a huge lava flow – and the film does feature an admittedly satisfying (if somewhat overlong) climactic stretch, which ultimately does cement its place as a decent entry within the disaster-movie canon.

**1/2 out of ****