By Chris Snellgrove | Published
The ’90s were filled with so many crazy movies that it’s easy for many of them to fall into our pop culture memory hole. For example, did you know that this decade featured the highest-grossing natural disaster movie with big names from the James Bond and Terminator franchises? The movie in question is Dante’s Peak (1997), starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, and now you can stream this forgotten blockbuster film on Netflix.
The foundation of Dante’s Peak that a volcanologist is sent to investigate a town in Washington (named Dante’s Peak), which is near a stratovolcano. While he tries to figure out what’s going on with the city (including many mysterious deaths and the discovery of contaminated water), an earthquake causes the aforementioned volcano to erupt. This expert is thrown into the race of his life, and he may be the only one who can save everyone before it’s too late and their city is covered in mud.
When Franchise Worlds Collide
The cast of Dante’s Peak features a stellar cast, including Jamie Renée Smith (best known Hidden Canyons) and Charles Hallahan (well known outside of this movie Something). However, the real draw of the film is Pierce Brosnan (best known for his James Bond films) as a rugged volcano expert whose esoteric knowledge is what stands between a small town and certain death. Meanwhile, Linda Hamilton (best known for her Terminator films) stars as a mayor whose determination to trust an outsider may or may not be enough to save his people from a massacre.
Dante’s Peak it wasn’t a box office bomb, but it didn’t set moviegoers on fire when it first hit theaters. Against a blockbuster budget of $116 million, the film grossed $178.1 million. That’s not exactly a box office bombshell, but the studio was hoping for a big profit, and the fact that this ambitious film couldn’t even break $200 million is a big part of why we never got another sequel.
The critics didn’t budge and they didn’t budge
When Dante’s Peak came out, many reviewers thought it was more of a disaster than a disaster film. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 30 percent rating, where critics say the dialogue and characterization are bad but the movie is very strong when all hell breaks loose. That was the general consensus of Siskel and Ebert, who gave the film two-and-a-half stars, while the former (who said “the movie really starts to cook” after the volcano erupts) asked sarcastically, “can I recommend part of the movie?”
So, before you blow up like a volcano, I need to answer an obvious question: why should you watch a movie that disappointed at the box office and critics often hate? First, I agree with Siskel and Ebert’s take that the film becomes more intense after the eruption. This leaves us with about an hour to witness the fiery fury of nature, and if you like natural disaster movies in the “disaster” part, Dante’s Peak a film that delivers in spades.
A Guard Who Knows How To Have Fun
Additionally, natural disaster films have something in common with horror films: they’re more fun if you actually like the various characters who have to stare death in the face. In Dante’s Peakthose characters are played by ’90s action icons Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, two charming actresses with a charm to spare. Even if the writing in this forgotten thriller falls flat, you’re left with smart, engaging characters and killer special effects, all of which add up to a serious spectacle.
At the end of the day, the spectacle is the main reason to watch Dante’s Peak: has all the flashy glamor and explosive scenes you’d expect from a natural disaster movie. I personally found Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton to be very entertaining in this film, and they have an easy chemistry that helps animate their many shared scenes. Even if you hate these characters, you’ll be delighted by the vivid special effects that hold up incredibly well and look better than anything you’ll find in a modern made-for-broadcast movie.
Will you agree that it is worth the ride Dante’s Peakor is this one opus of natural disaster you’d like to leave in the past? The only way to find out is to grab your remote and stream this forgotten blockbuster on Netflix. If nothing else, this movie is the perfect excuse to turn your living room into the game you haven’t played since childhood: The Floor Is Lava.
