The What Occurred to This Horror Film episode on Volcano was written by Jaime Vasquez:
Catastrophe films have been having their second within the highlight in the course of the Nineties. With greater budgets, advancing CGI, and A-list actors keen to be upstaged by tornadoes, meteors, and alien invasions, shaky B-movie territory out of the blue turned an A-list goldmine. 1997 noticed the discharge of not one, however two blockbusters with volcanoes as their main villains: Dante’s Peak and at this time’s movie, the aptly titled Volcano. It stars a calmer-than-usual Tommy Lee Jones and a fresh-faced Anne Heche, each with the bottom actually scorched and torched beneath them as lava tears by means of the streets of Los Angeles. Volcano premiered to field workplace success, however the street to glory wasn’t with out its personal eruptions. Dante’s Peak didn’t simply come out the identical yr; it hit theaters a mere two months earlier than Volcano. So, simply how shut was the battle between these two rivals, and the way do their legacies stack up at this time? Who was virtually solid within the lead function? And what real-life occasion sparked the story within the first place? Be a part of us as we trek by means of downtown L.A. to uncover What Occurred to Volcano.
Jerome Armstrong, whose sole writing credit score is at this time’s topic, penned the unique story for Volcano. He teamed up with author Billy Ray to show the large-scale story right into a screenplay. Ray is finest identified for writing the 2013 Tom Hanks thriller Captain Phillips, which earned him acclaim and even an Oscar nomination for Finest Tailored Screenplay. Again within the late ‘90s, he was sharpening those blockbuster instincts, with Volcano being one of his earliest writing credits. On the other hand, director Mick Jackson had already proven he could terrify audiences without ghosts, monsters, or jump scares. In 1984, he directed Threads, a British film about the aftermath of nuclear war. The film had an unflinching, documentary-style approach, and to this day, it’s nonetheless thought of some of the disturbing movies ever made. Which is particularly superb contemplating that it was a made-for-TV film, and it wasn’t supposed to be a horror movie. Just a few years later, Jackson switched gears to one thing extra industrial with 1992’s The Bodyguard, the Whitney Houston automobile that earned world success regardless of getting lukewarm evaluations. The movie turned the ‘90s blueprint for turning a singer into a movie star, paving the way for other musicians to enjoy cinematic success. On the other hand, it might’ve additionally impressed glitter-drenched misfires like Spice World and, properly, Glitter.
After The Bodyguard, Jackson stored a low profile till Volcano got here alongside and reignited his curiosity. Upon studying the script, he was drawn to the story’s huge potentialities. He’d already proven he may seize mass devastation with chilling realism in Threads, and ship mainstream success with The Bodyguard. Volcano gave him the possibility to deliver these two elements collectively.
Author Billy Ray defined that on the coronary heart of Volcano’s story is “a city that’s divided on a lot of levels in terms of race and class. People have to put that aside in order to battle a much greater common enemy.” Lofty however admirable targets for a lava film. Producer Andrew Z. Davis took a extra gleeful method, calling L.A. “a place everybody loves to hate,” and including, “It’s a great opportunity to see Los Angeles get trashed.” Actually, it’s a disgrace that quote wasn’t used as a tagline.
In line with IMDb, each Invoice Pullman and Ed Harris have been provided the lead function, which ultimately went to Tommy Lee Jones. Pullman spent the last decade working the nation throughout a UFO invasion and dwelling with ghosts. Possibly he wanted a breather earlier than he took on an enormous crocodile within the following yr’s Lake Placid. The studio additionally thought of Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even John Travolta for a similar half. For the feminine lead, Sandra Bullock and Gillian Anderson have been reportedly among the many names talked about. It’s onerous to say how far these conversations went; whether or not Gillian was yanked off The X-Recordsdata set for a display take a look at, or if somebody simply yelled “Arnold!!” throughout a loud assembly. And if Willis had taken the function, properly… Die Onerous with a Volcano would’ve written itself.
Now pivoting from Hollywood fantasy to real-life occasions, the story of Volcano was impressed by an precise eruption in 1943. Farmer Dionisio Pulido and his spouse Paula reported listening to unusual hissing sounds and smelling what they thought have been rotten eggs, however ended up being sulfur. The land cut up open, and inside 24 hours, a volcano, now referred to as Parícutin, had risen 164 ft from the bottom, which is concerning the top of a five-story constructing. Over time, it grew to about 1,400 ft tall, roughly the peak of One Vanderbilt in New York Metropolis, dwelling to the Summit observatory. The eruption lasted 9 years, with lava slowly flowing in a number of instructions and reshaping the panorama. Three deaths have been recorded, surprisingly not from lava, however from lightning triggered by the volcano’s pyroclastic exercise. Whereas tragic, the harm was remarkably small in comparison with what may’ve been, on condition that whole villages have been buried in lava and ash by the next August. Thankfully, residents shortly evacuated after the preliminary eruption. Parícutin is now thought of the youngest of the Seven Pure Wonders of the World, resulting from its standing as the primary volcano that scientists studied from start to its dormancy.The actual-life eruption will get a direct point out within the movie, when Anne Heche’s character Amy, makes use of it to problem the skepticism of Mike, Tommy Lee Jones’s character. Amy’s assistant Rachel defends her principle that the exercise beneath the town might be lava. The scene highlights how Amy and Rachel are snug hypothesizing whereas Mike, ever the pragmatist, wants chilly, onerous information earlier than he can take motion. Which is precisely the sort of function Tommy Lee Jones nails to perfection.
Jones stars as Mike Roark, the pinnacle of L.A.’s Workplace of Emergency Administration. Even with a stable ensemble round him, Jones fully owns the film, delivering a no-nonsense efficiency sprinkled with simply sufficient heat that doesn’t veer into Hallmark territory. It’s a pleasant reminder of why he was some of the in-demand main males of the ’90s. Anne Heche performs Dr. Amy Barnes, a perceptive seismologist from the completely real-sounding California Institute of Geological Sciences. Whereas a lot of the solid is consistently yelling orders and dodging lava, the actress has a standout presence. She does a whole lot of looking at seismographs and warning folks virtually a tad too late, however one way or the other, Heche exhibits actual star potential right here. Gaby Hoffmann performs Kelly Roark, Mike’s bad-tempered 15-year-old daughter, who spends the primary act of the movie figuratively spitting out lava and the remainder of the movie actually working from it. And there’s some emotional progress stuff.
Lengthy earlier than becoming a member of the MCU, Don Cheadle was placing out fires by way of phone as Emmit Reese, Mike’s assistant director. Cheadle manages to be humorous whereas preserving his voice of cause intact, proving that in a catastrophe of volcanic proportions, you need this man in your facet. John Carroll Lynch performs Stan Olber, the quick-witted chairman of the Los Angeles MTA. He makes essentially the most of his temporary display time, bringing emotional levity to the chaos. Amy’s assistant Rachel, performed by Laurie Lathem, additionally will get an intense emotional scene that was robust to movie for a number of causes. Rachel and Amy crawl by means of the sewers in oxygen fits trying like trick-or-treaters in astronaut costumes. Because it seems, they may as properly have been carrying Halloween costumes. Anne Heche revealed she started to hyperventilate from the warmth contained in the go well with, as they didn’t include the temperature regulation that precise oxygen fits usually have.
In the meantime, the crew stayed cool (and protected) in Nomex fits, made with the identical flame-resistant materials utilized in firefighter gear. About 30 to 40 of those fits have been stored useful so everybody may work comfortably within the intense warmth.
The primary motion unfolds on a recreated Wilshire and Fairfax intersection, constructed at 80% of its authentic dimension, and stretching out to 1,700 ft. Constructed on a former McDonnell Douglas plant in Torrance, it was billed as the biggest city set ever constructed for a movie. Some sources additionally cite San Bernardino Worldwide Airport, almost certainly for inside photographs and results. Both means, after 12 weeks of rebuilding, the crew was able to burn L.A. to the bottom.
The reproduction was impressively detailed; full with buildings, lampposts, site visitors lights, and nearly every thing you’d discover on the precise intersection. Director Mick Jackson even admitted it was typically eerie watching the pretend model go up in flames, given how carefully it mirrored the true location. Landmarks just like the Craft and People Artwork Museum (now referred to as Craft Modern), LACMA, the Petersen Automotive Museum, the Might Firm constructing (which is now the Academy Museum), and Johnny’s Espresso Store (a Googie-style diner that’s nonetheless used for filming) all made appearances. And who may neglect the La Brea Tar Pits, the place the tar begins to bubble and all hell breaks free.
Mechanical results coordinator Marty Bresin shared how the crew introduced the tar pits to life, with out the precise tar. For security causes, they used water as a substitute, poured right into a gap they dug into the pavement. To imitate the effervescent impact, they relied on an air compressor and some intelligent DIY rigs hidden beneath the floor.
Particular results and mechanical results coordinator Clay Pinney stated the purpose was easy: create a harmful world the place fireplace got here on the characters from all angles. The essence of the volcano, no less than on this film, was undoubtedly the lava. Getting it proper was a strategy of trial and error, to the purpose the place the crew arrange what they known as the “lava kitchen.” Mainly, it was a makeshift lab the place they cooked up take a look at batches till they concocted a camera-ready molten villain. The crew finally settled on methyl cellulose; a water-based substance used to thicken fast-food milkshakes. They blended in dyes and pigments to present it that lava glow, then used lighting methods to make it look believably scorching on digicam. The ash was largely made up of ground-up newspaper, which you’ll be able to spot clinging to the actors’ hair and garments in a number of scenes.
To actually deliver the warmth, the crew put greater than 100,000 ft of piping beneath the set, rigged to ignite flames on cue and pump propane to each window by means of a exact ignition system. Add in a whole lot of kilos of black powder and over 20,000 kilos of propane, and also you’ve acquired a extremely spectacular man-made inferno. The fireplace burned so scorching that manufacturing designer Jackson DeGovia stated that they had to return and retrofit the buildings with further fireproofing; so they might survive a number of rounds of incineration.
As soon as filming wrapped, the battle was on. Common Photos moved up the discharge date of Dante’s Peak after listening to that Fox was filming the equally themed Volcano. The tactic paid off: Dante’s Peak landed in theaters first in February 1997, raking in $178 million. Volcano adopted two months later, pulling in a still-respectable $123 million. Oddly, most of its earnings got here from different territories, with a global whole of $73 million, whereas incomes $49 million within the US and Canada. Critically, Volcano outperformed its competitor. Whereas Dante’s Peak sits at a rocky 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, Volcano managed to attain a 49%. Not precisely glowing reward, however in catastrophe film phrases, that’s virtually a standing ovation.
Critics might have leaned towards Volcano upon its launch, however in the long term, Dante’s Peak stole the highlight. In case you Google Volcano, you’ll discover a shocking quantity of Dante’s Peak content material, with audiences usually favoring the small-town thriller. Volcano advantages from its iconic Los Angeles backdrop, however that real-world setting additionally got here with the stress of accuracy, whereas Dante’s Peak had the liberty of a fictional city to play with. Plus, the story advantages drastically from its small group setting, because the hazard feels extra private and the stakes really feel increased. The central relationship additionally feels extra natural. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton have a transparent will-they-won’t-they arc, whereas the chemistry between Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche is left imprecise. Possibly they’ll seize a drink after the pesky volcano state of affairs, perhaps not.
In an early scene, when the chaos is simply getting warmed up, a canine is trapped in a burning constructing. The house owners panic as the hearth is just too intense to run again in and save him. Pressure builds after which the canine shortly runs out of the doggy door, and all is properly, no less than within the scene. In a means, that scene sums up the film: a style of hazard, a fast escape, and no time sweating the small print. Even the movie’s stab at tackling race follows that very same breezy system. A racist cop and a Black man settle their variations mid-crisis in a means that’s not precisely tacky, however it’s in the identical ballpark as tacky. That being stated, that low-stakes, crowd-pleaser power is definitely a part of what makes Volcano a enjoyable time.
Did anybody stroll into Volcano anticipating Oscar bait? Most likely not. And the film is aware of it. It retains the tempo snappy, lets the information reporters dump a lot of the exposition, and correctly places the motion entrance and middle. In the long run, Volcano is a well-oiled catastrophe machine that didn’t need to stay in Dante’s Peak’s shadow simply because they occurred to be launched in the identical yr. Each films hit related story beats whereas managing to be entertaining, and each earn their spot within the superb pantheon of ’90s catastrophe flicks. And that, my mates, is What Occurred to Volcano.
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