Review: Volcano – Nature Unleashed: Volcano (2004)

Directed by: Mark Roper | 90 minutes | action, drama, thriller | Actors: Chris William Martin, Antonella Elia, Marnie Alton, Sara Malakul Lane, Joseph Beattie, Philip Dunbar, Meglena Karalambova, Velichka Georgieva, Aleksandar Dikov, Hristiania Turieva, Margariat Bojilova, Georgy Kermenski, Andrey Slabakov, Simeon Alexiev, Ventselav Kisyov

“Nature Unleashed: Volcano” is part of the “Disaster box” released in the Netherlands. The quality of the other films in this box may be questioned if they have somewhat the level of “Volcano”. “Volcano” can hardly be called a disaster film. Although a volcanic eruption does take place at the end, it is a dark story of Russell’s deceased wife and the Mysterious Angela (Sara Malakul Lane) in San Andrea. Before Russell’s wife died, a girl appeared in her dreams, someone she did not know. When Russell (Chris William Martin) visits the Italian birthplace of his wife, he soon comes into contact with this girl. She seems to want to warn him about something, and Russell suspects his wife’s death has something to do with it. Then there is also a unique lunar cycle, which makes the moon very close to the earth, an ancient prophecy and a monastery with important information about this.

Not much positive can be said about the special effects, the opening images are already laughable. The erupting volcano spews out a kind of burning football that rolls down the mountain. Incidentally, the erupting volcano appears to be a completely different volcano than the one shown from the sky in previous images. This is quite possible since Russell and his wife can never be captured in a single image with the erupting volcano and has quite an amateurish effect. The eruption of the second volcano is not much better, it is more like an attack by aliens throwing burning stones. Then there’s the lava that looks like the fake blood that was used in many horrors in the 1970s, not really believable. Reality should be kept quiet, but that the lava just erupts from the ground and not from the volcano top itself is very bad.

The choice for silky Mediterranean music, when the story starts to take place in Italy, is also incomprehensible, this is more like Greek music than Italian and gives goosebumps (not in a positive sense). Actually, there is not much to enjoy, except for Father Dominic. This guy has got to be in the top 10 of only ever cast monks ever, he doesn’t look like a monk and doesn’t speak like a monk, but at least this gives you something to tear up laughing. “Volcano” is a very mediocre (disaster) movie that will only be interesting enough for the real volcano fanatics to complete the ride.