Volcano takes the unlikely premise of a volcano erupting beneath LA and throws (then) state of the art special effects at it. Mike Roark (Jones) is the head of OEM (Office of Emergency Management, not Original Equipment Manufacturer) and is supposed to be on vacation with his daughter (Gaby Hoffmann), leaving his associate (Cheadle) in charge. When the city is awakened by a quake, however, the job quickly pulls him back in. Everything seems more or less normal but, of course, it isn't. Strange things seem to be happening beneath the surface and geologist Dr. Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) is the only one who has a clue about it. Soon Mike is the only one smart and heroic enough to save the city from becoming the next Pompeii, while keeping his daughter safe by making impossible leaps over creeping molten lava.
Speaking of creeping molten lava, there is a lot of it. And while the visual effects are actually not half bad, I think every shot of the magma's slow advance is the exact same piece of film, and it's really not that intimidating. The overall effects are pretty good for the time though. The lava flow and Tommy Lee Jones carry this entire movie on their shoulders, and since those are two pairs of decently strong shoulders, Volcano doesn't fall into a sink hole, rising to mediocre. It's still campy as all get out though. The acting is nothing extraordinary, but is not distracting, but there's only so much you can do about a premise as far fetched, yet straightforward as this one. Something tells me that Roland Emmerich could have found many unlikely plot devices and devise some scenes even more spectacular than knocking over a skyscraper in the middle of the city had he helmed this movie, but that's not the case.
What we have is a watchable disaster drama with predictable outcomes, nearly flat characters, and pretty good eye candy for when it was made. Don't go out of your way to see this one, but there is worse out there.
** (2/5 stars)
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