It was not be considered a great film by anyone’s standards, ranked a distant 1,430th behind those “B” list movies like Big or Bob and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I doubt that it even rises to the level of a flick. Still, there is a story there, somewhere, buried in the dark gray shadows that needs to be told. Do you remember Joe vs. The Volcano? If not, let me prod your memory.
Good morning, welcome to the forth watch, the time of day when only the most obscure and forgotten movies are reviewed, for to do so in the waking hours would be a waste of daylight. Do you remember this one; Joe vs. The Volcano. Still not sure what brought this movie to mind but here we are and there is no turning back.
There is imagery that the filmmaker uses to the capture the drudgery of Joe’s life. Dressed like all the others, walking, almost marching in mass to the gates of the factory, Joe comes across as droid-like, absent of emotion and passion. Joe’s very essence, his mortal soul, was gone.
This synopsis encapsulates the storyline. Joe is diagnosed with an incurable disease, quits his dehumanizing job, and accepts an offer to briefly “live like a king, and die like a man” – but to fulfill his agreement he must willingly jump into a live volcano…to appease the volcano god. You can probably guess where the storyline goes, along the way Joe meets new people, falls in love and reevaluates his willingness to jump into the volcano.
I am not suggesting that you invest 102 minutes of your life to acclimate yourself to the storyline, for those are precious minutes of your life you will never get back. It’s like watching the network news. What is the point?
Of utmost importance to Joe is the loss of his soul, interesting in itself since that is how the flick begins. He was depicted as nothing more than a cog in a wheel. The catalyst that he prompted him to act was a diagnosis, one that turned out to be a lie, that life as he knew it would soon be over. He decided that if he was going to die anyway, what better way to exit this life than living like a king up until the final moments. A header into boiling lava was a small price to pay.
Joe wanted his last days to be lived as though he mattered, and that his life made a difference to someone, anyone. He was willing to throw himself into an active volcano in a final desperate act to be relevant in his own eyes and in the eyes of others.
The quest for relevance, or put another way, man’s search for meaning, coincidently the title to a great book, is at the center of who we are and what it means to live a life that matters, one of purpose and promise. Joe wanted what we all want, to leave a mark that we were here.
In the end, Joe’s primary concern was for his eternal soul, but while he lived, he allowed the very essence of his being, his mortal soul to evaporate. Unguarded, the life that he was given drifted away, not with a huge sucking sound, but through the lenses that he wore and the words that he heard that led him to believe that he was not relevant and that his life didn’t matter.
A life, one equipped with a thriving spirit and a dream to leave a legacy, is a terrible thing to waste. Don’t believe the lies that the only way you can to make a difference is a swan dive into the lava.
Stay clear of the volcanos. You will have to trust me on this one.
Next movie up; The Kid. Ivy is insisting that she gets equal time. There is golden retriever in it that she feels should have gotten Best Supporting Actor. I’m just trying to keep the peace.
Thanks for reading, liking, and sharing,
Al and his faithful, but demanding sidekick, ivy the wonder pup.