Consultants Give Mixed Reviews to the Action Depicted in ‘Peak’

Two of the three retired U.S. Geological Survey volcanologists who were hired as consultants to the makers of “Dante’s Peak” and are touted in the film credits, used the word “cringe” to describe their own reactions to some of the scenes in the movie.

Director Roger Donaldson “gave us an unprecedented opportunity to make the script and sets real,” said Jack Lockwood, who led the Geological Survey’s monitoring team at the devastating Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991.

But, Lockwood added, “some of the special effects strayed from reality.”

“The one thing everyone will cringe at was where the car is driving through the lava flow. In fact, it would have exploded in flames immediately, and when the kids are walking by the flowing lava, they certainly should have been trying to shield themselves from the heat.”

David Harlow, another Geological Survey veteran and consultant to the filmmakers, said “all of the phenomena shown are things that occur at volcanoes. They may or may not occur together. . . . Perhaps it’s a little unfortunate that they put the lava flows together with the explosions.”

Dante’s Peak “is not a disgrace,” Harlow said. “There may be some minor details to cringe at, but over all it’s a legitimate attempt to create an accurate, fast-paced drama.”

The other consultant, Norman McLeod, retired head of the Cascades observatory, noted that “it’s not a documentary. It has to be entertaining. If you want to convey scientific information in an entertainment context, this is good.”