Marianne ! Marianne, come on !
- Marianne, we gotta go right now ! - Harry, we can't leave !
- We can't leave ! Not yet ! No way ! - Right this second !
- Look at these readings, honey ! - Forget the readings !
Juan, Chico, get what you can as quick as you can !
- Where are the seismic records ? - We cannot wait !
Come on, Marianne ! Come quick ! Come on !
l'll see you at the fort !
Chico, stay close behind us, okay ?
Oh, my God ! Come on ! Get in !
l hope they make it. l hope they'll be okay.
l can't even see the road, sweetheart !
- You okay ?
lf we make it through this--
We're gonna have some stories to tell, honey.
Oh, shit, honey !
We're gonna get out. We're gonna get out. Don't worry.
- Marianne ?
Marianne ? Marianne !
Marianne ! Oh, God !
Oh, no ! Oh, no !
Harry Dalton here. No one's home. Leave a message.
- Harry ? Harry, are you there ?
Come on. Pick up. Harry, l know you're there.
We're picking up something in Northern Cascades. l need your opinion on it.
Get down here as soon as you get this message.
You better pack for a couple of days.
Harry, are you sure you're not there ?
Take a big step. Come on.
Harry, what are you doing here ? You're supposed to be on vacation.
Paul called. There's something going on in the Northern Cascades.
You can't leave work alone, can you ?
Harry, goin' on vacation isn't gonna kill ya.
- l appreciate that. Thanks. - Morning.
So what's going on in the Cascades ?
l'm sorry l had to drag you in like this,
but we are picking up some activity around Dante's Peak.
This is a joke, right ? Dante's Peak.
What do you think the odds are against an eruption up there ? Thousand to one ?
More like 10,000 to 1.
- What's the depth ? - Ten to twenty kilometres.
- %%
%%
Come on ! Let's go find Matt.
%%
All right, number seven. lt's on the corner there.
Any idea where l might find Mayor Wando ?
She should be right around the corner, accepting some award.
Dante's Peak was just named the best-- well, the second-best place to live...
in the United States, population under 20,000.
- Good for you. What was number one ? - l don't know.
Some piece of crap town out in Montana. Who cares ?
- l'll be seeing ya. - Okay.
l'd like to thank Karen from Money magazine for this wonderful award.
lt's-- Oh, what is it ?
Lauren, is it Karen or Kathy ?
lt's Karen, Mom. Karen, for the tenth time.
Karen. And you're gonna be late.
- Have you seen my good jacket ? - You don't have a good jacket.
- Honey, the blue one. - Oh, it's on the chair in the kitchen.
Okay. Graham, it's time to go !
- Where's your brother ? - He's gonna meet us there.
- There's your jacket. - Okay.
Let's go, Mom. You'll be late.
- Yeah ! Yeah ! - Whoo !
Folks, uh, we're real sorry for the delay.
We're gonna get started in just one moment. Any moment now.
- Les, we've been waitin' half an hour !
- Go find a place in the front, okay ? - Okay.
- Hey, Bill. - Hey, Rachel.
Oh, thank God. Ladies and gentlemen,
l'd like to introduce the mayor of Dante's Peak, Rachel Wando.
lt's about time.
Ladies and gentlemen-- Ladies and gentlemen.
This is a very special day in Dante's Peak.
To kick off, l would like to introduce Karen Narlington of Money magazine.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Les.
Mayor Wando, it gives me great pleasure to present to you...
a Money magazine award.
Dante's Peak, the second most desirable place...
to live in the United States, population under 20,000.
Congratulations.
- Thank you--
- lt's Karen ! - Thank you, Karen. Thank you, Lauren.
- This award means a lot to us.
We've been proud of our town for a long time.
lt's beautiful. lt's safe.
lt's a wonderful place in which to raise a family.
And now with the prospect of a major investment in our economic future...
by Mr Elliot Blair of Blair lndustries--
Will you stand up, Elliot ?
Next year we're gonna be number one.
Whoo ! You're gonna love this.
Come on in. lt's great.
- ls it really warm ? - Oh, it's beautiful.
Yeah !
Oh. Ow. lt's really hot.
Yeah, well, l think that's why they call it Twonset Hot Springs.
- Hey !
- So, is this great or what ? - Mmm, sure beats the hell out of L.A.
Yes, it does. Maybe we should move here.
l don't think so. l'd go nuts in a week.
lt's nothing. Some animal must have scared them.
- Jerry ? - What the hell was that ?
Oh, my God !
So everybody get out there, have a great time and enjoy this beautiful day.
- Good job, Mom. - Where is your brother ?
- l don't know. - l know where he is.
Mayor Wando ? Hi. Harry Dalton with the U.S. Geological Survey--
- Wonderful speech, Rachel. - Excuse me, Mayor Wando, gentlemen.
- l'm sorry. You are ? - Harry Dalton.
Oh, from Portland. Yes, your boss called and said you were coming.
- Elliot, can l call you later ? - Sure.
And that l should show you around. ls that right ?
- ls this a good time ? - Uh, yeah.
Just have to make a quick stop.
Sure. That's okay.
- Um, what are we doing here ? - This will only take a second.
So, you have any kids ?
Mmm, nope. l don't.
You're lucky. Right, Mom ?
Oh, no, honey. Sometimes having kids is just wonderful.
- And sometimes--
Graham !
My brother Graham ? He's in a lot of trouble.
- Mm-hmm. Yes, l think he is. - Graham ?
- Graham ! - You get in trouble ?
- No. - Of course not.
- Graham ! - l'm coming !
Get in the car. You boys, go home. You should know better.
See ya, guys.
l don't know what's wrong with you.
- Can't we do this some other time ? - The mine is dangerous.
- lt's off-limits. - Whatever.
Trouble--
- Let's cross the street, man. - All right.
- Hey, Rachel. Hey ! - Hey, Jane.
- l heard Mrs Mackey was sick. - Just a touch of the flu.
- And how are you ? - Dr Fox, this is...
Harry Dalton of the United States Geological Survey.
- Oh, hey. - How do you do ?
- Nice meeting you. - Bye, Jane.
Bye.
- Wanna see ? - lt looks like black licorice.
Can l see it ?
- Hmm. You know what this is ? - Uh-uh.
This is a smoky quartz crystal. l had one just like it when l was your age.
- Very lucky. - You know about this stuff ?
- Yeah, just a little bit. - Dr Dalton is a geologist.
Volcanologist actually.
- You mean like Dr Spock ? - Mr Spock.
Well, kind of, but without the ears. You know, the--
- Drop me off at Grandma's. - Yeah, me too.
- You're not tagging along. - Stop fighting. No.
No one-- No one's going !
Dr Dalton has been patient enough.
lt's okay if you want to drop the kids off at your mother's.
She's not my mother. She's my mother-in-law.
Or my ex-mother-in-law.
- My, my.
This is beautiful.
- Grandma ! - Grandma !
- Well, look who's here ! How ya doin' ? - Good.
- Keepin' outta trouble ? - Yeah.
- Oh, Lauren, my ladybug. - Hello, Ruth.
- Hey, Roughy. How ya doin', girl ? - Hi, Rachel.
You Rachel's boyfriend ?
Uh, no, no. Harry Dalton,
United States Geological Survey.
Just up here to check on your mountain. That's all.
Bunch of you people came up here right after Mount St. Helens went nuts.
There was nothing going on then. There's nothing going on here now.
- Yes, well, um-- - l need to take Dr Dalton up to the high lake...
and wondered if the kids could stay here a while.
Sure. But why don't we all go ? We can go swimming.
Mess around in the hot springs on the way back.
- Yeah, our swim stuff's in the truck. - l'll get mine.
Come on, girl. Come on.
Okay. Come on.
Oh, ho !
- What are you doing there ? - Checking the acidity in the water.
- Oh, like a pool man. - Yeah, exactly. Just like a pool man.
We'll, uh--
We'll take these pH readings...
and check them against the ones we did about 15 years ago.
- Where ? From here ? - Uh-huh. And on Mount St. Helens.
Those trees over there. Any idea when they died ?
No. Maybe from the winter storms.
Why ? Think we got a problem ?
No. No, l don't think so.
l do about 25, 30 of these a year.
Ninety-eight percent of the time they're just false alarms.
And the other two percent ?
You wouldn't have to worry about moving up on that ""best places to live"" list.
- Come on, girl ! - You guys be careful !
Watch out for poison oak when you put your swimsuits on.
They'll be fine. Hey, wait up !
A man who stares at a rock must have a lot on his mind. Or nothing.
Well, these old rocks here give us some idea of when this area was last active.
- Yeah ? When was that ? - Oh, about 7,000 years ago.
- Give us a smile.
- Beautiful.
Take it easy now, okay ?
- Ooh, don't touch it. - Roughy, no. Stop.
What ? What is it ?
We found two dead squirrels, Mom.
- That's what this fuss was all about ? - Don't touch them.
Must be some sort of squirrel epidemic.
Oh, God.
They're dropping like that all over the mountain.
Come on. Let's go.
Phew. lt stinks. l don't know if l wanna go in.
lt smells like your room. You go in there.
Hey, Grandma. Somebody left their clothes here.
Sometimes couples sneak up here for a hot dip.
- And some hot nooky. - Ruth, for God's sake.
Lauren, move. Lauren, get out of the way.
Watch me, Mom.
Graham, no, no ! No, no, no ! No. Stop. Stop.
Don't look, pal.
Paul, l think we should monitor the entire area.
Get the whole shooting match in here.
l don't know, but the acidity in the lake is high enough to bother me.
There's enough carbon dioxide coming out of the soil to start killing trees and wildlife--
Paul. Paul, you sent me up here to check. l'm doing that.
l think attention should be paid.
All right. l'll call you.
- You guys okay ? - Yeah. Yeah.
- Bye, Mom. - l love you.
l love you, Mom.
l don't think l'll be too late, Ruth.
- Bye ! - Bye.
- You okay ? - Yeah.
Any idea who they were ?
No. Never seen them before. Backpackers maybe.
- What's going on here, Harry ? - l don't know.
- How big of a problem do we have ? - lt's too early to tell.
l think you should call a city council meeting.
- Ready to roll ? - Yep.
l thought this was supposed to be an extinct volcano.
Not extinct. Just dormant...
as in sleeping.
And your volcano might just be waking up.
You're talking about the evacuation of 7,400 people.
- You don't think that's extreme ? - All l'm talking about...
is you consider alerting the town to the possibility of an evacuation.
What Mr Dalton here doesn't realize...
is that if Elliot Blair gets the idea there is some kind of problem here,
he's gonna take his $18 million, his 800 jobs, and he's gonna evacuate.
Les, two people are dead, and we don't know--
This is the first time in 40 years that we have the opportunity--
- Look, look !
lt's been a very long day. Let's try to treat each other nicely.
Norman, why don't you pull out the town's emergency evacuation plans.
We should at least have a look at them.
lf l can find them.
Look at this nice little town.
Nestled all snug and cozy right against the mountain.
- Yeah, just like Pompeii. - Come on. Let's unpack her.
All right. The conference room ought to be...
big enough for you to set up shop in.
Thanks. Do you know where l can find Harry Dalton ?
-l expected to see him here. -He's over at the city council chambers.
He and the mayor called a meeting.
- Okay.
When is this mountain likely to blow up ?
l wish predicting volcanic eruptions were an exact science. Unfortunately--
Oh, perfect. So we put the town on notice, and then nothing happens.
People, we're not the only town in this state.
All right, so are we ready to put it to vote ?
l don't know if we have enough information.
Paul.
Everybody, this is my boss Dr Paul Dreyfus.
- Mayor Wando. - Hi. Rachel.
lt's a pleasure indeed. Uh, what's going on here ?
l've recommended to the council members they put this town on alert.
They were just about to vote on it.
- Can l have a word with you outside ? - Sure.
Excuse us.
- Who the hell is this guy ? - l sent you here to look around,
not to scare the hell out of the city council.
But two people are dead. Recommending an alert seemed the only responsible thing to do.
There are dozens of reasons that would account for what happened there.
Anything from a mild earthquake to a slight seismic shift.
Not one of them means the mountain's gonna blow up next week or next month...
- or the next hundred years. - The whole spirit of the town was on its way up.
Just thinks he can walk in here--
Ladies and gentlemen, l am sure Dr Dalton was doing...
what he thought was in your town's best interests.
However, l have learned through bitter experience...
that these decisions are not to be made lightly.
Back in 1980, l would have bet you a million bucks...
that Mammoth Mountain was about to go up.
We began to talk about the possibility of putting that town on alert.
Thank God the mountain didn't go up,
but the damage had already been done.
The word leaked out that the U.S.G.S. had expressed concern.
So the tourists panicked and stayed away.
The real estate values plummeted, and the town nearly went bankrupt.
Consequently, l'm now a lot more cautious...
when it comes to even talking about putting a town on alert.
Now, folks, understand something.
We are gonna be camped out here for as long as it takes...
with seismometres and tiltmetres that are gonna measure and monitor...
every little hiccup that the mountain makes.
We'll be bouncing laser beams off it to track any changes in size.
We'll be analyzing gas emissions.
We've got a robot that's gonna stroll up there and take its temperature.
Now, believe me, l'm not trying to make light of your concerns.
But l want you to understand if the time comes to call for an alert--
lf the time comes, it will be based upon scientific evidence...
and not upon anyone's opinion.
For God's sake, Rachel, this thing...
should have been handled much more discreetly.
- This meeting never should have been called. - Harry.
l just hope our Mr Blair didn't get wind of this.
You're making a big mistake, Paul. This is an unstable system.
This town should be on alert.
You need a vacation. l'll see you in two weeks.
We got some serious damage control to do.
lf they get scared off, Rachel, you're the one's responsible.
Any questions ? l'll be happy to answer them.
- How about a nice adult beverage ? - Excellent.
Sounds good to me.
Give me just a minute here.
Thought you'd be off on your fishin' vacation by now.
- Decided to stick around. - l can see that. Question is, why ?
'Cause this town's in trouble.
l'm the best man you got.
Whiskey.
You are the best man l've got.
But until you can get it in your head there are politics involved...
delicate politics, not to mention economics,
you're only gonna do these people more harm than good.
- l understand. - There ya are.
Tomorrow morning, l'm gonna hire a helicopter,
fly around the mountain, see how much sulphur dioxide is there.
- Okay. - From now on everything comes from me.
Any more town meetings to be called, l'll be the one to call them.
Okay ?
Okay.
- Got the keys, hon ?
Yep.
- Good morning. - Good morning.
- Coffee ? - Uh, yeah. Please.
Cappuccino, espresso, cafe latte ?
Could l just have a regular coffee ?
Sure.
l heard you left town last night.
Uh, yes. Well, l decided to stay. See what new trouble l can get myself into.
- So, what's good here ? - Everything's good here.
- Aah ! - Oh ! My God. l am so sorry.
lt's okay. lt's all right.
l suppose l had that coming for screwing up your reelection chances, eh ?
l didn't do it on purpose.
l've always been better at figuring out volcanoes than people and politics.
Anyway, l just wanted to say l'm sorry if l caused you any trouble.
And, uh-- l just wanted to help.
You like eggplant parmigiana ?
For breakfast ?
- For dinner. - Oh.
l'm inviting you over for dinner to say thank you.
Thanking me for what ?
For saving Graham's life...
and for caring.
lt's a date.
Okay, let's go down lower and head for that rock formation over there.
lf l fly during my lunch break, l get overtime.
Just do it.
All right, let's just hover here.
What you got back there ? How's it lookin' ?
Minimal sulphur dioxide emissions. There's nothing to worry about.
We're green across the board.
There's nothing to indicate there's any kind of activity here. She's quiet.
Yeah.
She's quiet.
Okay. Which hand is the domino in ?
- That one. - You've got it. Thank you very much.
- Right here ? - Yes.
- Looks like a squished heart. - More like an appendix to me.
- Cool. - Can you do any other tricks ?
- Uh-- - Maybe Harry's tired.
Just one more. Here you go.
All right. Look at that. No boogers,
but right down the middle we have a little sewing needle.
You see it ? Now, that's magic, and it needs a magic hair.
This won't hurt. Mmm, yummy.
Okay, hold this, please. Thank you. Let me put my glasses on.
And... here we go...
like this, thread it through.
Fine. You hold that.
- Okay. Mm-hmm. Look there.
- Eww ! - Ah, much better. There we go.
And we go like this.
All right. And go like that.
lt really works.
Whoa.
lt's magic.
l know it's just a little town,
but l couldn't imagine living anywhere else.
l grew up here. l went to school here.
Got married here ?
Yeah. Brian.
We were just kids.
Haven't heard from him in quite a while.
Quite a while. Try six years.
Hmm.
l don't think she'd admit it, but l don't even think Ruth knows where he is.
You seem to be doing okay.
Yeah. lt was hard at first. Hard for the kids.
But we're okay.
How about you ?
You ever been married ?
No. Never.
Why not ?
Well, for one thing, l move around a lot.
Colombia, Guatemala, the Philippines,
Mexico, New Zealand, New Guinea.
Wherever there's a volcano with an attitude.
Makes it hard to settle down.
You ever come close ?
Yes. Once.
Touchy subject.
Her name was Marianne.
We worked together.
She loved volcanoes. Fascinated by them.
Loved the life.
Four years ago, a volcano erupted in Columbia.
Marianne and l thought we had enough time to get out.
Unfortunately, we were wrong.
We got too close to the show.
Marianne was killed.
lf this thing blows,
and if she does a Mount St. Helens,
the blast will get here within a minute.
Well, l hope you're wrong about our volcano, Harry.
But if not, l'm glad you're here.
Hi, Harry.
Hello. Hello, Harry.
l found five seismometers, Paul. Where's the other three ?
ln the back of the van.
Good morning. Hi. Hello.
Hi. Hello. How are you ?
Uh, everyone, this is, uh, Rachel Wando, mayor of the town.
- Hi. - Hi.
Thought maybe you guys could use some coffee.
Not knowing what you like, l brought cappuccinos, except for regular for you.
- Perfect. Thank you. - Great.
l am jonesing. l could really use a good fix.
-What kind of coffee machine do you use? -Gaggia.
- Where do you get your beans ? - So ?
- So ?
You probably keep your beans in the freezer, right ?
Oh, no. Never keep your beans in the freezer. Takes all the oils out.
This town just might be worth saving.
Mmm ! Good coffee ! That's good.
Nice woman, that Rachel. Best-looking mayor l've ever seen.
- She's got my vote. - Mm-hmm. Twice.
All right, guys. Here you go. That ought to do it.
- Okay, Harry.
Bingo. lf this mountain's gonna rock and roll, we're gonna know about it.
So how was dinner last night, Harry ?
Terry, why don't you just give it a break and stop trying to fix me up, eh ?
Whoa, whoa, whoa. l have great taste in women. When have l steered you wrong ?
Yeah ? What about Astrid ?
What about Astrid ? l thought the two of you would have a lot in common.
- She said she was into rocks. - Crystals, Terry.
Crystals. Not rocks. Crystals.
Okay, one, two, three. There you go.
Watch your foot. Watch your foot. Okay.
All right. Good. l'm gonna get my breakfast.
You gettin' the hang of this thing ?
lt's still kind of goosey, but l think l'm gettin' it.
Yes ! lt's coffee time ! Coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
Cappuccino ! Java ! Yes !
- How are you ? - Coffee. Thank you.
- Decaf, nonfat, no sugar. - Thanks.
- Macchiato. - Thank you.
- Double espresso. - Here ! Ah, thank you.
Oh, thank you so much.
So how's it looking ?
- We've been recording between 25 and 75 earthquakes per day. - You're kidding ?
Don't worry. They're microquakes. They happen all the time.
Oh. Well. Good. And what's this ?
This little puppy's called Spider Legs.
She goes in when it's too dangerous for us. Boldly goes, l might add.
Actually, we'll take gas readings up front.
And then, we'll send video back here to home base. Hopefully.
Good. Now, try to keep the weight on that one.
- See what l'm saying ? Keep the weight on this-- - That's not me.
- lt's not in here. - The other one isn't moving ?
- What's the problem now ?
- There's no problem. - lf this thing keeps screwing up, l don't want to take it up.
Paul, the problem is E.L.F. here.
All right, look, l'm gonna fix this once and for all.
Everybody, turn around. Turn around.
Just be sure to put the damn thing back on before NASA finds out.
lt'll be our little secret.
So what do you say, big guy ? Ready to see the sights, huh ?
Oh, yeah. Big boy's ready. Big boy's definitely ready to see the sights.
Yes, you are. Yes, you are.
- Come on, Terry. Time to take your medication. - Ah, thank you.
You guys see this ? Do you see this ?
l expect apologies and six-packs from each one of ya.
Ya lookin' for a medal because you finally got the thing to work okay ?
""Okay,"" Paul ? ""Okay"" ? lt's working beautifully.
lt ought to be workin' better. lt lost 15 pounds of ugly fat.
- Zoom into the left. - Zooming in.
We got some minor geothermal activity on the edge of the crater.
Pan to the right a little. l wanna look at the lava domes.
- Look at it.
- Oops. - Ah.
Terry's masterpiece is a piece of junk.
Show me the leg that isn't workin'.
- Houston, we have a problem. - We copy. You have a problem.
Why not just throw rocks at the goddamn thing ?
l'm gonna go down there and give it the personal touch.
Well--
- Well, here we go again. - Real easy, okay ?
- Always. - You got it ?
- You all right ? - You got me ?
- l got ya. - Here we go.
No heroics now, okay ?
- Paul, Terry's going down. Hear me ? - You're comin' in crystal clear.
Easy.
l-l-l don't think this is a very smart idea.
- You all right ? - Yeah.
Listen, uh, Terry, why don't we, uh,
just forget Spider Legs for now, and you get your backside back up here ?
- Okay ? - Not a chance.
For the $450,000 we put into this beast,
it ought to be able to stand on its head, split the atom...
and fart ""The Star Spangled Banner.""
Almost there.
Hello, you son of a bitch !
That's Terry's answer to everything. Kick it if it doesn't work.
- Get your ass back up now. - Not a chance. l'm goin' off rope.
No, no. No, Terry. That's not a great idea.
- l can get around to the other side. - Don't go off rope.
l would swear this thing's purposefully tryin' to piss me off.
You know what, Harry ? lt's workin' !
Paul, something's going on. There's some seismic activity.
All right, here we go.
What do you think, Stan ?
They're minor quakes, but they're right in the middle of it.
Maybe we ought to tell them to call it a day. Harry.
- Come on ! Come on ! - Paul, l didn't get ya. Say it again.
- Oh !
- Aah ! - Terry !
- Oh, my God !
Terry !
Terry ! Talk to me !
- Terry ! Can you hear us ? - Terry !
l'm comin' down !
Harry !
Help !
Ow !
- lt's okay. lt's okay. Where are ya ? - Oh, shit.
lt's my leg, man.
- Ow ! - Paul ? Paul, come in.
- We can hear you. Go ahead. - Terry's down. He's got a broken leg.
- We need the chopper here really fast.
Copy. Terry's broken his leg. We're gonna send you a chopper.
Send the chopper now.
l cannot believe the camera's still working after taking a hit like that.
Come on. Answer the phone. Come on !
What ? Oh ! Look. All right. Hang on a second, okay ?
Paul, the son-of-a-bitch pilot wants to renegotiate his rate.
Give him whatever he wants.
This is rescue chopper. We're comin' to the rim of the crater now.
Do ya have a visual on us ?
We're below ya about 600 feet on the south face !
l see ya. We're gonna go around again and try to hoist you out.
You got that ?
You all right ? We're very, very ready !
He looks in bad shape.
Bring her down ! Come on !
Get it. Get it. Get it.
Way to go.
Hold on ! We're goin' home.
Okay.
- You on ? - Okay ! Let her go !
Come on ! Go ! Go, go, go ! Go ! Yes.
- You got 'im ? - Yeah, l got 'im.
- Great job. - l don't want to talk out of turn.
You should put this town on alert. There's a lot of activity there.
lt was intense up there, but l don't wanna cause a panic over minor quakes.
- ""Minor"" ? - The biggest one we measured was 2.9--
l don't give a damn if it was a 1.1. Those quakes were shallow.
- Damn shallow. l felt them. - You don't--
They weren't tectonic. They were magmatic. This thing is gonna blow.
l'm warning you. l'm not gonna have one of my people scaring everybody...
because of guesswork and hunches.
Another 48 hours will tell the tale. You get a grip.
That son of a bitch.
l'm okay.
My doc says l can leave as soon as they make sure my head's okay.
Okay. See ya in ten years then.
- Ow. Ow. - l think Spider Legs was just...
getting even with you for all those kicks in the butt you gave it !
We got a problem here, guys.
l'm gonna need your help to convince Paul this mountain means business.
Harry, l hate to agree with Paul, but there's no evidence...
to suggest there's anything weird goin' on up there.
-Just like Mount Baker back in the '70s. -There was no eruption then.
My ninth grade science teacher once told me...
that if you put a frog in boiling water, it'll jump out.
But if you put it in cold water and heat it up gradually,
it'll just sit there and slowly boil to death.
What's that, Harry ? Your recipe for frog soup ?
lt's my recipe for disaster.
lf we got here today, we'd know we're in hot water. We'd put this town on alert.
Look, the seismic activity is nil. Steady as a rock.
Take a look over here. A whole lot of nothin'.
lt's been like that all week. There is nothing happening.
There's been no harmonic tremors.
The tiltmetres don't show any change in the mountain shape.
l think we've seen all this big baby's gonna do.
We got the mountain wired. We got all our equipment in place.
We can keep an eye on things from home base. Our work here is finished.
We've seen lulls in activity before.
lf we're wise, we'll give it a couple of days.
l promised you two days. l gave it a week.
First thing in the morning, we are outta here.
You know, Rachel, we still have to have that dinner. Keep the change.
Okay, Elliot.
Order up, Bob.
Great. Why don't you ask her out ?
l lost her number.
Oh, yes ! Yes !
That's okay. All right. What have we got here ? Ten bucks ?
- That's twenty bucks. - Twenty bucks.
Twenty bucks.
Come again anytime ! Thanks, Harry.
Give us a beer there, Charlie.
So, you ever get to Portland ?
No. l'm busy.
Busy ? What do you do for fun ?
Fun ? Hmph. What is that ? Fun ? Oh, l know.
Fun is what you have when you don't have two children, a business, a town to run.
- Oh, Paul. - Excuse me, Harry.
Before we took off, l wanted to say thanks for the hospitality, Mayor Wando.
- lt was my pleasure.
That's awfully nice of you to say that. l'm sure you're not sorry to see us go.
Our presence here is bad for business, right ?
l'm gonna go pack. See ya.
You all right over here ?
Well, it's late and l have to let my baby-sitter get home.
l'll walk you. Let me get my jacket.
Hey, Harry. lt's your break.
lt's your game, guys.
So, when do you go tomorrow ?
Six a.m.
Wish you weren't leaving.
Well, don't worry. Dreyfus was right.
l guess we don't really have to be here.
We can watch this mountain from Portland.
l still wish you weren't leaving.
Hey, you two !
Jane Fox. That'll give her something to talk about for a couple of weeks.
- Hi ! - Hi. Are they sleeping ?
Yeah, they sure are.
- l'll walk ya out. - Okay.
- Be right back. - Okay. Good night.
Good night.
- Okay. You free on Saturday ? - Yes. Saturday's fine.
- Okay. Good. Call ya. Thanks. - Bye.
Well, maybe l should make some coffee.
No, Rachel. No. l don't want any coffee.
l really think l should make us some coffee.
l don't know how to tell you this.
But l've never really cared for your coffee.
Oh.
- Oh. - Oh.
l, uh, haven't been with anybody in a long time.
Same here.
But you know what they say.
lt's like riding a bicycle.
Once you've learned, you never forget.
Mommy ? Mommy ? ls that you ?
Yeah, Lauren. What is it ?
- l'm thirsty. - Okay, honey.
l think she'll go right back to sleep.
Please, dear God in heaven, let her go back to sleep.
Ugh. What's wrong with the water ?
- What is it ? - Must be a broken pipe ?
- Where's the town's water supply ? - Why ?
- Graham. Wake up. - Go away.
lt's right up there.
Ugh. What's that smell ? lt smells like sulphur.
Yeah. Ugh ! Sulfur dioxide.
We saw the same thing in the Philippines on Mount Pinatubo before she blew.
This mountain is a ticking bomb. Come on. Let's go.
- Paul !
l've got that scientific evidence you need.
Harry, what are you doing ?
l've just come from the town's water supply.
lt's the same.
Oh, my God.
The quakes are beginning to swarm. Got a 2.4.
Gas readings are goin' up too. lt's not good.
Look at this.
Sir, is that the best you can do for us ?
Yes, sir. All right. Thanks very much. l appreciate it.
The National Guard cannot be here until tomorrow.
How much time do you think we've got, Harry ?
Don't know. Too early to tell.
Call the mayor. Have her put the town on alert. l'll call the F.A.A.
Okay.
Here we go.
ln response to the potential volcanic threat to Dante's Peak,
l am requesting that all residents attend a meeting at the high school...
at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the evacuation of our town.
A representative of the United States Geological Survey...
will be on hand to explain the facts to you in detail.
When's the mountain gonna blow ?
- Tonight ? Tomorrow ? - Whoa. Whoa, whoa ! Take it easy now.
- They were talking on TV-- - There is no need to be alarmed yet.
-What's this meeting ? -All we want to do is be prepared. Greg.
- Come on, Mr Cluster. - l just put up a new sign. l hope nothing happens.
Attention all citizens. There will be a meeting held...
in the high school at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the evacuation of Dante's Peak.
To repeat: All citizens are urged to attend the meeting...
that will be held in the high school gymnasium--
Ruth, just listen to me this one time.
Harry says the mountain could blow up any minute, and you've got to come down.
- That's his opinion. - Let me try.
Ruth ? Hi. Harry Dalton here. This is a very serious situation.
- You have to consider your family. - l'm not leaving. That's that.
l understand how you feel, Ruth, but this--
- Hung up.
Stupid, stupid woman.
- Come on, Ruth. Pick up.
- We got to go. - Pick up, Ruth !
She's not coming down, is she ?
Look, if Grandma wants to stay up there, there's nothing we can do about it.
- But, Mom-- - No buts, Graham. lt's her decision.
l need you guys to pack while we're gone. One suitcase apiece, okay ?
Be responsible. We'll be back soon !
Let's try her again.
- Come on, Grandma. Pick up.
- She's not answering.
- Give it to me. Hello ?
Do we have to wait ? l mean, if we wanna leave now ?
No, Susan, you don't have to wait. You can leave whenever you like.
Listen, l know it's tough to think about leaving our homes.
But clearly it's the most responsible thing to do right now.
Quite likely, nothing will happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
l want you to remember, no one should leave tonight without a copy...
of the town's emergency evacuation plan.
They will be handed out at the door on your way out.
l'd like to turn the floor over now to Dr Harry Dalton.
Thank you, Mayor Wando. First of all,
- l'd like to thank you for coming. - lt's all over, Les.
l'm outta here before it all hits the fan. Excuse me.
l would like to underline that these are just precautionary measures.
Um, we don't want to start a panic in any way.
- Did anybody feel that ?
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. Please, just stay--
l felt that.
Just stay calm, please ! Don't push !
Please, stay calm !
- Do not rush ! Do not rush ! - Go towards the exits !
- Don't panic ! - Do not push !
Lauren ! The mountain's blowing up ! Lauren !
Ladies and gentlemen, please be calm ! Don't push !
Please--
Don't push !
Don't push ! lt's okay ! Please !
- You okay ? You all right ? - Harry, go this way !
- Stan, look at this ! - Why look at computers when you can look at the real thing ?
Greg, my sticks !
lt looks like it's about to blow its top !
This is not good. This is not good !
You okay ?
- Oh, my God ! - Oh, no !
l've gotta get to the kids.
- Go ! Go, go !
Watch out !
- Paul, come in.
Paul ? Can anybody hear me ? Paul ?
- Paul, come in. Come in. - Look at that.
Paul ? Can anybody hear me ? Come in ?
Harry. Harry, we hear you. Where are you ?
l'm heading to Rachel's to get her kids. Once l've done that, l'm gonna come back down...
- and help you pack out, okay ? - All right, Harry, listen.
For whatever it's worth, you were right and l was wrong.
- l'm sorry. - lt's okay. l'll see you later.
She's blowin' ! She's goin' !
Look ahead.
Get out of the way !
Somebody, help !
- Where do we go ? - lt's completely blocked. Go left.
- l'm goin'. l'm goin'. - Left, Harry !
Look out ! Jesus !
Shit !
- Make a right. Go down the alley !
Come on. Come on.
Harry, my truck's not there.
Graham ?
Lauren ?
Put on your seat belt.
- Do you know how to do all the gears ? - Yeah.
Graham ? Lauren ?
- Oh God, they went up the mountain ! - Let's go. Let's go. Let's go !
- Any other way across that bridge ? - No !
You're out of your mind. Oh, you're out of your mind.
lt's okay.
- Harry ? - Okay, hang on.
- lt's okay.
- There's water coming in. - This rig can take it. The engine's got a snorkel.
Oh, God. Look at those cars !
They're crazy ! They'll never make it !
- We're stuck ? - l know.
Nothin'.
Harry ? See that car coming at us ?
l see it.
- ls he gonna hit us ? - No, we're all right. Hold on.
- We're all right.
- Jesus.
- l can't see through the ash. - Maybe you oughta turn the lights on.
- They are on. - Make the windshield wipers go faster ?
l don't know how.
- lt's that thing there. - Don't touch things ! You're gonna mess something up.
- Like what ? - l don't know. Something !
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
- Hey, wait for me !
Uh-oh. Looks like our asshole pilot plans on flying people outta here.
lf he gets any of that ash sucked up into his engine, he's had it.
- He's gettin' 15,000 bucks cold cash. - Wait !
Wait ! Wait ! Wait ! Wait !
No, no, no ! Wait ! Wait !
Stop ! Stop ! Stop !
Can't this thing go any faster ?
- Shit !
- What is it ? - Shut up !
- What's the damn light ?
What the hell ?
Where are we ?
- Rachel, where are we ? - Uh, top of Exeter.
Greg ? Stan ? Come in.
We're at the top of Exeter Street. There's a chopper down. Send the fire services.
Jesus ! Okay, Harry.
There's nothing we can do. We've gotta go get your kids.
- Okay. - Greg, come in.
lt's Harry. Rachel's kids have gone up the mountain. We're gonna go get them.
Harry, we don't think you have enough time. Do you copy ?
We do not think you have enough time !
- Grandma ! Grandma ! - Grandma !
- What are you doing here ? - We came to get you out.
- What ? - Get in the truck ! Now !
- You drove up here all by yourself ? - We had to !
- Your mama's gonna kill you.
- Roughy !
- We'll get her. Roughy ! - Roughy !
Come on, Roughy ! We gotta go !
Kids, get back here, now !
God Almighty, what were they thinking ?
How are they gonna get through this ?
- Ah ! Harry ! Oh ! - l got it.
- Harry, watch out ! - lt's okay.
Oh, God !
- The road's gone. lt's gone.
Lauren ! Graham !
Lauren !
Graham !
Lauren !
- We're coming ! - We're here !
- l'm sorry, Mom.
Roughy ran away. lt wasn't just Graham's fault. lt was my idea too.
l am so mad at you !
Children, inside, out of the ash. Ruth. Ruth, it's okay.
Stop looking at me like it's my fault.
Now, just take the kids, get back in your truck and go home.
We would if we could, but a landslide's wiped out the entire road behind us.
We've had plenty of minor eruptions. Maybe we're over the hump.
- Yeah, l hope. - Get real, Beavis.
She's just clearing her throat. She hasn't even started to sing yet.
- Paul, it's Harry. ls anyone there ? - Harry, where are you ?
We're at Mirror Lake at the lodge. The road's down, but we're okay.
This is turning into something really catastrophic.
-l'll send a helicopter as soon as the ash clears away. -Paul, get the hell outta there.
- Don't wait for us. - You're breaking up. Say again.
Paul, don't--
Get outta there, now. Please !
- Harry, are you there ? - Maybe his battery's dead.
l'm gonna stay as long as l can, but l want you guys to leave right now.
No way, Paul. We're not gonna walk out on God's big show, right ?
Not a chance.
- This mountain's never gonna hurt us. - You're a fool. Come on.
Oh, God. This was taken the summer we built this place.
- Brian was six months old. - No time for a trip down memory lane.
Rachel, Ruth, come on. We gotta go. Have you got everything ?
Okay, children, let's go.
Move !
Go ! Come on, Ruth !
- Come on, Mom ! Come on ! - lnto the water !
Go, children, go, go.
Get in the boat. That's it.
- Oh, my God ! Oh, my God ! - Lauren.
Get in. Get in ! Get in !
We can't leave Roughy !
- Roughy ! Roughy !
Roughy !
Mom, the fish, they're all dead.
Graham ! Don't touch the water !
Lauren, come sit over here, sweetie. That's it, sweetheart.
Okay, everybody put your feet up.
Ruth, put your feet up, please.
Volcanic activity has turned the lake to acid.
- Acid eats metal. - Hmm ?
-ls the boat gonna sink ? -No, no, no, sugar. lt's not gonna sink.
Hey, if you're scared, you can have my crystal.
- l can have it ? - Yeah.
Thank you.
%%
% Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream %
% Merrily, merrily merrily, merrily Life is but a dream %
% Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream %
- % Merrily, merrily % - % Row, row, row your boat %
- % Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily % - % Row, row, row your boat %
- % Life is but a dream % - % Gently down the stream %
% Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream %
%%
- %%
% Merrily, merrily merrily, merrily-- %%
Oh, shit ! Oh, shit.
We lost the prop.
- No. - We lost the prop.
Okay, don't worry, all right ?
Go up there with Grandma. That's a good girl. Quickly as you can.
- Keep your feet up. - Come on, darling. Careful.
Keep your feet up. Keep your feet up.
- We're very, very close. - Graham, move over there and keep the boat in balance.
- Get up there and balance the boat. - We're very close. Very close.
- ls this boat sinking ?
- lt's okay.
- Keep trying. - Grandma, the boat's sinking !
No, it's not gonna sink, sweetie pie. We're very close.
Mom, we're sinking !
We're sinking ! We're sinking !
- The boat's sinking. - Keep your feet up.
We're sinking !
- The boat's sinking ! - No, it isn't.
- We're not gonna make it !
Sit right there and you hold on tight.
Children, stay put ! Ruth ! Get in ! Ruth !
- Ruth, get in ! Get in ! Come on ! - No !
- Children ! Children !
Ruth, get to shore !
Ruth, get out !
- l got her. l got her. You're okay. - Grandma !
Grandma ! Grandma !
- Grandma ?
She's gonna be okay. Kids, just give us some room.
- Grandma ? - Go on now.
- Take your sister. That's a good boy. - Graham.
Take care of Lauren. Take care of her.
Look at her legs.
Ruth, we're gonna get you down. We're gonna get you down.
- We gotta help Grandma. - lt's okay.
- Let me just talk to the children. - Oh, please.
- l don't want Grandma to die. -l know.
- ls Grandma gonna die ? - We're all okay.
Oh, dear God. Oh, God.
- Where's the lieutenant ? - He's over here in this vehicle.
Boy, you're a sight for sore eyes. Lieutenant, l want you to take your men,
sweep every building in town, top to bottom.
- Everybody out, let's go ! - Get everybody on the truck and out.
This thing's gonna blow.
- Just hold on.
Stop, please. Please, stop !
- Here you go.
Hang on, Ruth, you're gonna be okay.
- Hold on.
Here, Grandma. Have my crystal.
Oh, ladybug, that's so nice, but you keep it for your luck, okay ?
Okay.
Oh, God, Ruth.
l'm so sorry for what l said to you up there. l really didn't mean it. l just--
You're right what you said. l am a fool.
No, you're not.
My son's the biggest fool of all.
He never should've run off and hurt you all like that.
lf anybody's a fool, Ruth, it's me,
'cause l don't think l ever really gave you a chance.
Hang on, Grandma. lt's just another two miles to the ranger station.
l don't think l have another two miles left in me, Ace.
- lt's okay. - No, Grandma.
l get to stay on my mountain.
- No.
Grandma ?
Ruth ?
l got the van ! You go with these fellas !
Harry ? Harry, l don't know whether you can hear me. lt's Paul.
Harry, the bridge is about to go. We got everybody out.
- We got everybody--
Take care. Take great care.
Okay, there you go.
There's no keys.
Here we go. Yeah.
- Oooh !
Dreyfus !
- Paul !
Come on. Come on.
- Come on. - Paul ! Come on. Get out !
- Get out !
- Paul ! Paul ! - You gotta jump !
You gotta jump !
Come on !
- Hey, Paul ! - Paul !
- Come on. - We're running out of time. Let's go.
Hurry !
What the--
Great.
Just great.
- Can we drive across there ? - l don't know.
- Kids, why don't you get in the back ?
Okay.
- Go on, Lauren. - Go... in the back.
Okay... here we go.
- No, Mommy !
- Harry, we're on fire. - The truck's on fire !
We're burning !
- Mommy ? - Hold on.
We're stuck in the lava !
- Ooh ! - More lava's comin' down the hill !
Mommy ! What are we gonna do ? Mommy !
lt's okay ! lt's okay !
- Come on ! Come on ! - Please.
Yes ! Yes !
There's Roughy !
- Where ? - Right there !
- We have to help her. - l gotta get her.
- Go get her. Go.
- Roughy ! - Only gonna get one chance at this !
- Come on, Roughy, jump ! Jump !
- Yes !
Eight years it took us to get this town on its feet.
You wouldn't believe the struggle.
Look at it.
Our house is gone.
There's no other way out of town.
We're reporting live from Dante's Peak, where they're evacuating the town.
Bring her back ! All the way back !
- Keep moving ! - She's gotta go soon.
- Oh, my God !
Wait.
Okay. We're outta here.
- What do we need this for ? - Might just come in handy.
- Mom, what is that ? Mom ? - What is that ?
That is a pyroclastic cloud.
- Mommy. - lt's okay, baby.
Mom, it's coming !
- Mom ! - Oh, my God !
Don't look back, kids ! Don't look back !
- Mom, it's right behind us ! - Oh, sweet Jesus !
- Get down, kids ! Get down !
Oh, my God.
- So long, Harry. - Oh, no.
So long.
Watch your eyes, children. Watch your eyes.
- Lauren ! Graham. Talk to me. - Mommy ?
You all right, baby ? Graham ? Graham, talk to me.
All right, we gotta get out of here. Can you do it ? You can do it.
- Here we go. - Grab her, Harry !
- l got her. Out we go, sweetheart. - Graham.
Stand right there, darling. Okay, all right. Come on up, Graham.
- Rachel, come on ! - Mom !
Come on, Roughy.
- Roughy !
Graham, you lead the way. l want you to show us the way to your hideout.
- Come on.
- Come on, Mom. Roughy !
Roughy ?
- Oh, boy.
Here are flashlights.
Um, l have some chips and some crackers and some drinks back here.
All right, let's check out the damage.
- My head hurts. - l know, baby. So does mine.
- Oh, no. l forgot E.L.F. l left it in the truck. - What do you need that for ?
lt's a transmitter designed by NASA. We were testing it for them.
l was hoping it would send a signal so people would realize we were down here.
- l'm gonna go back and get it. - l'll come with you.
- No, stay here. lt's a lot safer. - What if you get lost ?
Graham, just stay here, okay ? Look after your sister and your mother.
We're not gonna get out, are we ?
Oh, yes, we are, baby. Yes, we are.
- Come here.
Come here. Just sit down a second. Sit down a second.
All right. Listen, now.
Have you ever been deep-sea fishing ?
- No. - Good. Neither have l.
So, when we get out of here-- and we will get out of here--
what do you say we go down to Florida, we get ourselves a boat,
and we stock it with all the nicest, yummiest things...
we can possibly get our hands on,
and we go out there and we catch ourselves a big, old, fat fish ?
Hmm ? Does that sound good ?
lt sounds good, Harry.
Yeah, Harry, it sounds great.
Okay, stay here.
l'll be back in a flash. Chins up. Okay.
Uh, Graham,
you think you could find some rope so we could tie up Roughy ?
Yeah.
Let's fix you up, okay ?
And maybe some water so we can clean these cuts up.
- Harry !
- No ! - Harry !
Get back ! Get back !
Rachel !
- Rachel !
Rachel !
Aah !
Ooh. Oh, shit.
Oh, my... God.
- Aah !
- Terrific. - Thank you.
- Frank ? - Yeah ?
- How long's this light been blinking ? - Don't know. A day or two.
Thank you, NASA.
Thank you, NASA. Thank you, NASA. Thank you, NASA !
All right, you can get out now. You're all set. All right.
Just give me your hand.
Oh, hang on !
Sir !
Get the crutches.
- l think they got him !
Harry ! Harry ! Hey, man, we thought you were toast !
- Are you all right ? - Yeah, l'm fine.
Rachel and the children are still down there.
When that E.L.F. signal went off, l damn near fell out of my chair.
- He started screaming, ""Thanks, NASA !"" - The old tin box worked.
- lt sure did. - Rachel and the children are still there. Where's Paul ?
He didn't make it.
At least he got to see the show.
All the way ! Back up ! l need people with me !
Move up the hill, people ! Move it !
Let's go !
- Move it. Move it !
Haul it up !
lt's already secure.
Keep clear. Keep clear. Look out.
We've got survivors back here. Get out of the way.
Graham ! Graham !
Mom, it's Harry ! He's alive !
lt's good to see you.
Did you really mean what you said about taking us fishing ?
- l sure did. - That's great.