Skyfire 2021

On the remote island of Tian-Huo in southeast Asia, a team of scientists has converged to study the majestic yet treacherous volcano that dominates the landscape. Young Meng’s innocent eyes behold a wondrous sight - snow ablaze with fiery intensity - though her mother Sue is quick to dismiss the notion as impossible, attributing it instead to the ash-laden air from the rumbling volcano. But time proves Sue wrong, as burning rocks begin hurtling towards the base camp like celestial bodies, forcing an abrupt evacuation. As the chaos unfolds, Sue’s desperation to reach her daughter grows, and she ultimately must bid a tearful farewell as a scorching cloud of gas bears down upon her.

Years later, Professor Tao stands before his class, recounting the harrowing tale of Tian-Huo’s volcanic awakening, which unfolded with unprecedented speed. He emphasizes that even Pompeii’s fabled Vesuvius afforded its inhabitants precious hours to flee, whereas this volcano presented no such warning signs. The contrast between Tao’s words and the reality Jack Harris has created on the island is striking. Having built a lucrative resort and theme park on Tian-Huo, Harris proudly proclaims his venture as an experience that pays customers top dollar for living life on the edge - a claim disputed by experts who foresee catastrophic consequences.

Meanwhile, Meng, now grown and driven, takes her place among the researchers, painstakingly deploying measuring devices across the volcano’s vast expanse. Her task requires donning protective gear and being lowered into the volcano’s depths, an ordeal that nearly turns tragic when she’s jerked back to safety.

As relationships blossom between two of the team members, a tender proposal is made, with the suitor receiving a treasured ring from his beloved’s grandfather. Back at the resort, Harris warmly welcomes arriving guests before handing over one group to his wife, who assumes the role of their tour guide. In a private moment, she implores her husband to pay greater attention to her.

Professor Tao returns to Tian-Huo with a singular purpose: to reclaim his daughter and whisk her away from the island’s perceived danger zone. However, Meng refuses to abandon her mission, instead sharing her findings with her father via a detailed model at the base station, which vividly displays the readings from her equipment.

As the tour group ventures into the volcanic crater, their sense of safety is palpable as they descend into the scorching hot environment within a specially designed vehicle capable of withstanding the intense heat. Upon exiting, they’re met with a breathtaking panorama from a platform outside, taking in the majesty of their surroundings. Meanwhile, Tao and Meng, keeping a constant connection with the base station, grow increasingly concerned as they monitor the situation unfolding beneath their feet.

As the happy couple takes to the water for a leisurely swim, they soon find themselves confronted with an unexpected obstacle: lava flows blocking their path, forcing them to retrace their steps. It’s then that Tao and Meng issue a dire warning to the tourists - they must leave immediately. The volcano awakens, its fury unleashed as the group scrambles to escape. Tragically, several researchers and tourists fall victim to the inferno, leaving only a few scattered survivors.

Upon returning to the top of the crater, the tour group barely has time to vacate their vehicle before it’s reduced to smoldering ruin. With one cable car serving as their entry point, they must now utilize both cars to exit - a daunting task that requires Meng to impart her expertise on operating the first car to an unsuspecting tourist. As she and Tao, along with Mrs. Harris and others, board the second car, Meng’s keen eye spots a catastrophic flaw: the cable is snapped. Panicked tourists must leap from one car to the other while avoiding the supporting structures, but for one unfortunate individual, this desperate maneuver proves fatal.

As the survivors cling to life, they plummet down the mountain alongside Meng, Tao, and Mrs. Harris, who find themselves trapped in the doomed cable car. Miraculously, they’re plucked up by the couple who had been swimming earlier - a moment of serendipity amidst the chaos.

Meanwhile, back at the resort, Harris’s efforts to distract the tourists have failed; instead, they’re consumed by panic as they scramble for the exit. It’s not long before flaming rocks begin raining down upon the resort, forcing those who can escape to seek refuge in boats, leaving others to face a desperate and potentially deadly fate.

As panic sets in across the village, the desperate populace scurries for cover with no clear escape route in sight. Amidst the chaos, Meng and Tao must join forces with the solitary researcher at the base station to find a solution, their constant communication a beacon of hope against the impending doom. The group’s quest to divert the encroaching lava becomes increasingly urgent as they navigate treacherous terrain towards the control room, where the fate of the village hangs precariously in the balance.

Meanwhile, Harris finds himself transfixed by a montage of global news channels, all fixated on the unfolding disaster. His gaze then shifts to the resort’s surveillance feed, where he witnesses a heart-wrenching scene: a distraught young girl, her mother’s lifeless form mere feet away. Compelled by her plight, Harris springs into action, rescuing the girl and subsequently entrusting her with a treasured keepsake – his father’s watch – before parting ways to await the arrival of his own loved one. His heroics are short-lived, however, as he falls prey to a blazing rock.

At the facility where the group hopes to release the water and divert the lava flow, their progress is stymied by an onslaught of flaming rocks. But salvation arrives in the form of a drone that has been patrolling the island, its capabilities harnessed to release the life-saving H2O. The village is spared from the inferno’s wrath, but for the girl and her family, tragedy awaits as they locate her grandfather – his fate sealed.

Tao presents Meng with a poignant reminder of her mother’s legacy: a tool imbued with memories of her past. His regret over being unable to save her is palpable, a poignant moment in an already tumultuous narrative.

As the group in the jeep faces yet another challenge – crossing a treacherous bridge spanning a river of lava – fate intervenes once more. The bridge collapses beneath Tao’s tires, leaving him to make his way back to the base station, which soon meets its own demise. He commandeers a motorcycle and sets off towards rescue, while the helicopter that has been dispatched to retrieve the survivors closes in.

For Meng, hope flickers briefly when she spots a flare rising into the sky, only to extinguish as a scorching cloud of ash sweeps through the area where the signal originated – her father’s fate sealed. The weight of his loss crushes her, leaving her to confront the cruel reality that no rescue will be forthcoming.

As the worn vessel slices through the turbulent waters, Mrs. Harris’ keen eyes settle upon a young girl clutching a timepiece with an air of quiet significance. Inquiring about its provenance, she’s met with somber tidings: the watch’s owner had perished in the chaos. Yet, as the crew huddles around the ship’s radio, the stunning visuals of Tao’s rescue unfold on the screen, a stark contrast to the earlier reports of his demise. Meng’s countenance brightens with joyous reunion, and the narrative takes a nostalgic turn as flashbacks reveal Tao’s meticulous study of the volcano model at the base station, where his fixation on the very same mountain gave rise to a moment of calculated bravery. The scene shifts once more to capture Tao’s daring ascent, as he vanishes into the abyss, only to resurface with tales of his heroics. And so, the credits roll, marking the end of this chapter in the tale.