La Palma Review | Leisurebyte
Director: Kasper Barfoed
Date Created: 2024-12-12 13:30
3.5
A young scientist discovers a terrifying ordeal underway in La Palma, Canary Islands. When she realises that a huge volcano in the island is about to blow at any second, burying the island under a huge mass of ash and lava, will she be able to convince everyone around her to get out of the island before it’s too late and a tsunami engulfs them all? In the midst of this madness is a family of four who desperately try to get out in one piece, along with millions of other families on the island.
The Limited Series consists of 4 episodes, each with a runtime of around 50 minutes.
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La Palma Netflix Cast
Anders Baasmo, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Thorbjørn Harr, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Johannes Joner, Jorge de Juan, Iselin Shumba, Amund Harboe
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La Palma 2024 Screenwriters
Harald Rosenløw Eeg, Lars Gudmestad
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La Palma Director
Kasper Barfoed
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La Palma Release Date
12 December 2024
La Palma Review
In this Christmas disaster series, a palpable tension in the air makes the setting a sure win even before we get to the good parts. The series is as informative as it is dramatic, making viewers sit on the edge of their seats wondering what is to come afterwards. The beautiful and scenic beaches of La Palma become the perfect ground to bring up something truly terrifying – a reality that might just be in any of our not-so-distant futures. The four episodes of the series are well-made and require your attention to deliver something goosebump-worthy.
We follow Marie Ekdal, a young scientist whose gut feeling that something sinister is going on within the cracks of the mountains and in the caves becomes more hardened the more she looks into it. Meanwhile, a family, like many others on the island, try to relax on the beautiful beaches during the holiday season. However, both of them get into a fight for survival when Marie realises that a volcanic eruption might just kill them all if they don’t take action soon.
The juxtaposition between the happy holiday vibes of the family with the looming danger that none of them can fathom is an interesting thing to watch. It adds drama and tension to the narrative and gives us different perspectives to watch that make viewers get the full scope of the disaster. Disaster shows/movies are usually on a grand scale and this one, with a volcanic eruption and a tsunami to showcase, is not only terrifyingly beautiful but also shown so effectively that it leaves you stunned.
La Palma also showcases some heartfelt moments surrounding the different characters, especially Jennifer’s family and Marie’s. These moments are effective and make you relate to the characters thoroughly. Although we don’t sit with them for too long, they add something very important to this natural disaster, making us realise that this isn’t just another thing happening to some random, unknown people. Everyone affected by this has a family, hopes, dreams, and aspirations and isn’t just a number in a statistic. It makes you look at the entire situation with a new lens and makes you root for them throughout.
The series is fast-paced and moves from one situation to another, as well as from one perspective to another. There’s a tense atmosphere that the creators hold on to throughout the runtime and the different situations make it thoroughly effective. You aren’t forced to get a geography lesson for minutes on end but are given enough information to understand the gravity of the situation and what’s at stake. The performances add to this thrilling atmosphere and everyone plays their part well enough to be enjoyed.
Final Thoughts
La Palma isn’t unique and can get predictable sometimes. But the series remembers to leave us on a thrilling cliffhanger at the end of every episode and its effective storytelling will leave viewers invested in the characters’ plights and motivations. Although there are moments when the series might drag a bit, the series is great for a fun binge-watch adventure that will leave a good taste in your mouth.
First off, its volcano with lava coming, but thet guy’s sister is locked up, need a lawyer too release her BULLSHIT..
If it was my sister i would knock the shit out of them,
an ass with guns taking over the boat, the guy dies UNESSERY,
Airplane still standing still, all passengers must have a passport show identification blablabla again BULLSHIT,
Avoid thesse scenes and you wont boil your blood of anger, i was so close hiting somone/something,
And nothing reall happening before the two last episodes, 70% of the two first episodes is talking…
BORING…
bullshit movie…started good then too many things that makes no sense
4 episodes only, but somehow each managed to one up the previous ones in terms of setting the bar for how nonsensical and terrible a series can be. The ending devolved into such absurdity that I really couldn’t believe how a script with this level of juvenile BS got green-lit and funded. What were they smoking?
3.5 rating? Seriously? What a joke. Instantly destroys this site’s credibility.