Dante’s Peak is a disaster film released in 1997. Its creator is New Zealand director Roger Donaldson. In the title role, we can see the wonderful well-known actor Pete Brosnan. It’s one of the most impressive disaster films ever made – mesmerizing, frightening, intriguing. He keeps in suspense until the very end, makes you nervous and worried.
Dante Peak – preconditions for a disaster
Dante’s Peak is a pretty town with hot springs, mountains and green forests. The main character of the film is Harry Dalton. He is a volcanologist. In the past, when a volcano erupted, his wife died. In order to somehow escape from his grief and loneliness, Harry decides to do routine work. He goes to the northwest coast of the States in the town of Dante’s Peak. This town is located right at the foot of the volcano, which, by all accounts, has not posed any danger to local residents for a long time. It is in this town that Harry Dalton performs a boring, uninteresting and monotonous job – he studies the seismic situation. The volcano has been sleeping for a long time, and no one can even think that something terrible can happen. But according to some signs, it becomes clear that the volcano can, with a high degree of probability, is about to wake up. Water suddenly boiled in a geothermal spring near the town. Young people walking in the vicinity, by a fatal accident, decided to swim in it and died.
Water in many sources began to heat up and boil. In the vicinity, animals began to die for no reason, and acidity began to increase rapidly in the water.
The data of scientists is unequivocal: trouble can happen. But the city authorities do not take these statements seriously. Harry Dalton began an affair with the mayor of the town, Rachel Wendo. Only she agrees with his warnings about the danger of the volcano. But they fail to convince the others that it is necessary to immediately begin the evacuation of the city.
After a week of research, the volcanologists began to fold the equipment. The study of Dante’s Peak has come to an end. Dalton is also going to leave the city. But suddenly he discovers in a glass of water, which he collected from the tap, the presence of a pungent smell of sulfur dioxide. He takes Rachel and together they rush to the pump. There they realize that the eruption of the Dante Peak volcano can happen at any second. For Harry, the most boring job suddenly turns into a real sensation. The catastrophe that threatens not only the town in which the events unfold, but the entire mainland, must be prevented as soon as possible, all possible measures must be taken.
Eruption
The eruption began at the moment when the population was being prepared for evacuation, the plan was being explained to them. Mass destruction frightened the people, an uncontrollable panic began. Rachel’s mother-in-law lived in a house on the outskirts of the city. The mayor’s children rushed to save their grandmother, they went to her on their own. Rachel and Harry couldn’t get out of town with the others as soon as possible. They were forced to go in the opposite direction – to help their children and mother-in-law. They were able to catch up with them in an SUV near Ruth’s house. The way back was blocked, a landslide made the road unusable. It was decided to escape along the river by boat. But due to the eruption, the water in the river turned into acid, it began to corrode the bottom of the only vehicle. Everyone was able to jump to the ground, but Ruth badly injured her leg during the jump. She could not escape, her body was corroded by acid.
How does Dante’s Peak end?
The National Guard arrived. She evacuated the city’s population and volcanologists. The children, Harry and Rachel had to return to the already evacuated city. They did not have time to find a safe place and hide from the lava flow. The cave became their shelter from the pyroclastic flow. Luckily, Harry remembered that he had taken the emergency sensor with him. Only thanks to this sensor, the rescuers were able to find and free the surviving heroes.
