Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Leofwine_draca MAGMA: VOLCANIC DISASTER is a low key disaster film of the 2000s, barely remembered by anybody a decade later. It stars the constantly underrated Xander Berkeley, an actor I've been a fan of ever since I saw him in TERMINATOR 2, playing a vulcanologist who warns of the imminent eruption of volcanoes around the world. What follows is a by-the-numbers thriller full of insipid performances from everyone who isn't Berkeley, alongside poor scripting and the usual gamut of terrible and cheesy CGI effects. It's a shame that Berkeley's protagonist is so dull here because he alone carries the film and is the only worthwhile thing in it.

Jinn Well with the opening of atrocious acting and laughable SFX, I prepared for the worst. Actually, to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from a movie which cost more to buy brand new and sealed, than it did to hire.I thought I'd give it a go as I have a fascination for volcanoes. Fortunately it did get better for the most part. Xander, Amy Jo and their two companions acted well. The guy with the long hair had a sexy voice. Amy Jo as Brianna was so believable as an enthusiastic student wanting to get out there and make a name for herself, without being too annoying. And George's character, Kincaid *was* an annoying snot, but that's because he played him well ;) I felt for Peter, Xander's character, (even though the story was not original) of a scientist struggling to prove a 'doomsday' theory to a band of rigid authorities, however, it was an interesting premise of worldwide disaster and the hope of humanity. It showed his own humanity trying to smooth things over with his estranged wife as well. She played a convincing part also and her humanity came through.Now they probably didn't have the budget of 'The Day After Tomorrow'" or "Volcano" but I honestly think that they could've done better effects with the lava (particularly in the beginning) and tightened up the acting in parts, but other than that it was good for what it was.I'll pass on my copy at a DVD swap, though I am glad I saw it.

TheExpatriate700 A lame disaster movie with amateurish special effects, Magma: Volcanic Disaster is another lame feature length entry from the Sci-Fi Channel. In a nutshell: A maverick scientist struggles against the usual obstacles in a race against time to save the earth from cataclysm.The special effects are glaringly awful, with lava and smoke effects that could have been produced by any sophomore at a first rate tech university. Even the soundtrack sounds like it was lifted from a dozen other disaster movies.The only saving grace of this film is the acting, led by a solid performance from character actor Xander Berkeley. Be forewarned, though, if you're watching this film solely for Reiko Aylesworth, she appears in all of ten minutes of it, and looks rather bored to be there.

Rob_Taylor Ho-hum. Another SciFi Channel production and another direly tedious, badly acted, poorly produced effort with sub-standard effects and story. Who woulda guessed, huh? The SciFi Channel seem to think that getting the crews' four year old kids in as science advisers is a good idea. Hence we have the laughable technobabble on display here that makes Star Trek look like science fact.The Earth is rebelling against us, since we've poisoned it with radiation and chemical pollutants etc. How very Gaia-like. Also how terribly intellect-insulting. I'm not sure what is worse. The fact that they hope we'll swallow this garbage or the decision to try to send an eco-message to the viewers (albeit only in passing).Clearly no one even proof-read the script or they'd have noticed the glaring gaff involved in solving the problem of the erupting Earth. You see, having poisoned the world with radiation and such, the only solution to save the planet is to detonate nuclear warheads, thereby adding more radiation. It really isn't just me that noticed this ridiculously counter-intuitive nonsense? Right? Other intelligence insulting details include the apparently limitless diving abilities of nuclear ballistic submarines and the attendant ability of their torpedoes to likewise survive the crushing pressure at the tremendous depths of ocean trenches.My favourite nonsense though, was the scene where a guy gets dripped on by molten lava and later, in hospital, we're told that he only has "superficial burns".....All in all this was complete rubbish, like most SciFi productions and is best avoided by all.