That is not to say Airplane vs. Volcano is great, because it isn't. It isn't particularly good either, but with the concept and the movie's title(any low-budget movie that has vs. in the title is often bad) I was expecting a disaster. Airplane vs. Volcano doesn't look too drab and it is shot and edited competently, while the direction shows signs of tautness. The music is a step above the sluggish-in-temp and generically orchestrated scores I'm used to hearing from an Asylum movie, while there are signs also of fun and tension that isn't present in most Asylum movies with the more scientific elements not completely out of whack this time. The acting is better than average too, well at least mostly. Best of all being Robin Givens, it's very rare to have an Asylum movie who has a beautiful woman who can act halfway convincingly, though Dean Cain is also a more than serviceable lead. However, Airplane vs. Volcano also isn't without questionable acting, David Vega in particular is saddled with a stereotypical and fairly insignificant antagonist role and overplays it so badly that it feels like pantomime. The effects do look cheap and rushed-looking, the best they actually get quality-wise is okay. The dialogue, though there are some snappy and thoughtful moments(something that you almost never hear me say about an Asylum movie), can feel ham-fisted- especially in the more dramatic parts- and for a straight-face movie there are some lines where it actually is difficult to keep a straight face. As has been said, there is some fun and tension but Airplane vs. Volcano takes a straight-faced approach and takes the story far too seriously. The dramatic parts really bog down the movie- the pacing is fairly tight and brisk everywhere else- and come across as too melodramatic and in a way that doesn't feel natural at all. The conflict is equally unconvincing, it feels very forced and it's not helped that the antagonists are so weakly written. Overall, has a lot of problems but considering the concept and title screaming of disaster Airplane vs. Volcano was surprisingly better than expected. 5/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Airplane vs. Volcano
