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Starring Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton. The name is Dalton, Dr. Harry Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan steps forward to take on an exploding mountain. What makes Dante's Peak work is exactly what Volcano lacked, a strong, tension filled buildup to a disaster, followed by an hour of gut wrenching attempts to escape. Interestingly, Dante's Peak contains all of the cookie cutter scenes that Volcano does, but with you just glad to have a chance to catch your breath, and listen to the thumping of your heart in your throat, you don't really care. Brosnan, whose doctorate is evidently in the hot wiring of cars, does a decent job in the lead role as a volcanologist (the definition of which is: a guy who knows more about mountains and rocks than anyone could ever care to) working for the U.S. Geological Survey. Brosnan always seems in command of every situation and carries a screen presence that few other actors or actresses have. No matter what Brosnan is doing, or with whom he is on screen, our eyes gravitate toward him and away from the other actors, which helps reduce the number of problems I would have normally found with the other members of the U.S. Geological Survey team. What truly makes Dante's Peak a 'see it' selection though isn't Brosnan, it is the phenomenal volcano special effects that were created. While Volcano has some lava rolling through L.A., Dante's Peak has a natural environment to work with and loses no time in knocking down trees, breaking dams, and deserves special mention for covering god knows how much land in something that looks like volcanic ash. I was looking for models and obvious sets and only spotted one that may have fit this billing. This film has a very fluid level of continuity as well. No scenes appear to be tacked on and never once did I question why I was being shown one particular action or conversation. This is indirectly attributable to the absence of really cheesy sub-plots. Brosnan isn't trying to heal a relationship with his father, and Linda Hamilton isn't trying to increase her self esteem due to a failed marriage, they are simply, and logically, just trying to get away from the huge, erupting volcano that's launching fireballs at them. If you want a movie where your adrenaline is going to rush, where your breath is going to be kidnapped until the end of the picture, and where you're going to forget what room of the house you're in because of the intensity of the action on the small screen, Dante's Peak is the movie for you. If you're more into drama, just think of this as The Englishman Who Went Up a Mountain But Came Down a Hill.
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