Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Ever since 1949, the peaceful and quiet island of La Palma has been a ticking time bomb.”
La Palma is a disaster drama that begins with an intense prologue scene about a group of tourists who die on a boat. The title rolls in with a montage of volcanic eruptions, falling rocks, and violent waves, promising a dark rollercoaster ride of death and destruction. But what the creators deliver is an outdated drama that feels ridiculously contrived, complete with the kind of overly positive ending that even regular family dramas would envy.
The four-episode series follows the family of Frederik (Anders Baasmo) and Jennifer (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), who arrive from Norway with their kids, Sara (Alma Günther) and Tobias (Bernard Storm Lager), at the beautiful island of La Palma to spend their Christmas vacation, unaware of the impending doom about to engulf the region. While the family is caught up in their holiday highs and lows, Marie Ekdal (Thea Sofie Loch Næss), a young researcher on another part of the island, discovers an alarming crack along a mountain that could signal an imminent volcanic eruption and a devastating tsunami. However, the administration demands 100% proof of disaster before issuing warnings, something the researchers cannot guarantee.
The short length of La Palma initially gave me the impression it would be a fast-paced, crisp, nail-biting show. Instead, it’s often frustratingly slow, weighed down by an unnecessary romantic subplot about teen Sara falling for a vacationer. Aside from some diversity, including a queer teen and a neurodivergent child, the primary family is fairly dull, even though the actors pull off their roles. The creators shouldn’t have focused so much on Sara’s family and should have given more screen time to Marie Ekdal and the other researchers monitoring the volcano. In fact, the only theme that truly stands out in La Palma is the moral and social dilemmas authorities face when dealing with uncertain natural disasters.
What makes La Palma a tolerable one-time watch is the exciting premise of an impending catastrophe and the scenic cinematography, which engagingly captures the island’s charms. The special effects were pretty impressive too, particularly during the volcanic eruption and tsunami sequences. Some drone shots through the episodes are very impressive in the series.
Story-wise, the climactic episode of La Palma turned out to be the most disappointing chapter, packed with far too many “too good to be true” coincidences, some of which practically qualify as miracles. For instance, early in the series, during a mild eruption, nearby campers struggle to breathe due to low oxygen levels. Yet, in the final episode, after a much larger eruption, a pair unable to evacuate decides to get up close to the volcanic activity, and nothing seems to affect them for quite some time, at least not until their part of the mountain completely explodes.
A little more attention to detail and more risks in the script would have made this series far more engaging. Overall, La Palma might prove to be a decent one-time watch for viewers looking for a short series with an easy-to-follow plot.
Rating: 2.5 on 5 stars. Watch ‘La Palma’ on Netflix.
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