Taglines: L.A. Erupts in 1997.
Volcano movie storyline. In Los Angeles, an earthquake strikes. Michael Roark, the director of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, insists on coming to work to help out with the crisis, even though he has taken a vacation with his daughter Kelly. His associate, Emmit Reese, notes that the quake caused no major damage, but seven utility workers are later burned to death in a storm drain at MacArthur Park; one escapes and survives but is severely burned on one side of his face.
As a precaution, Roark tries to halt the subway lines which run parallel to where the deaths took place, but Los Angeles MTA Chairman Stan Olber opposes, feeling there is no threat to the trains. Against regulations, Roark and Gator Harris venture down the storm sewer in the park to investigate.
They are nearly burned alive and barely escape with their lives when hot gases suddenly spew out of a crack in the concrete lining and floods the tunnel. Geologist Dr. Amy Barnes believes that an underground volcano may be rapidly forming beneath the city with magma flowing underground (similar to the formation of the Mexican volcano Parícutin which emerged and grew tremendously in just one week.) Unfortunately, she has insufficient evidence to make Roark take action.
The next morning, at around 5:15 A.M., Barnes and her assistant Rachel venture in the storm sewer to investigate the scene of the incident, where they discover the crack in the ground which released the gases earlier. While they are taking samples, a more powerful earthquake strikes and Rachel is killed when she falls into the crack that is engulfed by a rush of the hot gases. Near the La Brea Tar Pits, smoke rises out along with lava bombs which ignites several buildings. Steam explodes from the sewer system, while a subway train derails underground, trapping the passengers inside and exposing them to the severe heat and toxic gases, which causes them all to eventually lose consciousness.
Roark helps injured firefighters out of the area. Moments later, a newly formed volcano erupts from the tar pits and lava begins to flow freely down Wilshire Boulevard, incinerating everything in its path, including Roark’s GMC Suburban and an LAFD fire truck downed by a lava bomb, killing two firefighters who are trapped inside. Roark and his daughter become separated as she is injured when a nearby lava bomb sputters and burns her leg, and she is taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by Dr. Jaye Calder. Meanwhile, Olber leads his team through the Red Line tunnel to the derailed train to look for survivors.
Volcano is a 1997 American disaster film directed by Mick Jackson and produced by Andrew Z. Davis, Neal H. Moritz and Lauren Shuler Donner. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Jerome Armstrong and Billy Ray. The film features Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, and Don Cheadle. Jones is cast as the head of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (LAC OEM) which has complete authority in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. His character attempts to divert the path of a dangerous lava flow through the streets of Los Angeles following the formation of a volcano at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Volcano premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on April 25, 1997 grossing $49,323,468 in domestic ticket receipts, on a $90 million budget. It earned an additional $73.5 million in business through international release to top out at a combined $122,823,468 in gross revenue. Despite its release and recognition, Dante’s Peak (which was released 2 months before) gained more commercial success than Volcano. It was also met with mixed critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas.
Volcano (1997)
Directed by: Mick Jackson
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann, Don Cheadle, Keith David, Jacqueline Kim, John Corbett, John Carroll Lynch, Marcello Thedford, Laurie Lathem
Screenplay by: Jerome Armstrong, Billy Ray
Production Design by: Jackson De Govia
Cinematography by: Theo van de Sande
Film Editing by: Don Brochu, Michael Tronick
Costume Design by: Kirsten Everberg
Set Decoration by: K.C. Fox
Art Direction by: William Cruse, Tom Reta, Scott Ritenour, Donald B. Woodruff
Music by: Alan Silvestri
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense depiction of urban disaster and related injuries.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 25, 1997
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