The-Reel-McCoy -- Volcano

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	Volcano

	Rated: PG-13
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I almost missed this one. And am I ever glad I didn't. As far as I'm concerned, Volcano leaves The Lost World in the dust: volcanic dust. Once this movie gets going, it is virtually non-stop action and suspense combined with an eruption of special effects. The only thing this movie could have added is possibly some hot air blown onto the audience to enhance its realistic effect.

And who better than to lead the crusade against a disaster than Tommy Lee Jones? He is one of the few actors around that is good in anything and this was no exception. Similar to his role in The Fugitive (in that he's in charge of a bunch of people), Mr. Jones is this time director of the OEM (Office of Emergency Management) for Los Angeles. This means that he gets to order policemen, firemen, the National Guard, you name it, to follow his plan to save the city after it turns out that a volcano is making its presence known.

And this movie is also uplifting. Now the thought of a volcano erupting in Los Angeles may be quite disheartening and even depressing, but witnessing what is depicted as our common struggle to save and help each other is simply inspirational. I witnessed an entire community act in this way not long ago here in Cincinnati during the "Flood of 97".

On the down side, there were a couple of things. First of all, it took people way too long to identify lava for what it was: lava. What else would a hot, slow-moving, molten mass be? The other thing that bothered me was the corny exchange between a big black guy and a white cop with an attitude. I know what they were trying to do but it somehow seemed too corny or too stereotypical. Nevertheless, these are quite picky things to argue about and hardly affect the effect of the iffect of the offect of the uffect (yes, I am a little weird).

Don't miss this one! In fact, if you have to choose between The Lost World and Volcano, go for the latter. It is much more entertaining, exhilarating, and inspiring, and there will probably be less people in the theater with you so you'll get to sit more or less where you desire!