Supervolcano (2005) (TV)

Director:

Tony Mitchell

Writer:

Edward Canfor-Dumas (writer)

Release Date:

10 April 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Thriller

Tagline:

It's under Yellowstone. And it's overdue.

Plot:

A volcano in Yellowstone Park suddenly erupts.

Plot Keywords:

Volcano | Fictional Documentary | Geyser | National Park | Disaster

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Riley	...	Richard 'Rick' Lieberman
Gary Lewis	...	Jock Galvin
Shaun Johnston	...	Matt
Adrian Holmes	...	Dave
Jennifer Copping	...	Nancy
Rebecca Jenkins	...	Wendy Reiss
Tom McBeath	...	Michael Eldridge
Robert Wisden	...	Kenneth Wylie
Susan Duerden	...	Fiona Lieberman
Jane McLean	...	Maggie Chin
Sam Charles	...	William Lieberman
Kevin McNulty	...	Joe Foster
Emy Aneke	...	Lt. Johnson
Garwin Sanford	...	Bob Mann (as Garwin Sandford)
Shelagh Mitchell	...	Mother

Also Known As:

Supervulcano (Italy)
Supervulkan (Germany)

Runtime:

120 min (2 parts)

Country:

UK | Germany | Italy | Japan | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | UK:12 | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Big Blast Productions

Quotes:

Kenneth Wylie: It's volcanic ash, you can't go out there!
Richard 'Rick' Lieberman: When Mt. Vesuvius erupted, the people of Pompeii stayed in their homes, how do we know that Ken?
Kenneth Wylie: Because they were buried in volcanic ash.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Screenwipe: (#2.3)" (2006)

Devastation on a grand scale

SUPERVOLCANO

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

(2 episodes)

The 'true' story of an impending super-eruption beneath Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming which will bury 80% of the United States under clouds of choking dust and plunge the entire world into a devastating volcanic winter for years to come.

Based on meticulous research conducted over an eight-month period, this frightening drama commercializes a scenario first outlined in a documentary screened by the BBC in 2002, which drew the world's attention to a timebomb beneath Yellowstone Park. Characterizations are minimal (Michael Riley and Scottish actor Gary Lewis play concerned scientists forced to confront the reality of an impending disaster, only to meet opposition by government personnel eager to prevent mass panic), but scriptwriter Edward Canfor-Dumas describes the timeline of events with startling clarity, mixing narrative and science in an effort to 'sell' the material to the broadest possible audience.

Conceived and executed in the manner of a Hollywood movie, this TV special develops a fair head of steam - counting down to calamity via a series of tell-tale 'warning signs', including earthquakes and violent geyser eruptions - before The Big One explodes in a welter of CGI effects. Such material illustrates the size and horror of the Yellowstone disaster with shocking realism, but the aftermath (in which planet-wide snowfall causes massive disruption to daily life, food shortages and death on an industrial scale) is described with unseemly haste, and the end product feels strangely unfinished. Still, as a means of alerting the world to this imminent catastrophe (which could occur at any moment during the next 100,000 years), SUPERVOLCANO is pretty hard to beat. Sobering stuff, originally broadcast in two parts, directed by Tony Mitchell.