Magma: Volcanic Disaster
Encyclopedia
Magma: Volcanic Disaster is a 2006 television film by Sci Fi Pictures. Written by Rebecca Rian and directed by Ian Gilmour, the film stars Xander Berkeley
and Amy Jo Johnson
. It was filmed in Bulgaria
.
Dormant for 700 years, the Trollsvatn volcano
in Iceland
suddenly erupts and kills a USGS survey team. Volcanology
professor Dr. Peter Shepherd (Xander Berkeley
) takes four of his graduate students to study Grímsvötn
, a dormant volcano near the first. It also erupts suddenly, but the group is able to escape. Shepherd is convinced it is not a coincidence and visits Dr. Oscar Vallian (Valentin Ganev), a wheelchair-using volcanologist who recently quit working for the USGS. He explains that many dormant volcanoes have started to erupt around the world. In the past, Vallian had formulated a theory known as Exodus, in which all 1,500 of the Earth's volcanoes could erupt within a short period of time. Vallian leaves for Honshu, Japan, to be on the front lines when Mount Fuji
erupts.
Shepherd goes to Washington, D.C.
to explain the Exodus theory and the need to stop it. Dr. William Kincaid (George R. Sheffey), the head of the USGS, hates O'Neil (Ryan Spike Dauner) and Shepherd, and is given the task of reviewing their data. He promises the president's representative Stephen Daugherty (Jonas Talkington) to disprove the theory. Shepherd leaves knowing nothing will happen, returning to his students to explain the government will not act unless they get proof.
Shepherd's soon to be ex-wife Natalie (Reiko Aylesworth
), a Park Ranger, arrives at work at Yellowstone National Park
to be told that Old Faithful hasn't done anything for the last day. In Honshū, Vallian and his companion Melanie (Dessi Morales) wait for Fuji's expected eruption. Shepherd makes plans with his students to go to South America
to check out another volcano that should be next in the list. That night, Shepherd calls his estranged wife. During the call, she mentions fire season has started in the middle of winter. Shepherd does not mention the volcano issues. The next day, Fuji erupts, destroying much of the island of Honshū and triggering large tsunamis. Vallian calls Shepherd to bid farewell before he and Melanie are swallowed up and incinerated by a pyroclastic surge
. Shepherd spends the night in a bar, mourning his friend. His student Brianna (Amy Jo Johnson
) offers comfort and advice while listening to him explain how his marriage ended.
In the morning, news arrives that Mount Kilimanjaro
has erupted, so the group heads to Pasto, Colombia
to do some investigating in a mine. A local explains that some men working in the mine were killed earlier in the week when it began to "bleed fire." Exploring the mine, Shepard's group finds massive amounts of heat, but do not realize that they had inadvertently moved from the mine's shafts into attached lava tubes. They continue their explorations and find temperatures rising incredibly fast with high levels of radiation filling the "shafts". Students Jacques (Rushi Vidinliev) and CJ (David O'Donnell) take rock and vapor samples while Shepherd and Brianna head back. Magma falls from the ceiling and burns CJ's shoulder just as Jacques begins to suspect that they are in a lava tube. They flee, but the ceiling collapses and lava spills into the tunnel, killing Jacques. CJ survives but will require a skin graft.
The news reports that Mount Etna
and Mount Vesuvius
have erupted and destroyed Rome. Kai (Vlado Mihailov) tells Dr. Shepherd that the samples from the mine were of the same composition and that someone from the USGS had hacked into their server. Kincaid admits to the hacking and stealing the data, and that he plans to present the findings to Washington as his own. During his presentation to the President and to Daugherty, Shepherd and his group interrupt and explain that they have additional evidence that Kincaid had not managed to steal. The President listens as Dr. Shepherd explains the full Exodus theory, explaining that human pollution has caused the Earth's core to heat up and expand causing all of the eruptions. Shepard also lists which volcanoes will be next. Using projections he predicts that the Earth will head into another Ice Age within 2 weeks, and explains his solution to release the Earth's pressure in a controlled manner under the ocean rather than letting the Earth choose. By using a series of nuclear warheads at strategic points within oceanic faults.
After the meeting, Shepherd calls his ex-wife again and begs her to leave Yellowstone because it is the largest volcanic hotspot in North America, but she refuses. While he's on the phone, Daugherty calls to let him know that the President has approved their plan and they know have all of the resources of the CIA at their disposal to map the ocean and figure out the plan. With the coordinates set, Daugherty lets Shepherd know that he and one of the students will work hand in hand with the naval fleets from two of its flagships, the Hyperion and the Reprisal. Brianna is left at the USGS as the go between. Shepherd leaves his wedding ring with her and asks her to give it to his wife and let her know he was sorry.
Shepherd boards the Hyperion, in the Pacific Rim
, by jumping from a helicopter and diving down to the sub. Kai boards the Reprisal in the Atlantic. Shepherd shows the Hyperion captain where the explosions must go in the middle of the Mariana Trench
. In the morning, Natalie starts packing up her campground, while another Ranger and some scientists examine Old Faithful. Kai contacts Brianna to confirm the coordinates for his sub, which will also be passed on to Russian and British sub who will aid in the attack. Meanwhile, the Hyperion gets bounced around by volcanic activity in the trench which pummels them with debris. Natalie arrives at the next set of campgrounds only to find an eruption already taking place. She turns around and heads back out. The Hyperion continues to take heavy damage, but is able to reach its coordinates and launch the warheads. It fires its first round of torpedoes, but torpedo goes off track and hits the trench wall. Two more are fired and hit successfully. The plan appears to be working, as they move on to their next targets.
At the same time, the Reprisal has also fired its first four torpedoes, however it takes heavy damage from the resulting debris. Shepherd loses contact with Kai, while the Hyperion continues trying to avoid debris and hit its remaining targets. Natalie tries to flee Yellowstone as eruptions continue and multiple park visitors are killed. The President explains that a total of 44 nuclear tipped torpedoes are being fired to try and heal the Earth. As Shepherd prays for his wife, the lava flow at Yellowstone stops just before reaching Natalie and a large group of visitors. The Reprisal sinks, killing its crew and Kai. With the last of the torpedoes fired, the plan succeeds and the Hyperion is able to stabilize. The volcanoes of the world return to normal. Shepherd turns down a position as head of the USGS and reconciles with his wife.
wrote that the film "is as pre-fabricated and ultra-conventional as you could ever imagine", he found the dialogue unbelievable, the direction poor, the plot to be unimaginative, and the effects to be "kistchy at best, hilariously inept otherwise." He summarized by writing "If you rent these flicks for the goofiness, this one's worthy of a rental." David Johnson of DVD Verdict found the special effects to be unconvincing, noting that "any time there's lava onscreen, the film stumbles." He poked fun at the "talkiness of the plot", but found the acting to be "decent enough to make the cataclysm sound halfway believable". Opining that as he might have been able to find the film acceptable otherwise, "a batch of putrid CGI would find its way onto the screen, and the taste soured." Ben Rhudy of Monsters and Critics
found the pacing to be slow and the film to be cliché, offering that the film "is yet another prime example of a promising premise marred by a cable TV budget." He noted the DVD release included an awful theatrical trailer that "surpasses the film it represents in both pacing and excitement."
Xander Berkeley
Alexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
and Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
. It was filmed in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Plot
A volcanologist and his graduate students believe that all of the volcanoes in the world are going to erupt and kill every living thing on the planet. They try to convince the government that their theory is true while also trying to figure out how to stop it.Dormant for 700 years, the Trollsvatn volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
suddenly erupts and kills a USGS survey team. Volcanology
Volcanology
Volcanology is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma, and related geological, geophysical and geochemical phenomena. The term volcanology is derived from the Latin word vulcan. Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of fire....
professor Dr. Peter Shepherd (Xander Berkeley
Xander Berkeley
Alexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
) takes four of his graduate students to study Grímsvötn
Grímsvötn
The Grímsvötn sub-glacial lakes and the volcano of the same name are in South-East Iceland. They are in the highlands of Iceland at the northwestern side of the Vatnajökull ice-cap. The lakes are at , at an elevation of...
, a dormant volcano near the first. It also erupts suddenly, but the group is able to escape. Shepherd is convinced it is not a coincidence and visits Dr. Oscar Vallian (Valentin Ganev), a wheelchair-using volcanologist who recently quit working for the USGS. He explains that many dormant volcanoes have started to erupt around the world. In the past, Vallian had formulated a theory known as Exodus, in which all 1,500 of the Earth's volcanoes could erupt within a short period of time. Vallian leaves for Honshu, Japan, to be on the front lines when Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
erupts.
Shepherd goes to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to explain the Exodus theory and the need to stop it. Dr. William Kincaid (George R. Sheffey), the head of the USGS, hates O'Neil (Ryan Spike Dauner) and Shepherd, and is given the task of reviewing their data. He promises the president's representative Stephen Daugherty (Jonas Talkington) to disprove the theory. Shepherd leaves knowing nothing will happen, returning to his students to explain the government will not act unless they get proof.
Shepherd's soon to be ex-wife Natalie (Reiko Aylesworth
Reiko Aylesworth
Reiko M. Aylesworth is an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role on the television series 24 as Michelle Dessler.-Life and career:...
), a Park Ranger, arrives at work at Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
to be told that Old Faithful hasn't done anything for the last day. In Honshū, Vallian and his companion Melanie (Dessi Morales) wait for Fuji's expected eruption. Shepherd makes plans with his students to go to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
to check out another volcano that should be next in the list. That night, Shepherd calls his estranged wife. During the call, she mentions fire season has started in the middle of winter. Shepherd does not mention the volcano issues. The next day, Fuji erupts, destroying much of the island of Honshū and triggering large tsunamis. Vallian calls Shepherd to bid farewell before he and Melanie are swallowed up and incinerated by a pyroclastic surge
Pyroclastic surge
A pyroclastic surge is a fluidized mass of turbulent gas and rock fragments which is ejected during some volcanic eruptions. It is similar to a pyroclastic flow but it has a lower density or contains a much higher proportion of gas to rock ratio, which makes it more turbulent and allows it to rise...
. Shepherd spends the night in a bar, mourning his friend. His student Brianna (Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson
Amy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
) offers comfort and advice while listening to him explain how his marriage ended.
In the morning, news arrives that Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
has erupted, so the group heads to Pasto, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to do some investigating in a mine. A local explains that some men working in the mine were killed earlier in the week when it began to "bleed fire." Exploring the mine, Shepard's group finds massive amounts of heat, but do not realize that they had inadvertently moved from the mine's shafts into attached lava tubes. They continue their explorations and find temperatures rising incredibly fast with high levels of radiation filling the "shafts". Students Jacques (Rushi Vidinliev) and CJ (David O'Donnell) take rock and vapor samples while Shepherd and Brianna head back. Magma falls from the ceiling and burns CJ's shoulder just as Jacques begins to suspect that they are in a lava tube. They flee, but the ceiling collapses and lava spills into the tunnel, killing Jacques. CJ survives but will require a skin graft.
The news reports that Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
and Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
have erupted and destroyed Rome. Kai (Vlado Mihailov) tells Dr. Shepherd that the samples from the mine were of the same composition and that someone from the USGS had hacked into their server. Kincaid admits to the hacking and stealing the data, and that he plans to present the findings to Washington as his own. During his presentation to the President and to Daugherty, Shepherd and his group interrupt and explain that they have additional evidence that Kincaid had not managed to steal. The President listens as Dr. Shepherd explains the full Exodus theory, explaining that human pollution has caused the Earth's core to heat up and expand causing all of the eruptions. Shepard also lists which volcanoes will be next. Using projections he predicts that the Earth will head into another Ice Age within 2 weeks, and explains his solution to release the Earth's pressure in a controlled manner under the ocean rather than letting the Earth choose. By using a series of nuclear warheads at strategic points within oceanic faults.
After the meeting, Shepherd calls his ex-wife again and begs her to leave Yellowstone because it is the largest volcanic hotspot in North America, but she refuses. While he's on the phone, Daugherty calls to let him know that the President has approved their plan and they know have all of the resources of the CIA at their disposal to map the ocean and figure out the plan. With the coordinates set, Daugherty lets Shepherd know that he and one of the students will work hand in hand with the naval fleets from two of its flagships, the Hyperion and the Reprisal. Brianna is left at the USGS as the go between. Shepherd leaves his wedding ring with her and asks her to give it to his wife and let her know he was sorry.
Shepherd boards the Hyperion, in the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
, by jumping from a helicopter and diving down to the sub. Kai boards the Reprisal in the Atlantic. Shepherd shows the Hyperion captain where the explosions must go in the middle of the Mariana Trench
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench or Marianas Trench is the deepest part of the world's oceans. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Mariana Islands. The trench is about long but has a mean width of only...
. In the morning, Natalie starts packing up her campground, while another Ranger and some scientists examine Old Faithful. Kai contacts Brianna to confirm the coordinates for his sub, which will also be passed on to Russian and British sub who will aid in the attack. Meanwhile, the Hyperion gets bounced around by volcanic activity in the trench which pummels them with debris. Natalie arrives at the next set of campgrounds only to find an eruption already taking place. She turns around and heads back out. The Hyperion continues to take heavy damage, but is able to reach its coordinates and launch the warheads. It fires its first round of torpedoes, but torpedo goes off track and hits the trench wall. Two more are fired and hit successfully. The plan appears to be working, as they move on to their next targets.
At the same time, the Reprisal has also fired its first four torpedoes, however it takes heavy damage from the resulting debris. Shepherd loses contact with Kai, while the Hyperion continues trying to avoid debris and hit its remaining targets. Natalie tries to flee Yellowstone as eruptions continue and multiple park visitors are killed. The President explains that a total of 44 nuclear tipped torpedoes are being fired to try and heal the Earth. As Shepherd prays for his wife, the lava flow at Yellowstone stops just before reaching Natalie and a large group of visitors. The Reprisal sinks, killing its crew and Kai. With the last of the torpedoes fired, the plan succeeds and the Hyperion is able to stabilize. The volcanoes of the world return to normal. Shepherd turns down a position as head of the USGS and reconciles with his wife.
Cast
- Xander BerkeleyXander BerkeleyAlexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
as Peter Shepherd - Amy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
as Brianna "Bree" Chapman - David O'Donnell as C.J.
- George R. Sheffey as Dr. William Kincaid
- Michael DurrellMichael DurrellMichael Durrell is an American actor.He began his career in the role of attorney Peter Wexler on CBS in the soap opera The Guiding Light. In 1969 he appeared on stage in "Cock-A-Doodle-Dandy" at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City...
as President Fletcher - Reiko AylesworthReiko AylesworthReiko M. Aylesworth is an American film, television and stage actress, best known for her role on the television series 24 as Michelle Dessler.-Life and career:...
as Natalie Shepherd - Vlado Mihailov as Kai Senakoia
- Rushi Vidinliev as Jacques
- Valentin Ganev as Oskar Valenteen
- Assen Blatechki as Holloway
- Scott Owens as Harv
- Jonas Talkington as Stephen Daugherty
- Ryan Spike Dauner as O'Neil
- Dessi Morales as Melanie
Critical reception
Scott Weinberg of DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
wrote that the film "is as pre-fabricated and ultra-conventional as you could ever imagine", he found the dialogue unbelievable, the direction poor, the plot to be unimaginative, and the effects to be "kistchy at best, hilariously inept otherwise." He summarized by writing "If you rent these flicks for the goofiness, this one's worthy of a rental." David Johnson of DVD Verdict found the special effects to be unconvincing, noting that "any time there's lava onscreen, the film stumbles." He poked fun at the "talkiness of the plot", but found the acting to be "decent enough to make the cataclysm sound halfway believable". Opining that as he might have been able to find the film acceptable otherwise, "a batch of putrid CGI would find its way onto the screen, and the taste soured." Ben Rhudy of Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics is a web-only entertainment/celebrity news and review publication with movie, DVD, video game, and music reviews, along with political commentary as well as coverage of world news, technology, sports, and science.- Background :...
found the pacing to be slow and the film to be cliché, offering that the film "is yet another prime example of a promising premise marred by a cable TV budget." He noted the DVD release included an awful theatrical trailer that "surpasses the film it represents in both pacing and excitement."