Am I the only one who noticed that an entire community of Pacific Islanders got obliterated at the end?
LOL, I know its a comedy, but its seems kind of funny that they are disregarded just as long as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan escape the volcano blast OK.
I really liked the Waponis -- my kinda people, really. But when it came to the crunch, not one of them stepped up to the volcano for the good of their island.
It's tragic, but there's a narrative logic to it. Apparently these volcano gods play for keeps.
"Apparently these volcano gods play for keeps."
nice, i will be saying this from now on
The Toby explains that the Big Woo demands a sacrifice. He thinks that it is wrong for an outsider to volunteer but since none of his people will step up he accepts Joe. There's a reference to the tribe being part Jewish - the chosen people. If you think back to the bible story of the Jews rejecting the Ten Commandments at Mt Sinai and being smitten: Then it would make sense that the Waponi be smitten for not following the law and offering their own hero.
Patricia emphasizes this point when she say, "even the Toby doesn't want you to jump." The idea that someone, not of THE CHOSEN PEOPLE, would be acceptable to Woo is sort of blasphemous.
So the Waponi are destroyed. After all, this is a fairy tale. In a fairy tale bad people always get punished.
BTW, the Toby failed to teach his people about honor and duty and therefore was punished along with the unfaithful.