Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7021 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-08-25
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Hungarian, Polish, Icelandic, Finnish, Czech
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) wastes no time getting to the good stuff--it's happening in Volcano even before opening credits are over--and neither should anyone in the mood for technical efficiency without the burden of art. --Tom Keogh

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Original Theatrical Trailer
Czech\Danish\English\Finnish\Hebrew\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Portuguese\Swedish

Synopsis
When an earthquake triggers a giant burst of lava from the La Brea Tar Pits, sending great spews of lava all over various Los Angeles neighborhoods and causing all manner of flaming magma mayhem, dedicated Emergency Management director Mike Roark rushes to the rescue, with help from a plucky seismologist. A no-holds-barred cataclysmic extravaganza, replete with lava bombs bursting in air, a toned-down flirtatiousness between the city's saviors, and the straight-faced how-will-we-stop-it

Customer Reviews

canny good i suppose
Yes whatever, this film might be "factually incorrect" but you really shouldn't let that ruin it. The special effects are excellent, the acting is great from tommy lee jones and it is full of suspense. However, after watching this, you wont remember any of that. You will be too busy coming to terms with the fact that you just watched a man attempt to jump off a train and end up melting in lava (ah, lovely!). Yes, that is an amazing scene that will not only leave you in awe (if you can bare to look) but will give you nightmares for months and is gauranteed to give you a phobia of trains.
This film has been compared a lot to Dante's Peak. I've ben trying to decide which one i prefer but they're both just as good as each other. Go on, just buy this, it's cheap enough (oh, unless a scientist!)

More of a damp firework
This film fails to observe the three golden rules for disaster movies:

1. The film should be at least two hours long
2. There should be an all-star cast
3. The disaster must be plausible, however absurd it is

I can believe in earthquakes in L.A, hotels catching fire and passenger liners sinking, but the prospect of a volcano suddenly appearing in Beverley Hills is absurd. And where is the all-star cast? Yes, there's Tommy Lee-Jones and that woman who used to go out with Ellen DeGeneres (miscast as the love interest), but that's it.

As for the length, the plot slowly unfolds like any good disaster film (maverick warning everyone a disaster's about to happen, no-one taking any notice), then suddenly, it's as if the director realised he was running out of time and bang! The volcano explodes, everyone rushes around, people die and buildings collapse and suddenly we're at the end of the film and everyone's happy again. Tommy and Anne Heche are an item, Tommy's daughter has survived being surrounded by molten lava and da boyz from da hood are now best mates with the local cops. Absolute nonsense, but the special effects are quite good fun!

Straightforward visual feast!
Many have lambasted this film for its supposed `mindlessness`...True-it is (!), but it should be praised for its visuals, its acting and above all its humour. Whatever you do don`t expect to be taught about Volcanoes and all things geological, the science behind the film is questionable. Would you expect a Volcano to suddenly erupt from beneath Southwark for example? I think not... The main cast handle this obvious `thrillride` film with relish, especially Anne Heche - who has a particularly dry wit. Tommy Lee Jones has worked on better, but still seems to be having a whale of a time here. Definitely worth a look with a bucket of popcorn, a few cans of beer and a bunch of mates who don`t hold back on the sarcastic comments! Great fun!