Dante's Peak conforms faithfully to the disaster film formula, right down to the dog who outlives a large portion of the human cast. This time the natural disaster is a volcano. Volcanologist Pierce Brosnan's studies show that a dormant volcano might soon become active and attempts to warn the town at its base -- but of course they don't listen until the actual explosions start occurring.

The only quality that makes Dante's Peak worth a viewing (beyond the lava and billowing clouds of ash) is its two leads, Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, who create characters likeable enough to care about when things start happening.