I Lava L.A.
Volcano Heats Up Movie Screens

We're turning up the heat this week as we take a look at the latest disaster epic to hit the big screen: Volcano. Many people have remarked that Hollywood seems to have entered the second age of Irwin Allen - the director who pioneered the disaster genre in the 1970s with movies like Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. Recent "disaster" flicks include last summer's Twister, Dante's Peak and the upcoming Christian Slater vehicle Hard Rain. If Volcano shows how state-of-the-art special effects can transform the genre, and moviegoers should prepare for a wild ride.

Volcano is an entertaining, but simple story. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this movie explores the possibility of a new volcano forming under the city. Although it sounds like science fiction, the story takes a moment to explain how this could happen, as if the "realism" could make the story a little more exhilarating.

Although the special effects are attention-grabbers, it is the human element that keeps the audience rivetted to their seats. Tommy Lee Jones (best known for his award-winning role in The Fugitive) stars as Mike Roark, the chief of Los Angeles' Office of Emergency Management (OEM). The OEM has the authority to oversee all city resources (fire, police, transportation, etc.) in the event of a disaster. Naturally, it is Roark and his crew who are at the center of the story.

Ann Heche co-stars as Amy Barnes, a member of the geological service who tries to convince Roark that the deaths of several city workers are a sign that something is not right underneath Los Angeles. With time running out, she tries to find proof that a recent earthquake has opened a fissure to the molten rock under the earth's crust. Although the apparent attraction between her and Jones' characters is evident, the story does not become bogged down by slow-paced melodrama. A simple look, a word, and the two characters keep moving in an attempt to save the city.

Rounding out the great cast are Don Cheadle as Roark's second-in-command, Emmit Reese; Jaqueline Kim as Dr. Jaye Caldwell; and Gaby Hoffman as Roark's daughter Kelly. Cheadle is exceptionally funny, playing a hard working man trying to fill his boss' shoes. Kim convincingly plays a doctor at the center of the crisis, but is given too little screen time. Hoffman, who has really turned into a fine young actress, plays her role convincingly and with the vulnerability of a thirteen year old.

Volcano is a great film for teens and adults alike. It is exciting, emotional, and a must-see on the big screen.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 105 min.