Dante's Peak

One of my favourite movies!!
Love it! The town os so cute, defo on my to go list

Classic disaster movie for me. Remember renting it from the video shop as a kid and enjoying it back then too. Watching now as an adult I appreciated the connection between the leads more too. And the chemistry in the moments of them nearly kissing. Most films would have had them sleep together before the action kicked off but this was just right and you felt the frustration!
Disbelief has to be suspended to enjoy most of this genre of films and it works well. The action and effects still stand up!

Still love this movie.. Sure it gets unrealistic near the end but still a good popcorn movie :)

Yes...I've said so before. I like disaster films!!!

Hence...

A rewatch of one of my personal favourites.

I'm not going to give you a whole spiel about why you need to see Dante's Peak, because that never really works with disaster movies. Either you like them, and have probably seen it, or you don't like them, and think I am the biggest idiot this side of the Day after Tomorrow. I like it, and that is all that matters really...

Another solid disaster picture. Follows the typical beats and characters a movie like this usually does, but it does it nicely. Brosnan is really likeable in it, as is his relationship with Hamilton.

Some films stick with you not because they’re masterpieces, but because of when and how you experienced them. I saw Dante’s Peak in theaters back in 1997, and it was thrilling. It has that unmistakable ‘90s formula: impressive special effects, a serious hero (Pierce Brosnan), a courageous mother figure (Linda Hamilton), and a quiet town that, of course, is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

The plot is simple, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s straightforward, gets to the point, and once the volcano starts rumbling, the action doesn’t let up. The big set pieces work well, and while today’s CGI is on another level, the visuals here still hold up surprisingly well.

There aren’t any big twists, but the film doesn’t need them. Brosnan plays the dedicated scientist, Hamilton shines as the tough mayor, and together they manage to make us care just enough. Sure, some side characters are underdeveloped, and it takes a little while to get going—but when it does, it’s pure disaster movie fun.

What works best is the non-stop tension in the final stretch: mudslides, ash clouds, boiling lakes, explosions, narrow escapes—everything you want in a volcano movie. It’s predictable, but it’s also genuinely entertaining.

Dante’s Peak doesn’t aim to be more than it is. And over time, that’s actually a strength. It’s classic disaster cinema, stripped down and effective. The kind of film you stumble upon on a lazy weekend and can’t help but watch until the end.

Definitely a 90s flick and I borderline love it. The opening pulls you in so unexpectedly and you wonder how they'd make an almost 2hr long 'Escape an Evil Volcano' movie. Visually it's a lot better than expected. Story and character-wise wise it's very unexpected. I love Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, this just made me like them even more. When I say 'evil' volcano, I mean a red-blooded, lava-fueled villain. It waits for the perfect moment to wreak havoc. They gave one of the main deaths the Willem scream, it gets that unserious. There's so much nonsense but in the unpredictable way you want it.

For all the mixed reviews I see, I actually enjoyed it. It's one of the few times I felt positive about a film, while wondering what went wrong with a lot of people. If this were made in 1988, maybe it would been upheld in a better light. I think this doesn't hit the cultural zeitgeist of the late 90s, not does it showcase the greatest in special effects.

A dumb fun movie that gets exceptionally dumb towards the end. Enjoy with a bowl of popcorn and logic turned off. Disasters are my passion.