LaserDisc Spotlight Review: Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Culturedog Sam Hatch is spending his downtime watching as many LDs as possible, and here’s the newest report back – a review of John Patrick Shanley’s criminally underrated oddball parable Joe Versus the Volcano. Starring Tom Hanks and three Meg Ryans, Joe Versus the Volcano is a visually stunning film with a refreshing mix of styles that was unfortunately sold short as a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy.

Is it worth getting on LaserDisc, which is letterboxed in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio? Or should you just pick up the Warner Archive Blu-Ray? Or both? Only you can make these life-or-death decisions, but Sam is here to let you know what the LD has to offer. Joe Versus the Volcano on LaserDisc… check it out before you jump into the woo!

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Intro music: "Anger Mgmt." by Sever the Drama.

Chapters:
0:00 Opening/Introduction
1:30 The Film (Personal History/Thoughts)
12:45 The Disc (Warner Home Video 11912)

[kubrickenigma]

Delightful movie! Your video reviews are always pleasant. Hopefully you'll get back to doing them some day soon :)

[HugoRedRose]

Thanks for this Sam (and all your videos btw). Great, great choice. Love this film so much: so well crafted and so poetic. An LD classic.

[trainspotter]

That shark that pops up scared the shit out of me as a kid.

[danneflanell]

Great review (as always). This one has slipped under my radar, so thanks! Will pick it up on BR eventually.

[rmjmoviereviews]

I've never seen this movie all the way through. I do remember it airing on HBO and Cinemax all the time back in the day.

[Riddler]

What a coincidence! I also got a LaserDisc copy of Joe Versus the Volcano that I finally spun up for the first time very recently and I loved it! I also watched it on my old school 27 inch 4:3 TV.  I thought that the picture quality was great! It is too bad that you don't hear much about Joe Versus the Volcano nowadays, it is an underrated movie.

I want to watch Joe Versus the Volcano again but with the Pro Logic audio. I’ve been watching a lot of LaserDiscs lately with surround sound.

Apparently the Blu-Ray of Joe Versus the Volcano from Warner Archive Collection has a lovely transfer. I definitely want to check that out.

[loc]

I always watch this and The Burbs together. Both very underrated movies.

[zacharia]

Remember when this came out working at Hastings...

[martinhafner]

The fake puppety hammerhead shark is kind of corny, but it points to a truth about the ocean. There is weird stuff down under the surface.
I grew up on the west coast and we went fishing now and then. Once in a while something weird would come up on the hook. So I would be asking other fishermen "what is that?" "Is it safe to eat?" "Is it okay to touch it?" The answers were often mixed. Some fish required a metal mesh glove to handle them. Some could only be eaten if certain parts were cut off, preferably as soon as possible.
Juvenile halibut look really strange (eyes are just wrong), but are perfectly safe to eat.
The ocean is full of strange mysteries. I think JVTV was all about rediscovering the wonder of life and this world.

[newworlddisorder]

Sam- you mentioned the movie ‘Toys’... do you have that on LaserDisc? Do you think that will ever get a Blu Ray release? That’s another quirky movie that I enjoy from 90’s

[keithm]

I stayed away from this because of the horrid reviews, but that cast is extremely interesting! Just watched The Trigger Effect on LD, which seemed like Koepp's attempt to be Lynch.

[dwaynet]

I had a friend that did a lot of LDS back in the 60's, be careful 😉

[dbanner]

@1:02 Wasn't LDS what Spock did too much of at Berkley?