Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Volcano erupts violently and destroys town; intense peril.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Dante's Peak
What's the Story?
DANTE'S PEAK follows the tried-and-true formula for disaster movies -- a high-paid, good-looking movie star is in a position to first warn disbelievers of impending calamity, then perform heroics in to save regretful naysayers. In this case, the movie star is Pierce Brosnan as Harry Dalton, a star volcanologist for the U.S. Geological Survey office, and the looming catastrophe is the roiling, lava-spewing mountain of the title, a volcano dormant for thousands of years but about to reduce its namesake small town into cinders and ash. The story opens with Harry escaping a Philippine eruption four years earlier that took the life of his girlfriend. Evacuees are seen running and screaming from the ash-spewing, fireball-spitting elevation, perfect foreshadowing for what is clearly the predetermined fate of little Dante's Peak, population 7,000. Buildings collapse, burning lava flows in rivulets through town. Volcanic activity turns a lake's water to acid. Through the destruction many are killed but our hero survives, having earned a love interest in the process.
Is It Any Good?
If nonstop chaos is your thing, then this will be your cup of tea. It provides all the harrowing special effects -- disintegrating buildings, volcanic fireballs, collapsing bridges, fiery lava rivers -- that you could want. Dante's Peak doesn't really bear deep analysis, but if one did give it much thought one might agree with Harry's superior, who first advised against evacuating an entire town just based on Harry's gut instincts, even though Harry later turned out to be right. Science ultimately, a little too late, bore out Harry's assessment, but the delay in evacuating in the face of impending doom certainly added tension to the otherwise predictable plot. Linda Hamilton does a fine job in the thankless role of the town's plucky mayor and generic love interest for Harry. But then the whole movie is no more than a well-executed exercise in the generic.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about different kinds of natural disasters. Would you prefer to live in an area prone to flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, or volcanic activity? Why?
What do you think about the kids who drove a truck through unsafe roads to help rescue their grandmother? Did they do the right thing? Why or why not?
How does the scariness of Dante's Peak compare to other violent or scary films you've seen?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 7, 1997
- On DVD or streaming : January 20, 1998
- Cast : Pierce Brosnan , Linda Hamilton , Charles Hallahan
- Director : Roger Donaldson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Parents strongly cautioned for disaster-related peril and gore
- Last updated : May 14, 2021
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