first i must take issue with the reviewer who find this film boring because he class it a a disaster movie and and felt there be not the suspense necessary for a good disaster movie . personally i would question whether disaster movie really comprise a distinct category they be dramas in the thriller category where the more usual dramatic excitement of violent action be replace by the tension of wait to see whether or not the impending disaster can be stave off . to maintain this tension and such a movie have to be base on a fictional story . by contrast and film of real event can be full documentary which be film only in advance or concurrently while or semi documentary in which some of the essential scene have have to be fictionally and but as accurately a possible and reconstructed and film after the event . st. helens clearly fit this latter category . such film should have a sufficiently dramatic story to retain the viewer interest throughout and but they also have a very important role to play in convey to the general public in dramatic term the actual impact of the event in question on the life of the ordinary people who be affected . we judge the success of semi documentary from the extent to which they succeed in satisfy these two objective . in my view st. helens meet both objective well and and be artistically a most successful film . volcanic eruption be not rare event and but the eruption in north america of a volcano generally regard by the public a extinct and attract enormous public attention a event unfolded day by day . million in north america experience dull sky and fall ash over a period of several day and and those of u who be old enough remember the story very well . ultimately this eruption cost fifty nine life and but two of these in particular provide the medium with ongoing human interest story and later provide the core story for this movie . one be the young geologist from the u. s. geological survey who allow his enthusiasm to run away with him to such an extent that he be conduct monitoring in an area very close to the mountain when the eruption take place . he saw it happen and and have time to report it by telephone before he be overwhelm by the escaping gas or fall rock . the other be the elderly retired man live alone in a cabin on spirit lake very close to the volcano who consistently refuse to be evacuate until too late . these be the principal character in this semi documentary and and both be portray very sympathetically so that their self destructive behaviour become quite understandable . i would rate this a a very good film i also have an official full documentary account of this eruption on videotape and it provide many interesting fact about the scientific impact on the area while but this dramatised semi documentary with it human interest story be the one which will bear watch repeatedly and and it be commendably careful not to seriously distort any of the fact in the interest of artistic licence . we may never be near a volcano that be threaten to erupt and but we read about such eruption each year and this film help to give u a well understanding of what one be really like .