User Reviews

Such was the question occurring to me as I struggled through yet another disastrously ridiculous SciFi Channel disaster movie. Do they intend for their homegrown movies to be so cheap, so silly, so patently obvious in what passes for plot? I have watched half a dozen of these "SciFi Channel World Premiere Event" movies in the past year and each is uniquely, achingly bad in its own right. Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York, however, brings bad into a new light.

Every hackneyed device of disaster movie development is employed to predictable, hackneyed affect: the hero, a burly tunnel digger, leads his crew of rough-but-capable misfits (Local 147 "Sand Hogs") in a daring race against the volcano to save New York City from certain incineration by lava. Along the way, he encounters his bitter ex-wife, a USGS PhD who, apparently, is woefully unfamiliar with the indications of volcanic activity and must be convinced by Mr. Sand Hog that what has been happening across the city is not actually terrorism. Throw in some incompetent DHS and FBI investigators; an incredulous mayor and his scheming, corrupt deputy; a female Sand Hog whose daddy was a legend among Sand Hogs; a foreman who is overly safety-conscious, except when he's not; and the unfortunate but gruesome deaths of several supporting "color" characters and you've got your standard disaster movie fare, all dressed up with nowhere to go except straight down the tubes.

As seems to be the new standard, the volcano is not itself the "enemy," typically the case in classic disaster movies; no, the volcano is the unfortunate result spawned by a greedy (read: evil) scientist of the "mad" persuasion who has drilled a 7-mile deep hole beneath Manhattan into the Earth's molten core so as to capture the thermal energy and make bazillions of dollars. Really. Greedy, Evil Scientist guy has been able to pull this off with the help of the Deputy Mayor, who has greased palms all over the city in order to keep the drilling secret until such time as the thermal energy could be captured and the resulting power plant used to "open franchises" the world over. Oh, and make Greedy, Evil Scientist guy and Deputy Mayor filthy, stinking rich.

Once Mr. Sand Hog has convinced Dr. USGS that there really is a volcano developing beneath Manhattan, it is up to Local 147 to stop it. Of course. With just 5 guys, two of whom die in the process. C'mon, you know how this goes: the greedy, evil scientist guy dies, the safety-waffling foreman dies, the homeless guy dies, the black guy dies, the Hispanic pyromaniac dies in a column of lava, the female Sand Hog survives and Mr. Sand Hog and Dr. USGS get back together and suck face as the credits roll.

In the 50s and 60s, we were subjected to horror movies populated with monsters created from nuclear testing. In the 70s, disaster movies became an art form, with man struggling - often in futility - against the ravages of nature: no way did George Kennedy try to stop that 1975 earthquake, but he sure managed the aftermath really, really well. We would see disaster as the result of man's folly - think "The Towering Inferno" for example - but also as the quirky acts of nature they are. There is no moral imperative in an avalanche: the best one could be accused of is getting what's coming to them for being in the wrong place, against instructions.

In these modern disaster movies, we are treated to scenarios in which garden variety pests (bees, bats, locusts and the like) become monsters created out of genetic engineering or toxic waste dumping, or the very planet itself rebels against its victimization at the hands of mankind, specifically, Greedy Evil Scientist guys and their investors. That the Department of Homeland Security plays so prominently in this story is, I think, indicative of the scare level living just below the surface of the American consciousness. Perhaps we can console ourselves with thinking that we can have some control over terrorism when faced with the towering realities of volcanic activity. How much more helpless can a person be than in the face of a volcano? Instead, as the FBI and DHS chase their tails around looking for bogeyman "terrorists," science and tunnel workers overtake and control nature. One wonders if the SciFi Channel folks intended for this to be the moral of the story: terrorists, we can't catch 'em but, boy howdy, we can put a hurt on a natural disaster! One doubts that such a "lesson" is the purpose here, as it seems very little in this TV movie is planned out that well. The clichés are working overtime, the special effects aren't, and you and your sweetie can project the plot line almost to a certainty. There are no surprises in Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York, except perhaps your own surprise at your willingness to waste two hours of your life on such dreck. Not a bad way to snozzle away two hours on a bitterly cold Saturday night, but those are two hours of your life you will never get back. If you must watch this movie, invite some friends over and make it a party.

This film has no redeeming value. It's just plain awful in every respect: story, screenplay, direction, acting, jiggly camera work, annoying score, common sense, etc., etc., etc. The Disaster Zone IS this movie!

There's really nothing I could do to spoil this flick. It reeks. But here's just one "spoiler" to illustrate the inanity and nonsense that awaits those dumb enough to watch it:

* 100 homeless people are found dead in Central Park. They died from inhaling poisonous gases generated by the underground volcano.

* Workers and scientists travel through subway tunnels and other confined spaces - within sight of flowing lava!! - with NO breathing apparatus whatsoever. They chatter amongst themselves and rarely even cough. In real life, they would all be DEAD within minutes.

This movie isn't as bad as it first seems. This movie has all the elements of a fine disaster movie; inept Government officials, unjustly ridiculed hero, the evil psychologically challenged scientist and the sniveling bureaucrat trying to cover it all up to save his own butt. It goes through the predicted path of catastrophe that gets our hero fired and ridiculed by the people that should be the ones to listen. Amazing that no one actually investigates the deaths by inspecting the death scene. When confronted with an explanation the mayor turns to the sniveling underling who happens to be in league with a complete nut of a scientist intent on bringing Geothermal Energy to New York City, a good cause but a bad concept by doing it in the heart of the city. The science if very fuzzy so don't expect any "A" from a Geology teacher as the vulcanology is about as good in this one as in other volcano movies. The threat of terrorist is also the great concern and the official is a complete clown seeing terrorist under every bed which is completely unreal and stupid. It added nothing to the story at all and only seems added to create the typical hate Bush Hollywood mania. When our hero goes to confront the investigators from the United States Geological Service about lava in the tunnels he was working in, who does he find, non other but his former wife. Actually this is the best parts of the show because Matt (Costas Mandylor) and Susan (Alexandra Paul) actually works well together and has very good chemistry. At least they are of the same age group and not 20 yrs in age difference as has been done recently in Sci-Fi Channel movies. The supporting cast is good and it has one always impeccable gem in Michael Ironside that plays the demented scientist Doctor Levering. Ironside has played so many great roles as the bad guy. This particular role is one of a scientist that has finally gone over the edge after he observes his project literally blow up in his face. The predictable Mayor that when confronted by reality wants to see the geologist that warned of the disaster (A. Paul) and has the sniveling underling arrested. There is a final attempt to stay the disaster by the sandhogs by diverting the lava into the underground tunnels of NYC which saves the city. Of course there are also the predictable losses of hero support lives in the final battle with the lava. Also there is the inevitable fight between our hero and the crazed scientist in the tunnel. Overall even with the predictable ingredients, characters and crummy science I enjoyed the movie. It wasn't a riveting epic by any means, but it wasn't a complete waste of time either.

It's a pseudo-science movie airing on the SciFi Channel. Do I really need to say anymore? Oh, I do! OK then.

First off, don't just check your disbelief at the door, check everything....taste, common sense, hat, coat the whole nine yards. Volcano in New York is just abysmally bad. It has every cliché character (and I mean every one) that you'd expect in a disaster movie. Plucky hero, mad scientist, corrupt city official, smart lady scientist that no one listens to, comedy sidekick that ultimately meets a grisly end, oafish law enforcement officer, etc. etc. They're all here.

Add in the stereotypical science project goes wrong plot and "band of everyday heroes" that save the day and you've got a film that you could do yourself the favour and just NOT watch and still know what will happen at the end.

Of course, from the SciFi Channel, you already know that the script will be dire, the dialogue inane and ludicrous and the characters annoying as hell. But the real star of the show are the priceless special effects. Intersperse real-world eruption footage, cheesy "Youtube" quality lava CGI and what looked jarringly like 9/11 footage (I kid you not) and you have an awful mish-mash of effects that fails dismally.

And whilst I mention the 9/11 footage, am I the only one to think that using such footage was just plain wrong? It seems particularly tasteless to me and potentially horrifying for someone who actually went through the trauma of that day, let alone lost someone in the event. To use such footage to "jazz" up a movie seems beyond callousness. What next? A shuttle movie with actual Challenger footage in it? The least they could have done was cut out the three or four scenes from the movie.

So then, rubbish plot, rubbish effects, awful dialogue and questionable stock footage. Anything I missed? Oh yeah. Dire acting. I forgot to mention that, but by now you probably assumed that as a given.

Don't watch this. It's junk.

The other post forgot about the obligatory Hispanic veteran (a Don Juan type at that... and the best performance in the movie,) and the hateful footage from 911.

I really disliked the way the "heros" managed to get away in a GM truck. I'm surprised it wasn't "built Ford Tough"

My gosh, then we have the Mad Scientist staggering through the tunnels with a gun. The new girl from Brooklyn suddenly is a gymnast! Oh, by the way, lets drill in the hottest place.

My gosh, a BULLET unleashes the end of Manhattan?

Ouch,this movie hurts!

I give it 5 stars for being such a hoot. This movie has every, I repeat every, cliché in disaster films. It is like a textbook on the prototype. I must admit that there are touches I haven't seen in my favorite volcano movie "Dante's Peak", like the rubber duckie. And having lava come out of your front door! Otherwise, it's all there--the politicians who don't want panic in the streets, like "Jaws". The overbearing FBI agent who won't listen to anyone, the hands- on experts who were once married ("Twister"), the crook trying to make money on a hazardous scheme...

Watch it for the laughs, but don't spend money for it.

If it's got Michael Ironside in it, it's definitely going to be bad. He plays a scientist who is drilling a hole 7 miles deep in Manhattan to tap into an underground magma flow for an energy source. On the other side, you've got a tunnel digger and a geologist who just happens to be the tunnel digger's ex-wife and when they meet in the movie for the first time, you've got the sappy music for them. It's got the usual bureaucrats who won't listen to the scientists who are trying to warn of a impending disaster, FBI agents who get all ultra paranoid thinking it's all terrorism and the mandatory love interest. If you're a fan of the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, then this bad movie is for you.

You want to look away, but you can't. It was horrible- absolutely Unbelievable FX (um, yeah, intestines DON'T glow in the dark!).

The CGI could've been better done by a junior high schooler with too much time on his hands!

The ending was straight out of "Volcano" (1997).

It's so clichéd:

people with histories being thrown back together; gov't involved conspiracies; a small group of people saving the day, with a villain trying to thwart the heroes.

And of course, copy-catting a bigger film.

You don't have to have a big budget to create a decent film. Tornado! which aired on Fox several years ago was a Twister copy-cat, but was still half-way decent. At least I didn't laugh my way through that one.

ludicrous disaster movie! The idea offers promise however the story is just stupid, all over the place and boring. The people responsible for coming up with the idea for a volcano hitting New York City don't waste the opportunity to at first suggest that unexplained mayhem may be the work of terrorists.

Whilst that is not a dig at NYC, it is a tiring predictability of how the subject is overused. The only decent idea in this movie script is the lunatic scientist portrayed by Michael Ironside, who at least might make you slightly interested for the latter scenes when he has lost the plot, ranting about using larva as an energy source or something.

In the end, the main guy and (reunited) ex-wife pop the loony and save the day.

garbage.