Featured Audience Ratings

• Phil H

  
  There seemed to be a few disaster films in the 90's, there also seemed to be a trend for making identical films, this was the first for the double dose of volcanoes. Now lets be honest here, there is a standard setup for disaster films which is usually always followed and… More
  There seemed to be a few disaster films in the 90's, there also seemed to be a trend for making identical films, this was the first for the double dose of volcanoes. Now lets be honest here, there is a standard setup for disaster films which is usually always followed and somehow keeps on working. In this case we have Brosnan being the science boff who no one believes when he fears a volcano may erupt next to the sleepy mountain town of Dante's Peak. From the very start its a waiting game, waiting for the fun to start when the mountain blows. The easy plot builds up many characters so we get to know them plus links to other folk so when it all kicks off we feel the emotion run deep. Its simple building block film making basically and this film actually does it well with likeable characters all the way through. I must admit Brosnan is pretty good here, never really liked him before but his calm heroic demeanor is very soothing amidst all the terror and tension, I really wanted him to survive with the woman and kids. The other things that impress about this film is how realistic it actually is and how well they handle all the effects and action. At no point was I ever thinking how shoddy the film looked or how cheesy it was. All the acting was really very good with some genuinely tear jerking moments of emotion and pretty much all the volcano eruption special effects were excellent. In fact during almost every sequence of rock spurting action I was impressed by the effects which also included some good model work and good matte paintings of the mountain. Most definitely a more realistic route for this particular slice of volcano drama, pretty accurate with volcano facts offering a good education really. The whole thing builds well and gives plenty of time for everything to come to a climax nicely, no rush and no fuss with obvious care and attention to all areas. A highly recommended natural disaster that has it all including the obligatory dog to really heighten your angst and wetten your hankie when the lava flows. (This film also includes the infamous 'Wilhelm scream' which is a kooky hokey scream sound effect used hundreds of times in various films. Google it and you will see what I mean and recognise I'm sure.)

• Melvin W

  
  Harry Dalton: I've always been better at feeling out volcanoes than people and politics.  "Whatever you do, don't look back." If you watch Dante's Peak, you'll be struck by lackluster acting, terribly written characters, and poor dialogue. But it's… More
  Harry Dalton: I've always been better at feeling out volcanoes than people and politics.  "Whatever you do, don't look back." If you watch Dante's Peak, you'll be struck by lackluster acting, terribly written characters, and poor dialogue. But it's a disaster movie, so you can't judge it on just those weaknesses. Movies like this don't get made for their cinematic value; they get made for big special effects and big action sequences. The movie may be stupid, and it is; maybe even more so then the average disaster movie, but it excels in cool action sequences and large destruction. So all in all, it isn't nearly as bad as everyone says and it actually is a decent amount of fun. Harry Dalton arrives in Dante's Peak(number two on the list of most desirable places to live, population under 20,000) to look at a volcano that might be waking up. He immediately thinks it is going to blow soon, but his boss doesn't want to start a panic, so they wait and run tests. Well soon it's too late to evacuate properly and a bunch of earthquakes start devouring the town. Sufficient time is given to both the setup and the disaster. About half and half respectably.  While I still think the movie is a somewhat fun time, there's also a lot of annoyances that are hard to get over. I hated the Ruth character. I hated Linda Hamilton. I hated when the people would talk to each other. Other than that I liked it though. I can't rate this movie on the normal scale because it isn't a normal movie. I expect different things from different types of films and with Dante's Peak, I expected these annoyances.  Odds are, you will likely dislike this movie to some degree. I like it more than a lot of people, but still Roger Donaldson and company gives me enough to dislike also. If you like disaster movies, you might as well give this one a look; it's not like there's a bunch of great ones to watch instead. If you hate the genre, this film will only give you more ammo to use against it. 

• Jason S

  
  One of two volcano flicks of this summer. This one was the good one. I liked the characters although they are very cookie cutter in how they are written and performed. I didn't mind that though as the film is not meant to be taken too seriously. It's a fun movie and a… More
  One of two volcano flicks of this summer. This one was the good one. I liked the characters although they are very cookie cutter in how they are written and performed. I didn't mind that though as the film is not meant to be taken too seriously. It's a fun movie and a product of it's time.

• Film C

  
  I really enjoyed Dantes Peak, maybe not the best disaster movie by volcanoe but nevertheless an enjoyable one! It still has excitement and suspense even if the story doesnt flow as well as other nautre drama ones! Brosnan is good and a strong lead so possibly a watch purely for hiim… More
  I really enjoyed Dantes Peak, maybe not the best disaster movie by volcanoe but nevertheless an enjoyable one! It still has excitement and suspense even if the story doesnt flow as well as other nautre drama ones! Brosnan is good and a strong lead so possibly a watch purely for hiim and some good distruction by the volcanoe!

• Jeff "

  
  Dante's Peak is quite a good disaster film directed by Roger Donaldson. The film may not be perfect, but considering the amount of disaster films that have come out, Dante's Peak is far better than such films as Twister. The film has a good cast, and engaging story and good… More
  Dante's Peak is quite a good disaster film directed by Roger Donaldson. The film may not be perfect, but considering the amount of disaster films that have come out, Dante's Peak is far better than such films as Twister. The film has a good cast, and engaging story and good special effects. I really enjoyed the film, and I thought it was one of the best disaster films since the first few disaster films such as The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. The film won't win any awards, but for what it is, the film is pure entertainment, and definitely delivers it. Dante's Peak is much better than many disaster films that have come out during this period. Though not perfect, this is a fun, thrilling entertaining film that has some good performances and good special effects. As far as disaster films are concerned, this one of the better films compared to many of Roland Emmerich's disaster films such as 2012. Dante's Peak is a good film, and is better than what you'd might initially think. The film compared to other disaster films, is better executed, much more developed and has better action, suspense and thrills. For what it is, Dante's Peak is a good time waster, not perfect but very entertaining. Dante's Peak is a fun viewing experience and is a well executed disaster film. Dante's Peak is mindless action fun, and is worth seeing despite its imperfections.

• Michael E

  
  Very science heavy movie, but Pierce Brosnan is always good in those types of movies. If you want to see another Disaster movie from the 90s ide say "Dantes Peak" is one of the best

• Christopher A

  
  Dante's Peak is a disaster film about a suposedly extinct volcano that is threatening to errupt. Predictable events, dodgy acting, bad special effects, this film should be a terrible film BUT somehow It works. Despite its shortcomings, Dante's Peak transforms into a… More
  Dante's Peak is a disaster film about a suposedly extinct volcano that is threatening to errupt. Predictable events, dodgy acting, bad special effects, this film should be a terrible film BUT somehow It works. Despite its shortcomings, Dante's Peak transforms into a frantic action drama. The chemistry between USGS scientist Harry Dalton (the ever cool Pierce Brosnan) and Mayor Wando (Linda Hamilton) is believable as they look to save the town's people from the angry volcano. Classic moments include the Grandma burning alive in the acid lake (but its OK, Harry is going to take everyone fishing afterwards) and the family dog turning up 15 minutes after they last saw it to jump into the car just as its about to get swamped by molten lava. Good timing. A total guilty pleasure that wont leave you bored. "Neither have I. Listen, when we get out of here, we'll go to Florida, and we'll get us a boat, and gather all of the yummy bait that we can possibly get our hands on, then we'll catch us a big, old fat fish. "

• Chris W

  
  Fairly standard blockbuster disaster flick that is incredibly inaccurate for the sake of drama and entertainment. You could say that about a lot of these types of movies, but some are better than others (like Twister). That movie has charm, humor, and fun characters; this does not.… More
  Fairly standard blockbuster disaster flick that is incredibly inaccurate for the sake of drama and entertainment. You could say that about a lot of these types of movies, but some are better than others (like Twister). That movie has charm, humor, and fun characters; this does not. The location shooting looks good, though.

• Tim S

  
  Not altogether horrible, but mostly bland.

• Lenny M

  
  '97, year of da volcano. What do you go wif, Volcano or Dante's Peak? It's in up in the ash cuz they both suck.

• Anthony L

  
  A nice family film in which an old lady melts in a lake of acid.

• Jason O

  
  I don't see how anybody could give this movie a poor rating. I thought it looked like it wouldn't be that good when I saw the previews, but then it came on Cable TV a few months later and I was bored so I watched it. After watching it, I started to tell all of my friends and… More
  I don't see how anybody could give this movie a poor rating. I thought it looked like it wouldn't be that good when I saw the previews, but then it came on Cable TV a few months later and I was bored so I watched it. After watching it, I started to tell all of my friends and my family to watch it cause it was awesome. And it is awesome, it has GREAT special effects, good acting, and great suspense. Out of all the special effects movies that came out in 1997, I liked Dante's Peak better than any of them. It's a lot better than Volcano, which was somewhat a clone of Dante's Peak. If you're like me and you like action movies with great special effects, i would recommend picking this one up today! NOTE: This was my Amazon review from the year 2000, I'm still a big fan of the movie and consider it one of my favorite destruction flicks. Better than most, including "Volcano."

• Thomas B

  
  a below average action flick.

• Coxxie M

  
  this is a dumb volcano movie that actually burns more brain-cells than people

• Mike S

  
  One of my favourite disaster movies of the 90's and a true guilty pleasure. I don't quite understand why it's gotten such bad reviews, because it doesn't fail to entertain and has two very respectable actors in the lead, namely Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. I… More
  One of my favourite disaster movies of the 90's and a true guilty pleasure. I don't quite understand why it's gotten such bad reviews, because it doesn't fail to entertain and has two very respectable actors in the lead, namely Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. I guess this sub-genre just isn't for everyone, especially as it tends to be short on character development and intelligent writing. Dante's Peak is no exception really, but it has enough excitement and action for me to forgive such shortcomings.

• Red L

  
  I thought this movie was pretty lousy. Too predictable, too unbelievable (boat floats on acid, while propeller melts), too hokey (we just lost our grandmother, lets go fishing).

• Curtis L

  
  awful.

• Candy R

  
  Disaster movie about a volcano eruption. Good cast.

• xGary X

  
  Dreary disaster movie in which the volcano is definitely the star. Extremely ordinary, but nowhere near as bad as the one TLJ was in...

• Lafe F

  
  Dante's Peak is a character-rich disaster movie. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton have great chemistry. There are plenty of action scenes, like the truck trying to get over the bridge as it is washed away. Better than Volcano - which came out the same summer. It's got a… More
  Dante's Peak is a character-rich disaster movie. Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton have great chemistry. There are plenty of action scenes, like the truck trying to get over the bridge as it is washed away. Better than Volcano - which came out the same summer. It's got a very human element to it, as they make it a priority to rescue some folks. I wonder if they partially based it on Mount St. Helens?

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