A Volcano Of Racism.

I was a young 15 years old in 1997 when Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones, made its theatrical debut across America. It took a second viewing just a few days ago for me to really understand the movie. The basic plot is that there is a volcano about to erupt under the streets of Los Angeles. Jones plays Mike Roark, an emergency crisis working for the city, who deals with all sorts of disasters, small and large.
At first sight, this seems like your run of the mill disaster film. If you look deeper though, below the surface, just like the characters look below the surface of the city, you may find something rather surprising. Yes, there is action and suspense. Yes, there is a little bit of romance. Yes, there is a statement about racism and the idea of people helping people, not based on race, gender or age. It is not just about things exploding, people melting and barely escaping the hot grasp of molten lava. Instead Volcano discuses racism, sexism and the way people overcome these topics in a crisis, but why not in everyday life?
There is in fact a volcano of racism brewing under Los Angeles and in cities all over the world. This message is socially relevant to everyone and this overlooked movie needs a fair chance to share with people its themes. This may be hard to believe and you are wondering if this is even possible from a big budget studio, but you really have to see it to believe it. It's that good.
-SMG