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shiley740
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Jun 16 2016, 06:55 PM
Post #11
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
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- Kevin R.
- Jun 16 2016, 12:27 AM
My college geology professor actually screened this in class one day as part of an assignment, with the other part being to write a two-page report on it detailing its scientific accuracy or lack thereof, framed as a letter from a geologist hired by Steven Spielberg as a science adviser for a remake of it. I still have a copy of it in my hard drive. It's goofy as all hell, but hey, this is The Writer's Haven, so why not? Spoiler: click to toggle Mr. Spielberg, I understand that you plan on remaking the 1997 disaster movie Dante’s Peak, which starred Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, and that you wish to consult me as an advisor regarding scientific accuracy. While I would be more than happy to work with you, I would first like this opportunity to detail and critique the science on display in the original film, so that you know what you are getting into.
The eponymous Dante’s Peak is located in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, which was created, like nearly all geographic features, by the forces of plate tectonics; specifically, the subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate off the northwestern coast underneath the North American plate. As the Juan de Fuca plate is pushed deep into the mantle, it melts, releasing magma that burns through the North American plate to rise to the surface and create volcanoes.
The volcanoes in the Cascade Range are stratovolcanoes, which are created by magma that came from oceanic and continental crust. These types of magma, especially the latter, are of fairly low density and are rather pasty, and thus tend to cause infrequent, but very explosive, eruptions (think Mount St. Helens) due to how they clog up the volcanoes. Think of how a shaken-up, sealed soda bottle will burst with flowing, bubbly soda once the cap is removed. Common characteristics of stratovolcano eruptions include lots of ash, lahars (massive mudflows consisting of melted glaciers, volcanic material and any debris picked up along the way), volcanic bombs (chunks of molten material that are shot into the air and rain down like meteors) and finally, pyroclastic flows, which are superheated, fast-moving clouds of gas that incinerate and bury all in their path. Flowing lava is rare in a stratovolcano eruption; this is usually associated with volcanoes formed at oceanic hot spots (such as Hawaii) and mid-ocean ridges (such as Iceland).
Due to the great threat that they pose to the people who live, work and play near them, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and many other geological agencies around the world have invested a great deal of time and money into researching volcanoes in order to better understand them and detect the warning signs that one is ready to erupt. To this end, they have created and appropriated a wide variety of tools and techniques. Seismometers are used to measure earthquakes around a volcano; a growing number of earthquakes occurring near the surface is usually a sign that magma is rising into the volcano. Tiltmeters and laser measuring devices are used to record changes in the shape of the volcano’s surface; a large bulge is usually a good sign that magma is pushing up underneath that area. Measurements of temperature and gas levels are often taken near the summit; lately, robots have been built for such purposes due to the dangers that they present to humans. Finally, examining the area around a volcano for such telltale signs as water acidification, mass die-offs of plants and animals in a given area, temperature spikes, and other anomalies can allow one to tell when something is very, very wrong in a given area.
The original 1997 film, while not without its faults, is generally regarded as better than most Hollywood disaster films when it comes to scientific accuracy. All of the volcano measuring techniques and warning signs mentioned above show up in the film. Threats such as volcanic ash, lava bombs and lahars are realistically depicted – a helicopter is knocked out of the sky when ash is sucked into its engine, volcanic bombs destroy buildings and kill the hero’s girlfriend in the opening scene (and despite their name, not exploding, as seen in lesser disaster films like Volcano), and we see a lahar destroy a dam and a bridge as it would in real life (the latter carrying the guy who tried to downplay the risk of the volcano out of fear of ruining the town’s economy – dramatic irony at work).
However, there are moments when it’s clear that dramatic license was used regarding the science on display. The depiction of lava is perhaps one of the biggest examples of this. The lava released in the eruption is very runny and fast-moving, a trait that, as mentioned, is associated with the volcanoes of Hawaii, Iceland, and other places that get their magma from deep within the mantle. A stratovolcano in the Cascades undergoing an explosive eruption would not produce much lava at all, and what it does create would be very hard and slow-moving, and likely to be released in the form of volcanic bombs. There is also, of course, the scene where our hero crosses a lava flow (admittedly partly cooled, but in reality it takes longer than just one night for lava to solidify) by driving straight through it, which really needs little explanation. Although most people think of lava when they hear the word “volcano”, I feel that, if you are going for scientific accuracy with your remake, you should drop this aspect. Put in a brief line of dialogue from the geologist main character explaining why the Cascade volcanoes don’t produce runny, flowing lava – indeed, by having him explain what a stratovolcano does instead, you can make this throwaway exposition line into a fair bit of ominous foreshadowing to build tension.
The other major inaccuracy comes during the climax, where the main characters are outrunning a pyroclastic flow. While the damage done by pyroclastic flows is realistically (and vividly) portrayed, their speed is not. In real life, a pyroclastic flow travels at speeds in excess of 450 miles per hour, which would have quickly overwhelmed our cast; in the film, it can barely catch up with them, in their big truck with flat tires, before they drive into an abandoned mine for safety. Speaking of which, that mineshaft would not have saved them in real life, as the pyroclastic flow would have followed them right in rather than politely stopping at the entrance. To make this scene more realistic, I would suggest giving our heroes a head start of several miles when the volcano blows, or change it so that they’re trying to get out of the path of the blast before it goes off; that way, you can still have the race against time and the gratuitous destruction in the climax.
Mr. Spielberg, now that I have informed you of the science behind the volcanoes presented in the film, as well as how well the original film did with its portrayal of it, I feel that we can work together on ensuring that your remake is both scientifically accurate and entertaining. As for the movie itself, it's definitely one of the better disaster movies of the '90s. Not without its cheese, but definitely entertaining. Whenever I watch this, I'mma have 2 read this report
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Callie
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Jun 16 2016, 07:17 PM
Post #12
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A.K.A Sorority Biatch
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- shiley740
- Jun 16 2016, 06:55 PM
- Kevin R.
- Jun 16 2016, 12:27 AM
My college geology professor actually screened this in class one day as part of an assignment, with the other part being to write a two-page report on it detailing its scientific accuracy or lack thereof, framed as a letter from a geologist hired by Steven Spielberg as a science adviser for a remake of it. I still have a copy of it in my hard drive. It's goofy as all hell, but hey, this is The Writer's Haven, so why not? Spoiler: click to toggle Mr. Spielberg, I understand that you plan on remaking the 1997 disaster movie Dante’s Peak, which starred Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, and that you wish to consult me as an advisor regarding scientific accuracy. While I would be more than happy to work with you, I would first like this opportunity to detail and critique the science on display in the original film, so that you know what you are getting into.
The eponymous Dante’s Peak is located in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, which was created, like nearly all geographic features, by the forces of plate tectonics; specifically, the subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate off the northwestern coast underneath the North American plate. As the Juan de Fuca plate is pushed deep into the mantle, it melts, releasing magma that burns through the North American plate to rise to the surface and create volcanoes.
The volcanoes in the Cascade Range are stratovolcanoes, which are created by magma that came from oceanic and continental crust. These types of magma, especially the latter, are of fairly low density and are rather pasty, and thus tend to cause infrequent, but very explosive, eruptions (think Mount St. Helens) due to how they clog up the volcanoes. Think of how a shaken-up, sealed soda bottle will burst with flowing, bubbly soda once the cap is removed. Common characteristics of stratovolcano eruptions include lots of ash, lahars (massive mudflows consisting of melted glaciers, volcanic material and any debris picked up along the way), volcanic bombs (chunks of molten material that are shot into the air and rain down like meteors) and finally, pyroclastic flows, which are superheated, fast-moving clouds of gas that incinerate and bury all in their path. Flowing lava is rare in a stratovolcano eruption; this is usually associated with volcanoes formed at oceanic hot spots (such as Hawaii) and mid-ocean ridges (such as Iceland).
Due to the great threat that they pose to the people who live, work and play near them, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and many other geological agencies around the world have invested a great deal of time and money into researching volcanoes in order to better understand them and detect the warning signs that one is ready to erupt. To this end, they have created and appropriated a wide variety of tools and techniques. Seismometers are used to measure earthquakes around a volcano; a growing number of earthquakes occurring near the surface is usually a sign that magma is rising into the volcano. Tiltmeters and laser measuring devices are used to record changes in the shape of the volcano’s surface; a large bulge is usually a good sign that magma is pushing up underneath that area. Measurements of temperature and gas levels are often taken near the summit; lately, robots have been built for such purposes due to the dangers that they present to humans. Finally, examining the area around a volcano for such telltale signs as water acidification, mass die-offs of plants and animals in a given area, temperature spikes, and other anomalies can allow one to tell when something is very, very wrong in a given area.
The original 1997 film, while not without its faults, is generally regarded as better than most Hollywood disaster films when it comes to scientific accuracy. All of the volcano measuring techniques and warning signs mentioned above show up in the film. Threats such as volcanic ash, lava bombs and lahars are realistically depicted – a helicopter is knocked out of the sky when ash is sucked into its engine, volcanic bombs destroy buildings and kill the hero’s girlfriend in the opening scene (and despite their name, not exploding, as seen in lesser disaster films like Volcano), and we see a lahar destroy a dam and a bridge as it would in real life (the latter carrying the guy who tried to downplay the risk of the volcano out of fear of ruining the town’s economy – dramatic irony at work).
However, there are moments when it’s clear that dramatic license was used regarding the science on display. The depiction of lava is perhaps one of the biggest examples of this. The lava released in the eruption is very runny and fast-moving, a trait that, as mentioned, is associated with the volcanoes of Hawaii, Iceland, and other places that get their magma from deep within the mantle. A stratovolcano in the Cascades undergoing an explosive eruption would not produce much lava at all, and what it does create would be very hard and slow-moving, and likely to be released in the form of volcanic bombs. There is also, of course, the scene where our hero crosses a lava flow (admittedly partly cooled, but in reality it takes longer than just one night for lava to solidify) by driving straight through it, which really needs little explanation. Although most people think of lava when they hear the word “volcano”, I feel that, if you are going for scientific accuracy with your remake, you should drop this aspect. Put in a brief line of dialogue from the geologist main character explaining why the Cascade volcanoes don’t produce runny, flowing lava – indeed, by having him explain what a stratovolcano does instead, you can make this throwaway exposition line into a fair bit of ominous foreshadowing to build tension.
The other major inaccuracy comes during the climax, where the main characters are outrunning a pyroclastic flow. While the damage done by pyroclastic flows is realistically (and vividly) portrayed, their speed is not. In real life, a pyroclastic flow travels at speeds in excess of 450 miles per hour, which would have quickly overwhelmed our cast; in the film, it can barely catch up with them, in their big truck with flat tires, before they drive into an abandoned mine for safety. Speaking of which, that mineshaft would not have saved them in real life, as the pyroclastic flow would have followed them right in rather than politely stopping at the entrance. To make this scene more realistic, I would suggest giving our heroes a head start of several miles when the volcano blows, or change it so that they’re trying to get out of the path of the blast before it goes off; that way, you can still have the race against time and the gratuitous destruction in the climax.
Mr. Spielberg, now that I have informed you of the science behind the volcanoes presented in the film, as well as how well the original film did with its portrayal of it, I feel that we can work together on ensuring that your remake is both scientifically accurate and entertaining. As for the movie itself, it's definitely one of the better disaster movies of the '90s. Not without its cheese, but definitely entertaining.
Whenever I watch this, I'mma have 2 read this report  does that mean you're going to watch this sooner?
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shiley740
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Jun 16 2016, 07:30 PM
Post #13
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
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- Living_Bread
- Jun 16 2016, 07:17 PM
- shiley740
- Jun 16 2016, 06:55 PM
- Kevin R.
- Jun 16 2016, 12:27 AM
My college geology professor actually screened this in class one day as part of an assignment, with the other part being to write a two-page report on it detailing its scientific accuracy or lack thereof, framed as a letter from a geologist hired by Steven Spielberg as a science adviser for a remake of it. I still have a copy of it in my hard drive. It's goofy as all hell, but hey, this is The Writer's Haven, so why not? Spoiler: click to toggle Mr. Spielberg, I understand that you plan on remaking the 1997 disaster movie Dante’s Peak, which starred Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, and that you wish to consult me as an advisor regarding scientific accuracy. While I would be more than happy to work with you, I would first like this opportunity to detail and critique the science on display in the original film, so that you know what you are getting into.
The eponymous Dante’s Peak is located in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, which was created, like nearly all geographic features, by the forces of plate tectonics; specifically, the subduction of the Juan de Fuca plate off the northwestern coast underneath the North American plate. As the Juan de Fuca plate is pushed deep into the mantle, it melts, releasing magma that burns through the North American plate to rise to the surface and create volcanoes.
The volcanoes in the Cascade Range are stratovolcanoes, which are created by magma that came from oceanic and continental crust. These types of magma, especially the latter, are of fairly low density and are rather pasty, and thus tend to cause infrequent, but very explosive, eruptions (think Mount St. Helens) due to how they clog up the volcanoes. Think of how a shaken-up, sealed soda bottle will burst with flowing, bubbly soda once the cap is removed. Common characteristics of stratovolcano eruptions include lots of ash, lahars (massive mudflows consisting of melted glaciers, volcanic material and any debris picked up along the way), volcanic bombs (chunks of molten material that are shot into the air and rain down like meteors) and finally, pyroclastic flows, which are superheated, fast-moving clouds of gas that incinerate and bury all in their path. Flowing lava is rare in a stratovolcano eruption; this is usually associated with volcanoes formed at oceanic hot spots (such as Hawaii) and mid-ocean ridges (such as Iceland).
Due to the great threat that they pose to the people who live, work and play near them, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and many other geological agencies around the world have invested a great deal of time and money into researching volcanoes in order to better understand them and detect the warning signs that one is ready to erupt. To this end, they have created and appropriated a wide variety of tools and techniques. Seismometers are used to measure earthquakes around a volcano; a growing number of earthquakes occurring near the surface is usually a sign that magma is rising into the volcano. Tiltmeters and laser measuring devices are used to record changes in the shape of the volcano’s surface; a large bulge is usually a good sign that magma is pushing up underneath that area. Measurements of temperature and gas levels are often taken near the summit; lately, robots have been built for such purposes due to the dangers that they present to humans. Finally, examining the area around a volcano for such telltale signs as water acidification, mass die-offs of plants and animals in a given area, temperature spikes, and other anomalies can allow one to tell when something is very, very wrong in a given area.
The original 1997 film, while not without its faults, is generally regarded as better than most Hollywood disaster films when it comes to scientific accuracy. All of the volcano measuring techniques and warning signs mentioned above show up in the film. Threats such as volcanic ash, lava bombs and lahars are realistically depicted – a helicopter is knocked out of the sky when ash is sucked into its engine, volcanic bombs destroy buildings and kill the hero’s girlfriend in the opening scene (and despite their name, not exploding, as seen in lesser disaster films like Volcano), and we see a lahar destroy a dam and a bridge as it would in real life (the latter carrying the guy who tried to downplay the risk of the volcano out of fear of ruining the town’s economy – dramatic irony at work).
However, there are moments when it’s clear that dramatic license was used regarding the science on display. The depiction of lava is perhaps one of the biggest examples of this. The lava released in the eruption is very runny and fast-moving, a trait that, as mentioned, is associated with the volcanoes of Hawaii, Iceland, and other places that get their magma from deep within the mantle. A stratovolcano in the Cascades undergoing an explosive eruption would not produce much lava at all, and what it does create would be very hard and slow-moving, and likely to be released in the form of volcanic bombs. There is also, of course, the scene where our hero crosses a lava flow (admittedly partly cooled, but in reality it takes longer than just one night for lava to solidify) by driving straight through it, which really needs little explanation. Although most people think of lava when they hear the word “volcano”, I feel that, if you are going for scientific accuracy with your remake, you should drop this aspect. Put in a brief line of dialogue from the geologist main character explaining why the Cascade volcanoes don’t produce runny, flowing lava – indeed, by having him explain what a stratovolcano does instead, you can make this throwaway exposition line into a fair bit of ominous foreshadowing to build tension.
The other major inaccuracy comes during the climax, where the main characters are outrunning a pyroclastic flow. While the damage done by pyroclastic flows is realistically (and vividly) portrayed, their speed is not. In real life, a pyroclastic flow travels at speeds in excess of 450 miles per hour, which would have quickly overwhelmed our cast; in the film, it can barely catch up with them, in their big truck with flat tires, before they drive into an abandoned mine for safety. Speaking of which, that mineshaft would not have saved them in real life, as the pyroclastic flow would have followed them right in rather than politely stopping at the entrance. To make this scene more realistic, I would suggest giving our heroes a head start of several miles when the volcano blows, or change it so that they’re trying to get out of the path of the blast before it goes off; that way, you can still have the race against time and the gratuitous destruction in the climax.
Mr. Spielberg, now that I have informed you of the science behind the volcanoes presented in the film, as well as how well the original film did with its portrayal of it, I feel that we can work together on ensuring that your remake is both scientifically accurate and entertaining. As for the movie itself, it's definitely one of the better disaster movies of the '90s. Not without its cheese, but definitely entertaining.
Whenever I watch this, I'mma have 2 read this report 
does that mean you're going to watch this sooner? Maybe
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Cman710
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Sep 10 2016, 04:14 PM
Post #14
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"BUDDY THE ELF, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?"
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I wish my geology professor gave me that assignment.
Anyways, I love this movie and FML...
Spoiler: click to toggle The scene where the Grandmother died terrified me when I was a kid.
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BUDDY THE ELF "SANTA!!! OH MY GOD!! I KNOW HIM!"
  
  
WRITING PROJECTS PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (CLICK TO READ) MADMAN (COMING SOON) HALLOWEEN: LEGEND OF THE BOOGEYMAN (COMING SOON)
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Shawn
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Mar 7 2018, 12:24 AM
Post #15
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Pray for mercy from Puss... in boots.
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Yeah so this isn’t the greatest movie, definitely worse than I remembered. The first half is terrible, it’s slow and uninteresting because the characters are terrible. The most interesting thing that happened is learning that Pierce Brosnan has no clue how to do a push-up. However the second half is when this becomes a really entertaining disaster movie and why it’s one of my favorites in the genre.
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shiley740
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Mar 7 2018, 12:44 AM
Post #16
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
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- Shawn
- Mar 7 2018, 12:24 AM
Yeah so this isn’t the greatest movie, definitely worse than I remembered. The first half is terrible, it’s slow and uninteresting because the characters are terrible. The most interesting thing that happened is learning that Pierce Brosnan has no clue how to do a push-up. However the second half is when this becomes a really entertaining disaster movie and why it’s one of my favorites in the genre. the wildly diff opinions on the 2 1/2s
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Callie
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Mar 7 2018, 06:39 AM
Post #17
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A.K.A Sorority Biatch
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i always find myself discombobulated at the slasher-like death scene that happens halfway through the film. I mean it foreshadows something well, but the victims of the scene feel very slasher stereotype. Not of the vernacular I'd expect to see in such a film
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Shawn
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Mar 7 2018, 11:26 PM
Post #18
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Pray for mercy from Puss... in boots.
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- shiley740
- Mar 7 2018, 12:44 AM
- Shawn
- Mar 7 2018, 12:24 AM
Yeah so this isn’t the greatest movie, definitely worse than I remembered. The first half is terrible, it’s slow and uninteresting because the characters are terrible. The most interesting thing that happened is learning that Pierce Brosnan has no clue how to do a push-up. However the second half is when this becomes a really entertaining disaster movie and why it’s one of my favorites in the genre.
the wildly diff opinions on the 2 1/2s  I’m fine with the shitty first half since the disaster parts are fun
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Shawn
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Mar 7 2018, 11:28 PM
Post #19
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Pray for mercy from Puss... in boots.
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- TonyaHarding
- Mar 7 2018, 06:39 AM
i always find myself discombobulated at the slasher-like death scene that happens halfway through the film. I mean it foreshadows something well, but the victims of the scene feel very slasher stereotype. Not of the vernacular I'd expect to see in such a film Are you talking about the
Spoiler: click to toggle people who were boiled alive in the water?
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shiley740
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Mar 7 2018, 11:47 PM
Post #20
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
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- Shawn
- Mar 7 2018, 11:26 PM
- shiley740
- Mar 7 2018, 12:44 AM
- Shawn
- Mar 7 2018, 12:24 AM
Yeah so this isn’t the greatest movie, definitely worse than I remembered. The first half is terrible, it’s slow and uninteresting because the characters are terrible. The most interesting thing that happened is learning that Pierce Brosnan has no clue how to do a push-up. However the second half is when this becomes a really entertaining disaster movie and why it’s one of my favorites in the genre.
the wildly diff opinions on the 2 1/2s 
I’m fine with the shitty first half since the disaster parts are fun  *tries 2 search brain 4 an appropriate comparable ref, but completely blanks, so, I just nod my head in agreement*
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