It’s not a series, but it’s worth a watch/rewatch all the same.
Considering we’re all spending a lot of time indoors these days, the JOE team has picked out viewing recommendations for TV series, old and new, to get stuck into to keep boredom at bay. In this case we’re picking a movie.
Title: Dante’s Peak
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renée Smith, Jeremy Foley
Where can you watch it? Netflix
Number of seasons/episodes: One standalone movie
IMDB rating: 5.9 (ssshhhh don’t worry about this)
Why you should watch it:
Who doesn’t love a good disaster movie? Well a lot of people don’t, actually, but there’s definitely an audience out there for them.
Disaster movies allow people to escape into a world where there’s no consequences for them which is especially appealing at a time there’s a global pandemic and looming recession on the cards.
Let’s be clear here, we’re not talking about Sharknado levels of disaster, but rather those movies that dip their toe over the edge of utter absurdity before furtively glancing over their shoulder and going no further.
Step forward Dante’s Peak. It’s a movie some might be mildly embarrassed to be caught watching, but at the same time you’re totally engrossed in it while it’s on. Picture being halfway through and a family member enters the room.
– “What you watching?”
– inaudible words followed by shrug
– “What?”
– “DANTE’S PEAK!”
– “Jesus alright, no need to shout ffs.”
It’s a classic 90s disaster movie about a vulcanologist who sees the warning signs for major lava problems in a small mountainside town… named Dante’s Peak.
But no one will believe him until it’s too late.
It’s not to be confused with another disaster movie about a volcano which came out the same year. What are the chances? That one was simply just called Volcano and Tommy Lee Jones was the lead.
Dante’s Peak features typical 90s special effects and battling performances from Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. It’s a decent watch as long as you don’t think too much about the logic of it all.
Roger Ebert wrote at the time of its release that “it follows the disaster formula so faithfully that if you walk in while the movie is in progress, you can estimate how long the story has to run.”
Did you like Armageddon? Deep Impact? Twister?
If the answer is yes, you’ve got yourself a winner.
Clip via Movieclips Classic Trailers
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