Entertainment
Netflix's Forgotten Disaster Movie Has The Hottest Icons Of The ‘90s
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The ‘90s were filled with so many crazy blockbuster films that it’s easy for many of them to fall into our collective pop culture memory hole. For example, did you know this decade featured an over-the-top natural disaster movie starring the biggest names from the James Bond and Terminator franchises? The film in question is Dante’s Peak (1997), starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, and you can now stream this forgotten blockbuster film on Netflix.
The premise of Dante’s Peak is that a volcanologist is sent to explore a town in Washington (the titular Dante’s Peak), which is right next to a stratovolcano. While he tries to figure out what is going on with this town (including multiple mysterious deaths and a contaminated water supply), an earthquake causes the aforementioned volcano to explode. This expert is suddenly thrust into a race for his life, and he may be the only one who can save everyone before it is too late and their town is completely engulfed in lava.
When Franchise Worlds Collide
The cast of Dante’s Peak includes some great character actors, including Jamie Renée Smith (best known for Hidden Canyons) and Charles Hallahan (best known outside this movie for The Thing). However, the real draw of the film is Pierce Brosnan (best known for his James Bond films) as a rugged volcano expert whose esoteric knowledge is all that stands between a tiny town and certain death. Meanwhile, Linda Hamilton (best known for her Terminator films) plays a hands-on mayor whose willingness to trust an outside may or may not be enough to save her constituents from a fiery fate.
Dante’s Peak wasn’t a box office bomb, but it didn’t exactly set moviegoers on fire when it first hit theaters. Against a blockbuster budget of $116 million, the movie earned $178.1 million. That’s not exactly box office bomb territory, but the studio was hoping for a larger profit, and the fact that this ambitious film couldn’t even crack $200 million is a big part of why we never got a sequel.
Critics Were Neither Shaken Nor Stirred
When Dante’s Peak came out, many reviewers thought it was more of a disaster than a disaster film. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 30 percent, with critics claiming that the dialogue and characterization are poor but that the movie is pretty solid once all hell is breaking loose. That was the general consensus of Siskel and Ebert, who each gave the film two and a half stars, while the former (who claimed “the movie really starts to cook” after the volcano erupts) sarcastically asked, “can I recommend half of a movie?”
So, before you blow your top like a volcano, I need to answer the obvious question: why should you watch a movie that disappointed at the box office and that critics generally hated? First of all, I agree with Siskel and Ebert’s take that this movie gets downright compelling after the volcano explodes. This leaves us with nearly an hour of witnessing nature’s fiery wrath, and if you like natural disaster movies for the “disaster” part, Dante’s Peak is a movie that delivers in spades.
A Cast That Knows How To Have Fun
Additionally, natural disaster movies have something in common with horror movies: they are more enjoyable when you actually like the various everyman characters who must stare death in the face. In Dante’s Peak, those characters are played by ‘90s action icons Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton, two seriously attractive actors with charisma to spare. Even when the writing in this forgotten thriller falls flat, you are left with smart, sexy characters and killer special effects, all of which add up to some serious spectacle.
At the end of the day, spectacle is the main reason to watch Dante’s Peak: it’s got all the cheesy pomp and explosive circumstance that you’d expect from a natural disaster movie. I personally found Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton quite entertaining in this film, and they have an easy chemistry that helps to animate their many shared scenes. Even if you hate these characters, though, you’ll be entertained by the vivid special effects that have held up surprisingly well and look so much better than anything you’ll get from a modern made-for-streaming movie.
Will you agree that it’s worth climbing Dante’s Peak, or is this one natural disaster opus that you’d rather leave in the past? The only way to find out is to grab your remote and stream this forgotten blockbuster on Netflix. If nothing else, this movie is the perfect excuse to turn your living room into a game you haven’t played since childhood: The Floor Is Lava.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 29, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you’re not a fan of big cities.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Countryside.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
The letter R appears twice.
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Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter R.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
RURAL
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for April 29, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
To admire.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
ADORE
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
Heavy.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
HEFTY
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
Two-legged.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
BIPED
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Hefty.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
HEAVY
Final Hurdle hint
Pointy.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
SHARP
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on April 29
It may appear full, but the Moon isn’t actually at 100% illumination yet. In fact, we’re still a couple of days away. But it’s still big and bright enough to do some moon gazing, so keep reading to find out what features you might be able to see tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Wednesday, April 29, the Moon phase is Waxing Gibbous. Tonight, 94% of the moon will be lit up, according to NASA’s Daily Moon Guide.
Without any visual aids, tonight you should be able to see the Mares Vaproum, Tranquillitatis, and Imbrium. With binoculars, you’ll see the Mare Frigoris, Clavius Crater, and the Alphonsus Crater. And, finally, with a telescope you’ll see all this plus the Apollo 17 landing spot, Rima Ariadaeus, and the Fra Mauro Highlands.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon is predicted to take place on May 1, the first of two in May.
What are Moon phases?
According to NASA, the Moon takes roughly 29.5 days to circle Earth once, going through eight distinct phases in the process. Even though we always see the same side of the Moon, the amount of sunlight hitting it changes as it moves in its orbit. The shifting light creates the changing shapes we know as full, half, and crescent Moons. Altogether, there are eight main lunar phases.
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
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Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
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