Film Review: "The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari" (2022).

From the director of Downfall: The Case Against Boeing comes The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari. This documentary film directed by Rory Kennedy. A minute-by-minute account of tourists caught in a tragic volcanic eruption while sightseeing on an island off New Zealand in 2019, the film celebrates the survivors, as well as the everyday people who courageously came to their rescue.

Whakaari / White Island (Te Puia Whakaari, "the dramatic volcano"), also known as White Island or Whakaari, is an active andesite stratovolcano situated forty-eight km (thirty mi) from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty. The island covers an area of approximately three hundred and twenty-five ha (eight hundred acres), which is just the peak of a much larger submarine volcano. The island is New Zealand's most active cone volcano, and has been built up by continuous volcanic activity over the past one hundred and fifty thousand years. The nearest mainland towns are Whakatane and Tauranga. The island has been in a nearly continuous stage of releasing volcanic gas at least since it was sighted by James Cook in 1769. Whakaari erupted continually from December 1975 until September 2000, and also erupted in 2012, 2016, and 2019. Sulphur was mined on the island until the 1930s. Ten miners were killed in 1914 when part of the crater wall collapsed. The main activities on the island now include guided tours and scientific research. Access to the island is allowed only as a member of a tour run by a registered tour operator.

On 9 December 2019, the island explosively erupted, and forty-seven people were on the island at the time. Twenty-two people died, either in the explosion or from injuries sustained, including two whose bodies were never found and were later declared dead. A further twenty-five people suffered injuries, with the majority needing intensive care for severe burns. The ongoing seismic and volcanic activity in the area as well as heavy rainfall, low visibility and toxic gases hampered recovery efforts over the week following the incident. Experts identified the event as a phreatic eruption: a release of steam and volcanic gases that caused an explosion, launching rock and ash into the air. Following the eruption, investigations resulted in WorkSafe New Zealand charging multiple tour operators, government and scientific agencies under the Health and Safety at Work Act for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and others. The latest hearing was held in June 2021.

Kennedy's gut-wrenching film is must-see viewing to learn about a senseless chapter in the history of Whakaari / White Island. An unfortunate reminder of the destructive power of nature. Infuriating to witness this event specially when it came to the official death toll that climbed to twenty-two souls. However, Kennedy focuses the film to a fault, trapping itself in a redundant exploration of the history of the island and its previous eruptions, its lack of foresight and the event that destroyed Whakatāne's tourism image.

Simon says The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari receives:

Also, see my review for Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.