Dante's Peak - Collector's Edition
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Actor: Charles Hallahan, Jamie Renée Smith, Jeremy Foley, Linda Hamilton, Pierce BrosnanBrand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
Published: 1998-02-01
DVD Release Date: 1998-02-10
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Dante's Peak - Collector's Edition
DVD Review: Dante's Peak is Near the Peak of Disaster Films
Summary: 4 Stars
I have to admit that I'm a huge fan of disaster flicks so my opinion here is very bias. This is definitely better than the average disaster film in spite of stereotypes, cliche lines and plot, "B" grade actors (excluding Brosnan and Hamilton). I don't think I need to cover the whole story here as Amazon has done that and so have a good number of reviewers here. So I'll focus on the following:
Acting: All are believable, even in the stereotypical roles. Brosnan is perfectly cast in this film and it's a nice departure from his Bond role as most of his performances are (consider Mrs. Doubtfire and The Matador). Linda Hamilton of the The Terminator) films is cast against type as she is normally assigned as a tough, no-nonsense, take the bull by the horns kind of character. Here we see a softer side to her and she is very believable in this role of the single mother and mayor of a small town.
Now Charles Hallahan is a real find in this movie. He is a "B" movie actor who gives an "A" performance in this film. You may remember him from countless other films as he is a great character actor, but he made history in John Carpenter's remake of The Thing in which he has that memorable scene of turning into the monster by having his head come off, sprouting legs, and walking away with his head upside down. In this film he convincingly plays Brosnan's boss. Of course, his dialogue helps to make him convincing as he does raise very legitimate concerns about Brosnan's holier than thou "I can feel what's gonna happen without any evidence" bit. He is not the stereotypical doubting, conniving, out to destroy his best man out of jealousy kind of boss. He professionally puts the lid on Brosnan panic-raising mannerisms and yet gives him every chance to prove his case that this volcano is going to erupt and when ALL evidence says it won't, he appropriately shuts things down just before the thing blows its lid. It's Hallahan's best role and it was extremely well-written.
Script: Cliche-ridden as it is, it is literate most of the time and ironically, as noted above, Brosnan's boss is the best written character in the story. The rest are written in a believable enough manner, but there are serious lapses like Hamilton's thank you to Brosnan for saving her son by making him a dinner, and her ex-mother-in-law's "This mountain is never gonna hurt me" cliched nonsense.
Direction: It is very well-paced and skillfully done. "Dante's Peak" is a complex film considering the unique special effects and some directors are just not good at this kind of thing. Try to imagine Oliver Stone directing The Lord of the Rings and you get what I'm saying.
Special Effects: Unique, totally believable, mind-boggling at times, entertaining, and the kind that will hold up over time like those in the Star Wars Trilogy and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. They aren't overdone where they overwhelm the story and take the place of acting and script. The effects in this story help to tell the story without overwhelming it. Some good examples of films where the special effects were over-the-top and attempted to compensate for poor acting and/or scriptwriting would be Spawn (horror), The Swarm (sci-fi), and Tidal Wave: No Escape (disaster flick).
Description of Dante's Peak - Collector's Edition
Without warning day becomes night. Air turns to fire and solid ground gives way to white-hot molten terror. Brace yourself for action-packed earth shaking thrills and whatever you do do not look back. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton star in an epic adventure from Director Roger Donaldson that will blow you away! Erupting with spectacular special effects heart-pounding suspense romance and remarkable characters.Starring: Pierce Brosnan Linda Hamilton and Charles HallahanDirector: Roger DonaldsonCopyright: 1997 Universal Pictures Produced by Gale Anne Hurd Joseph M. Sing; written by Leslie Bohem; running time of 109 minutes; Closed Captioned.System Requirements:English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish and French Languages: Dolby Surround Spanish Subtitles Dual Layer Anamorphic Widescreen 2:35:1 Audio Commentary with Director Original Documentary "Getting Close to the Show" Behind-the-Scenes footage special effects coverage plus other exciting material Dolby Surround tracks contain up to 4 channels of encoded audio/Playback from 2-channel DVD outputs is compatible with stereo an Dolby Pro Logic reproductionFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG-13 UPC: 025192014925 Manufacturer No: 61020149The first of 1997's volcano disaster movies (the second being Volcano) was arguably the better of the two, but both of them made for passable entertainment with some spectacular special effects to serve as icing on the stale cake. After all, Dante's Peak doesn't pretend to be anything more than an updated variation on a whole catalog of disaster movie clichés. Despite all that, it's reasonably enjoyable. It's an added bonus that the script is just smart enough to allow Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton to play their roles with straight faces, never condescending to the audience of the formulaic story. He's a volcano expert from the U.S. Geological Survey, and she's the mayor of a cozy Washington State town perched beneath a volcano that's about to blow. Telltale signs are everywhere, so evacuation must be carried out immediately. Of course, not everybody's eager to leave, and even some of Brosnan's colleagues think his alarm is premature. This sets the stage for massive ash clouds, rivers of raging mud and molten rock, flattened forests, and death-defying escapes by Brosnan, Hamilton, and some (but not all) of her family, friends, and townsfolk. So what if it's all pretty flaky... and can a four-wheel-drive vehicle travel over fire and molten lava without bursting its tires? Don't ask too many questions, and you'll find Dante's Peak to be (if you'll pardon the pun) a total blast. The Collector's Edition DVD includes a documentary about volcanoes, Getting Close to the Show, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive coverage of the creation of special effects, and audio commentary with director Roger Donaldson. --Jeff Shannon
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