The 1997 film is a quintessential high-concept disaster movie that turns the city of Los Angeles into a literal hot zone. Directed by Mick Jackson, it is often remembered as part of the "twin movie" phenomenon of that year, going head-to-head with the similar but more scientifically grounded Dante’s Peak Plot Summary

(Anne Heche), who warns that a volcano is forming directly beneath the La Brea Tar Pits Rotten Tomatoes

(Tommy Lee Jones), head of the Office of Emergency Management, to cut his vacation short. While investigating mysterious deaths in storm drains, he meets geologist Dr. Amy Barnes

The story kicks off when a massive earthquake hits Los Angeles, leading Mike Roark

Lava eventually erupts onto Wilshire Boulevard, and the film follows the desperate efforts of city officials and first responders to divert the flow using concrete barriers and subway tunnels to save the city from total destruction. American Humane Society Cast & Key Characters Volcano | Moviepedia | Fandom